Chisa!

I can't help promoting this new re-issue as it captures some of Masekela's finest "pop" moments from the late sixties. Another LP worth checking out is the Ngubani LP by Jonas Gwangwa and African Explosion. Also issued in 1968 was an LP from which todays song comes from - "Hugh Masekela presents Africa 68". The music from this period reflects an ernest attempt to emulate the mbaqanga sounds coming from South Africa but with the obvious jazz-tinged arrangements that Gwangwa and Masekela are known for. Also look out for the LP The Union of South Africa.
Thokozile

I have been lucky to see Hugh playing live a number of times, both in Africa (Botswana 1982, Johannesburg 1992) and in the UK (Womad 1986, London 1988). The picture below I took at Womad.


Hugh was recently in London and when interviewed by the Guardian had this to say about his formative years in the USA:
"When I went to the US in the 1960s, it wasn't as an African musician. I wanted to be an American bebopper - my ambition was to play in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. But then Miles Davies and Louis Armstrong and the others said to me, "If you play only American jazz, you'll just be a statistic. If you play something of your own music, then we'll learn from you as well as you from us." That's when I discovered what musical migration meant. It made me realise I should know more about the traditional music of my country. Singers such as Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte helped me begin to discover my roots. Miriam's mother was a traditional healer and she knew everything about the music of South Africa. Even now the process still goes on when I go home and share what I've learned over the years, and in turn learn more myself about things that maybe I didn't pay enough attention to when I was young."

Doug Payne's site is a great reference for Masekela.

New Horizons

The African Serenades series has been compiled by a number of individuals who frequent the Blood and Fire and Reggae and Stuff message boards. Today's download is a mix of all the tracks on the CD. In addition - but not on the CD - is an eclectic modern collaboration/remix of an Abdullah Ibrahim track.

AS20-New Horizons
Mindif-Bigband Version

New Horizons means just that- music that draws on African traditions and forms but that goes beyond them with the involvement of European remixers, collaborators and musicians. The biggest new forms out of Africa have been hip hop and Kwaito, both of which get a significant voice here. For a true sampling of kwaito its worth checking out Trikont's compilation Mzanzi Music or the Sterns compilation Kwaito. Otherwise get hold of the soundtracks from the TV series Yizo Yizo (the fantastic pic for my compilation comes from the Yizo Yizo promotional material). Or just explore Rage

The issue of authenticity and modernity have been debated to death in music circles so I prefer to let the music speak...

Soweto Sister

Lizzy Mercier Descloux in Soweto with the musicians that helped her create her Soweto LP in 1983. Ze Records have done a great job of re-issuing her LPS Press Colour and Mambo Nassau but CBS France have been very quiet about getting a reissue of the Soweto LP onto the racks. Dusty Groove show an upcoming release entitled Zulu Rock which was one of the tracks from that LP so it will be interesting to see if it does indeed hit the racks this year.

So whilst we wait for this lost classic to re-appear I can present the track Abyssinia





















Lizzy Mercier Descloux (1984 CBS France LP)
Tracks:
1. It's All My Imagination
2. Abyssinia
3. Gazelles
4. Dolby Sisters Saliva Brothers
5. Eclipse
6. Les Dents de L'Amour
7. Wakwazulu Kwezizulu Rock
8. Momo on My Mind
9. I'm Liquor
10. Queen of the Overdub Kisses
11. Sun's Jive
12. All the Same
Musicians:
All Vocals : Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Guitars : Sammy Kiass/Richard Hadebe
Bass : David Mabaso
Organ: Desmond Malotana/Domesani
Drums : Fats Mlangeni
Accordion : Allian David/Henry Krein
Percussions : Hayward Mahlangu
Sax: Javas Magubane/Thomas Phale
Trumpet: Steve Siewell
Harp: David Snell
Backing Vox: Tiyimeleni Youngs Sisters/The Roadworkers/Peter Motico/Cassia Kidron
Producers : Adam Kidron
Recorded : Satbel Studio, Johannesburg / Berry Street Studio, London

Lizzy Mercier (1956-2004)
Born 1956 in Les Halles, Paris - left for New York in 1975 - creates French magazine Rock News with Michel Esteban - has collection of poems Desiderate prefaced and illustrated by friend Patti Smith - as Rosa Yemen records 6 tracks for Ze Records in 1978 - acts in a number of short films - records first LP Press Colour in 1979 - befriends Jean Michel Basquiat - records second LP Mambo Nassau in Bahamas in 1981 - visits Asia in 1982 - goes to Africa in 1982 visiting Ethiopia and South Africa - records Lizzy Mercier Descloux in South Africa with mbaqanga session musicians - returns to South Africa in 1984 - performs at the legendary Pelican Club in Soweto - singles Gazelles become big hit in France - prepares a new LP to be made in New Orleans - in 1985 moves to Rio to record One for the Soul - meets Chet Baker who ends up playing on the album - moves to Sri Lanka to write novel - 1986 back in Paris again - records last album in London "Suspense" with Mark Cunningham, the trumpet player in Mars - moves to West Indies and paints - moves back to Corsica in 2000 - in April 2003 cancer takes her....


Patti Smith and Lizzy Mercier

Lizzy with Chet Baker

America is waiting

Back to the heady days of the early eighties. 1981 to be precise and the Brian Eno/David Byrne project My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. The record starts with these prophetic words: America is waiting for a Message of some sort....(911 answered all that)

Soon the remastered disc will hit the shelves. Note the changes in artwork that reflect the 25 years of distance between the original and the new.

THE NEW COVER


THE ORIGINAL LP COVER FROM 1981

One track will be missing from the newly remastered disc. This track appeared on some the first vinyl copies of the LP but was later removed because it sampled parts of the Qu'ran. Enjoy your listen here: QU'RAN

UPDATE (25/3): CHECK THE NEW WEBSITE

And obscure fact of the day: the first book currently acknowledged to be written in the early slave creole that was later to develop into Afrikaans was in fact the Qu'ran, a copy from around 1899.

Kora Symmetry

As the solstice approaches I've been listening a lot to the track Houndoti from Toumani Diabate's new album and wondering how the rest of the album will turn out. In the articles that appeared after Ali Farka Toure's death there was also mention of another Toure album that World Circuit had recorded after his joint effort In the Heart of the Moon with Dianate.

And speaking of WorldCircuit, current home of Orchestra Baobab, this brings me to one of my favourite re-issue ideas: that of bringing back all those LPs issued by the French label Disques Buur in 1975 of Orchestra Baobab. More on this soon. In the meantime enjoy the covers.


BAWOBAB 75


GUY GU REY GI


SENEGAAL SUNUGAAL


VISAGE DU SENEGAAL


ADDUNA JARUL NAAWO

More Pressure

And straight to the head. This one slipped right under my radar but its a wonderful new release on Pressure Sounds that has now stacked up half a century of high quality reggae re-issues. Back in 1992 when I heard of the first serious reggae re-issue programme on Blood and Fire Records it all made sense. Steve Barrow, one of the founders of Blood and Fire said at the time that his mission was to give reggae the type of re-issue attention Jazz had been receiving since the mid eighties. So far both labels have fared well with slightly different release agendas. In addition there are a number of newer reggae reissue labels such as Auralux, Motion and Patate amongst others. And of course bludgeoning us with their oversupply is the re-invigourated Trojan Records.

Back to the music on this particular CD. Its a compilation of obscure singles and versions put together with the love and devotion of a fanatic...just up my alley. Since I wasn't there at the time the relative scarcity of the tracks doesn't mean that much to me. The absolute killer track for me is Ricky Storm's The Way It is. Other favourites are Skyjack Version from Bongo Gene All Stars, Folk Song by Uhuru and the instrumental All for Free from Tafari Syndicate. Along with the CD and Vinyl issues are two 7" singles with exclusive b-sides.

For my money this is roots music of the highest quality. Hopefully we won't need to wait another 12 years and 49 CDs until Volume 2 in the series. Buy with confidence.

Talking Timbuktu

I heard today that Ali Farka Toure had died at the age of 67. Time to dust off his impressive catelogue of music. My favourites are the recent collaboration with Toumani Diabate, In the Heart of the Moon and the collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu.

Peace go with you brother. RIP.

Spirits to Bite Our Ears

I first heard of Thomas Mapfumo in "None but ourselves: Masses vs. media in the making of Zimbabwe, by Julie Frederikse (Ravan Press 1982)". This stirred my interest and when later that year I got hold of the Hokoyo and Gwindingwe Rine Shumba LPs from a trip to the recently liberated Zimbabwe I was astounded by what I heard. At around the same time a friend of mine in London filmed some of his first concerts in the UK for his college film-making project. This was around the time of the label Earthworks signing him.


I first saw Thomas Mapfumo play with the Blacks Unlimited at Queens Hotel in 1984. Then over the rest of the decade I saw him play a number of times again in Zimbabwe and London. I remember so clearly a time in 1986 when he was in London to promote the reggae LP Chimurenga For Justice and he was staying next door with a friend in Brixton. I spend a wonderful afternoon making Gregory Isaacs tapes for him and sharing our experiences and enjoyment for music.

I have a provided a download of a track taken from the soundboard at the Town and Country Club, Kentish Town, London for you to listen to. MAPFUMO LIVE IN LONDON 1986

Later in the 1990s when he was due to play in South Africa he was arrested for possession of dope and had to make a quick exit. I don't think he was ever had the chance to play in South Africa and now-days is settled in self-imposed exile in the USA. The dreads have gone and the Blacks Unlimited have lost so many of their original members from AIDs-related illnesses.

He continues to perform, record and make a difference.

Fully endorsed by Thomas Mapfumo this recently released CD collects all of the primary singles from the period 1977-1986. Song explanations come from Banning Eyre. (My only gripe is the over-use of colour-half toning on the photographs in the booklet.)

Highly recommended.

March Radar

Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra - Boulevard de L'Independence' (World Circuit)
The kora master's new album promises a lot. If its as good as the one track included with the Songlines magazine then this should be a wonderful meditative album.
...
Panama! -- Latin, Calypso & Funk On The Isthmus 1965-75 (Soundway)
Miles Cleret at it again. Impressive groove oriented re-issue label. This time focussing on the latin funk groove of Panama.
...
Congos and Friends - Fisherman Style (BAF)
Steve Barrow and the team at Blood and Fire team up Jamaican vocalists old and new to voice over the seminal Lee Perry produced Congos track Fisherman.
......
Quantic presents The World's Rarest Funk 45s (Jazzman)
Rare as hens' teeth funk 45s put together by Brighton's man of many talents Will Holland.
.....
Brian Eno/David Byrne - My Life in the Bush with Ghosts Remaster
...
On heavy rotation during February and with a big thumbs up are the following:
1. Hugh Masekela - The Chisa Years 1965-1975 Rare and Unreleased (BBE)...Lots of tracks with vocals by Letta Mbulu and concentrating on the late sixties and early seventies period when Masekela was producing very funky african tinged fusion.
2. The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics (WEA)...Well not quite up there with Yoshimi or the Soft Bulletin but a very strong album with some great tracks. A band well worth seeing live and for making you feel alive
3. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - The Proposition OST...An interview with Cave was published in the Guardian. Looks like he's changed his haircut to do the PR. A bleak but warm soundscape.
4. K'naan - The Dusty Foot Philosopher...A return to the daisy age of Hip Hop. Think De la Soul circa 3ft high and rising and the Digable Planets, only this time the guy has grown up on the streets of Mogadishu and then been translocated to Canada. Check it out.
5. Richard Hawley - Coles Corner...great northern singer-songwriter. Sent to me by a fellow music enthusiast I was taken aback by his unique vocal styling and strong lyrics.
...
A big disappointment for me has been Corinne Bailey Rae's debut album which just doesn't bear up on repeated listening. A few great tracks but the hype has been too much. Also getting the thumbs down is the new Sergio Mendes project Timeless, involving the Black Eyed Peas amongst others.
...
Compilations produced:
Soweto Calling - South African Jazz
Afro Funk Express
African Twist - Early African Rock and Roll
...
Finally
If you want to read one book on the history and development of South African music you could do a lot worse than getting a copy of Gwen Ansell's book Soweto Blues. Just add Muff Anderson's Music in the Mix, David Caplan's In Township Tonight and Rob Allingham's chapter in the Rough Guide to World Music and you won't need any more reference books on South African music....anyway its promopted me to go back to South African jazz and dust off some early Dollar Brand, Johnny Dyani and Blues notes...

Until next time LISTEN