matsuli music

So Nice Play It Twice

2012-01-07T17:04:00.003Z

My favourite video of 2011 after Spoek Mathambo's Contol. "Just a Band" first tipped by Whats Up Africa and interviewed by Ikenna on his latest episode. And for more from Just a Band check out their Youtube mix

2011 Rewound

2011-12-28T12:05:00.010Z

Now there's a problem right there - too much music! And so the inevitable marking of a year past with lists everywhere. Cultural criticism in the twitterage. I do enjoy reading them to find stuff I haven't yet discovered. I've been buying The Wire every December since 1987 for exactly the same reason but now its been pushed even further off-grid so a popular slant on things is always welcome. Having a teenager around also makes a big difference to what gets played in a small apartment!

In the maelstrom of media and information overload the following albums were played more than any of the others:
- Back to Black Amy Winehouse
- 21 Adele
- Anika
- Anna Calvi
- African Skies Kelan Phil Cohran and Legacy
- Let England Shake PJ Harvey
- Life Stories Ebo Taylor
- The Phantom Duke Pearson
- Tomboy Panda Bear
- Bon Iver
- Zomby Dedication
- Brighter Days Stanton Davis' Ghetto-Mysticism
- Stone Coal White
- The Boddie Recording Company
- Bambara Mystic Soul
- Bad as Me Tom Waits

But the digital library is not as reliable as it should be since since I lost my mobile listening devices to multiple failures in the summer. In the vinyl stakes I was pulling a lot from the Jazz, Jamaican and African archives: Duke Pearson, Herbie Hancock, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Lee Perry, Yabby You, Michael Prophet, Franco et le TPOK Jazz, Dr Nico, The Drive, Roots, Guelewar and Orchestra Baobab. And a lot of time was set aside sorting out the Batsumi reissue.

To bring in the new year I've made a rough random mix of 45s I've picked up during 2011 by chance, choice and trade. Lets see what 2012 brings. I hope to keep the spear burning with releasing more South African afro-jazz classics.

Peace
45s REWIND - SOME JIVE TALKING

Download

BATSUMI VINYL SOLD OUT

2011-12-21T19:59:00.003Z

Copies may still available from stores like Dusty Groove, Honest Jons, Kristina, Eldica, Sounds of the Universe and a few others. The Matsuli store is also on vacation and will open once more in early January. Thanks again for your support. We're already working on MM103.

INGOMA WOW!

2011-12-12T23:03:00.002Z

Tipped via Africa is a Country. With a clear nod to the Spoek Control video

BATSUMI FLAC version

2011-12-10T07:33:00.007Z

A number of people have asked if a FLAC version of the Batsumi is available for purchase - well here it is. Also for those struggling with the online stores to purchase the MP3 version you can now also buy this directly. Follow the links on the right hand side to purchase. (Please note that this is not an immediate download as it requires verification and email of the download link.)

Good Vibes for Batsumi Reissue

2011-12-04T21:30:00.007Z

Just under a week since its release and a wonderful response. Amazon had the digital download sitting at number three on its most wanted Jazz downloads and the Guardian featured it in its "World Music" pages. Here's a sample of whats being said:

"What a nice edition of this Holy Grail!!!" - Dick d'Alaise

"It should be in every serious South African collection." - Gwen Ansell, Business Day.

"Such an incredible record" - Paulo, Superfly Records.

"A true gem that has been hidden from siight for far too long." P. Warner

"Landmark Afro Jazz from South Africa, 1974 — urgent, spiritual, political; shimmering, propulsive, surging. Reverbed traditional and trap drums, mesmeric bass, soaring flute and tenor sax. Warmly recommended." - Honest Jons

"The music is stunning... (As it builds, it swings, coalescing into a uniquely compelling statement of intent. By the time and sax and flute solo over organ, bass and drums, Batsumi has got you." - Dan Magaziner, Africa is a Country Blog

"Wonderful LP with hints of Abdullah Ibrahim in the piano work. Stunning stuff." - Phillippa, Picadilly Records

"Remastered from the original Batsumi tapes, and best played very loud, it's a vibrant, energetic workout in which slinky, repeated riffs are matched against wailing, sometimes psychedelic effects" - Robin Denselow, The Guardian

BATSUMI Reissue Now Available Worldwide!

2011-11-28T00:01:00.003Z

For the first time in over 35 years Batsumi's glorious 1974 debut album is finally available once more. The remastered reissue is the second in Matsuli's ongoing programme to restore important but neglected South African afro jazz recordings back into print.

Francis Gooding, who wrote the detailed sleeve notes, had this to say:
"Almost as if it was unexplored territory, the extraordinary landscape of South African jazz is frequently mapped out by reference to a few well known landmarks: the glorious township swing and hot jive of the 1950s; the fame and misfortune of the modern jazz exiles of the 1960s, and their energising presence in Europe; the towering trans-national figures of Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim. For the jazz music and musicians of South Africa that did not by chance or choice fall into one of these categories, the long silence of history has only intermittently been broken, and the legacy of past iniquities has served to consign many names on South Africa’s long roster of jazz giants to an undeserved obscurity. A wealth of music does not yet appear on the map, but when the contours of the jazz scene under apartheid begin to be surveyed in more detail, it is clear that a space must be marked out for the Soweto-based group Batsumi."

Honest Jons says:
"Landmark Afro Jazz from South Africa, 1974 — urgent, spiritual, political; shimmering, propulsive, surging. Reverbed traditional and trap drums, mesmeric bass, soaring flute and tenor sax. Warmly recommended."

Dan Magaziner says:
"The music is stunning...As it builds, it swings, coalescing into a uniquely compelling statement of intent. By the time and sax and flute solo over organ, bass and drums, Batsumi has got you."

Take a quick listen here and make your own mind.

The reissue is available on vinyl in a limited edition of 500 copies, each hand-numbered and provided on heavyweight 180g vinyl with detailed sleeve notes. It is also available as a digital download from online music retailers such as iTunes, Amazon and eMusic. It can even be streamed via Spotify.

To get a copy of this landmark album you can purchase using the following options:

MATSULI DIRECT

DIRECT for buyers in SA

CD on Demand via Amazon

MP3 via Amazon UK

MP3 via iTunes USA

For wholesale orders of more than 10 copies please
contact me

BATSUMI Pre-order Offer Details

2011-11-06T20:24:00.022Z

Matsuli Music continues its reissue program of rare indigenous afro-jazz sounds from South Africa with the release of Sowetan group Batsumi's self-titled debut from 1974. The reissue has been lovingly re-mastered from the original tapes and features material compiled on the recent Next Stop Soweto series from Strut.

The album arrived amidst a period of intense political, intellectual and artistic ferment stimulated in large part by the teachings of Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement. ‘“Say it loud! I’m black and I’m proud”. This is fast becoming our modern culture,’ wrote Biko in 1971, ‘a culture of defiance, self assertion and group pride and solidarity.’ Drawing partly on the insights of Frantz Fanon and the poets of Négritude, and partly on the contemporary US Black Power politics of figures such as Eldridge Cleaver and Stokely Carmichael, Biko forged a visionary and potent message of South African redemption, pride and defiance. It took culture to its heart, and in the wake of Biko’s message a burgeoning arts scene rooted in the black and African experience began to flourish.

Batsumi is a masterpiece of spiritualised afro-jazz, and a prodigious singularity in the South African jazz canon. There is nothing else on record from the period that has the deep, resonant urgency of the Batsumi sound, a reverb-drenched, formidably focused pulse, underpinned by the tight-locked interplay of traditional and trap drums, and pushed on by the throb of Zulu Bidi’s mesmeric bass figures. The warm notes of Johnny Mothopeng’s guitar complete a soundscape that is at once closely packed with sonic texture and simultaneously vibrating with open space, and in whose shimmer and haze Themba Koyana and Tom Masemola soar. A sonorous echo emanating from an ancient well, reverberant with jazz ghosts and warmed by the heat of soul and pop, Batsumi is nothing short of revelatory.

Many groups from this period did not issue recordings at all, and Batsumi are unusual in even having left an official recorded legacy. Out of print since the 1970s, and never issued outside of South African in its entirety, Batsumi is a landmark South African jazz recording, and a key musical document of its time. Out of sight for far too long, Matsuli Music is proud to be able to bring this back into view, and award it the prominence it so richly deserves. Available from 28 November as a digital download and in a limited edition hand numbered vinyl print run of 500.

PRE-ORDER OFFER: Orders are expected to ship from 28 November and all orders received before the 28th will receive an MP3 download of the album as well as a CD copy of Dick Khoza's Chapita album released by Matsuli Music in 2010. For multiple or wholesale orders please contact me.

NB: ORDERS WILL ONLY SHIP FROM 28 NOVEMBER!
LISTEN HERE:

Batsumi Tapes Found!

2011-08-22T20:29:00.004+01:00

One of the pitfalls of reissuing old material is not knowing if the master tapes are available. For the planned Batsumi reissue these were not uncovered until earlier this month when they turned up in an old plastic bag on the bottom shelf of a warehouse in Johannesburg. I was delighted - even though I had already completed an audio restoration, remastering and test pressing from a vinyl transfer. So its now time to get these down to the studio and see how they sound. Stay tuned!
Matt

Matsuli to reissue Batsumi's 1974 Debut

2011-07-16T20:01:00.007+01:00

One of the key spiritual jazz LPs in the canon of South African jazz will be reissued by Matsuli Music later this year. Initially I was unable to locate the master tapes and the recording was restored from a clean vinyl pressing. But the master tapes have now been located and I will be travelling to South African later this month to collect them and to speak to remaining members of the group. Tracks from the 1974 debut have appeared previously on the Comet Records compilation Ouelele as well as on the Strut Records compilation Next Stop Soweto. I have previously written about them here.

The recording will be available as a limited edition 180g vinyl release as well as MP3 and FLAC digital editions. If the research goes well then I expect that the release will be available for purchase from 1 November 2011.

The excerpts above come from a BBC documentary and feature Batsumi's bass player Zulu Bidi.

NOTE TO BUYERS: The matsuli store will be closed during the period 27 July - 18 August

'Scuse me whilst I kiss the Soweto sky

2011-06-26T19:08:00.006+01:00

Includes great interview (4m50s in) with Funky Masike (ex Harari)

In Trance

2011-06-15T19:39:00.003+01:00

From the duo behind 2008's Soul Science and 2009's Tell No Lies comes a new recording. Seven tracks wrapped up in an austere and over-designed CD package from Peter Gabriel's Real World Label. Once free of the neo-futurist packaging the weaving of shared and separate paths from Justin Adams and Julden Camara takes centre stage. Together and free and summoning the spirits...

Hamba Kahle Mama Sisulu...

2011-06-12T11:28:00.004+01:00

© 2003-2011 Zapiro (All rights reserved), Printed with permission from www.zapiro.com, For more Zapiro cartoons visit www.zapiro.com

This week Albertina Sisulu passed away. Former President Nelson Mandela said ANC stalwart Albertina Sisulu was part of his being, in a tribute read out at her funeral by his wife Graca Machel at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
“I want to bid farewell to a comrade and friend,” Machel read to the crowd. “You are part of my being, you and Walter...I want to express my deep gratitude to you.” (from iol.co.za)
The cartoon was drawn by the ever brilliant Zapiro reflecting on the death of Walter Sisulu back in 2003.

God Bless Africa, the Black Diamonds and the Dawn label

2011-06-11T19:44:00.001+01:00

Another 45 gem from South Africa but issued in Angola just after the Portuguese military coup that led to the independence of Mozambique and Angola in 1974. It's a rendition of God Bless Africa, which was for most the anthem of South Africa's new nation rising.

The Dawn label specialised in South African soul and instrumental groove and spanned the early half of the seventies. Co-incidentally it was also the name of the journal of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the guerilla army of the African National Congress. Today the term Black Diamonds has come to refer to the increasingly affluent black middle class in South Africa.

DOWNLOAD

Retromania and the Poverty of Abundance

2011-06-05T23:41:00.004+01:00

I had meant to post this last weekend but life got in the way. Just love this excerpt from the review of Retromania in the Observer paper in the UK:
'Retromania is a book about the poverty of abundance. At malls, on mobile-phone ads, in the background as we work at our computers: pop, usually in the form of anorexically thin MP3 sound, is everywhere these days. Perhaps that ubiquity puts a brake on its ability to astound or shape-shift. Perhaps the process of circulating and accessing music has become more exciting than the practice of listening to it. And perhaps pop's status as a futurist genre has been supplanted by the giddying, immersive realm of video games."

Re-issues like those of Sun Ra's club residencies are part of what's holding modern pop back apparently...I don't agree BTW. Back to normal (ish) programming soon with a bunch of 45s.

Brill

2011-05-28T16:00:00.004+01:00

Big up to Jeremy of Brill Music, Coffee and Bagels. Up early he dug into his LP collection and had this display up before the shop opened. Respect too to Sounds of the Universe for wall to wall Gil sound today.

Blackclassical has put together an incredible tribute which you should check out ASAP.

Who will tell the truth now Gil Scott-Heron is gone?

2011-05-28T08:14:00.001+01:00

Peace go with you brother.

Hey You! What Song You Listening To?

2011-05-26T23:51:00.002+01:00

Thanks to Cortez for the link. Enjoy!

Continental Shift

2011-05-15T18:00:00.003+01:00

Another month and another label joins the recycling of material from Africa's golden past. Indie-label Thrill Jockey, home to African-American cross-over band Extra Golden, are releasing what would appear to be a two volume retrospective of Sorry Bamba. This release - with the direct input of Sorry Bamba himself compiles some very rare, never before released tracks from his time as leader of the Regional Orchestra of Mopti (later Kanaga Orch.)

Thrill Jockey join Teranga Beat (Idrissa Diop), Continental Records (KP Frimpong & His Cuban Fiestas), Academy/Voodoofunk (Psychedelic Aliens, Marijata), Kindred Spirits (L'orchestre Kanaga De Mopti), Mississippi Records (L'Orchestre National A de la Republique du Mali), Superfly Records (Rail Band), Hot Casa (Ivory Coast Soul), Daptone (El Rego) as well as "old-timers" Strut, Analogue Africa, Honest Jons and Soundway in what appears to be a rapidly overcrowding sector.

I've been busy too preparing three new releases for the matsuli label. More news as soon as the contracts and details are done.
(I hope there is still room on the shelves)!

Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky

2011-05-15T02:55:00.003+01:00

Classic stuff from the almighty Bembeya Jazz National. And even more incredible material at Graeme Counsel's Radio Africa site including the following version of Sara from Syli Orchestre National performing in Algiers.

Music is a Physical Thing!

2011-05-11T17:44:00.002+01:00

Put the Money in the Bowl

2011-05-08T09:53:00.002+01:00

Thanks to Whats Up Africa once more for this video tip. Reminded me a little bit of the big cross-over track Hello Africa by the Nigerian/Swedish dentist Dr Alban.

Sweet Times with Strut

2011-05-07T18:41:00.004+01:00

The Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination by Strut
To promote their Spring releases the Strut label are giving away some free MP3s. First off from the 3rd instalment of the Nigeria 70 series is the track Ire from the Don Isaac Ezekiel Combination (mediafire download).

The original Nigeria 70 compilation was one of the forerunners of the so-called Afro-funk reissue genre - other early titles include AfroRock on Kona records and the Afrofunk and ClubAfrica compilations by Russ Dewsbury. Nigeria 70 has been compiled by Duncan Brooker (the man behind Kona's AfroRock) and is out now!

Ebo Taylor- Peace On Earth by Strut
Now this retrospective on Ebo Taylor keeps on burning bright and just grows and grows. Seriously recommended. Listen via soundcloud or download via mediafire.

Other releases from Strut to look out for include a new album recorded by funk legend Dennis Coffey as well as the Club Cotonou LP from Orchestre PolyRythmo. These can be sampled at the Strut soundcloud page here

Desert garage dub....

2011-04-27T19:52:00.002+01:00

Deep hypnotic guitar grooves from youngsters on the Toureg blues scene - Tamikrest. A killer debut last year and now a new album Toumastin.

Elvin Jones' Midnight Walk featuring Dollar Brand

2011-04-26T21:04:00.005+01:00

Elvin Jones - Tintiyana (written by Dollar Brand) from the 1967 LP Midnight Walk on Atlantic Records.

I've been hunting down a copy of this LP for many moons when out of the blue I saw one of my favourite stores (Honest Jon's in London) advertising a new vinyl reissue from Rhino. It's a lesser known sixties recording featuring Dollar Brand that I was first alerted to by Rashid Vally and came just a year before Dollar returned to South Africa to "clean out". The album features a stellar cast including: Elvin Jones (drums), Thad Jones (trumpet), Hank Mobley (tenor), Dollar Brand (piano), Donald Moore (bass), Steve James (electric piano) and George Abend (percussion).

The track I'm sharing today has been recorded many times over the years by Abdullah Ibrahim. If you're interested in Abdullah Ibrahims' collaborations then be sure to look out for his sets with Don Cherry, Carlos Ward, Bea Benjamin, Gato Barbieri, Kippie Moeketsi, Archie Shepp, Buddy Tate, Max Roach and Johnny Dyani. A shortened discography is published at flat international here.

"In Africa" via Nomade Radio

2011-04-23T00:49:00.002+01:00

Thierry invited me to share some background on Matsuli and some of the reasons why I love records...check it out here

In Africa by Nomade Radio on Mixcloud

"Big, big show! We spend 2 hours in Africa. First, We're sending much love to the people in Ivory Coast. Hope that Peace and Fraternity will lead everybody there including the new government. We also have a great words and music session (via Internet) with Afro label owner, Matt Temple, Matsuli Records - http://matsuli.blogspot.com/ - we talks about music in his country, his projects, the record market, diggin' and more... In the second hour, we focus on the afro upcoming and news releases. Get ready for some treats from Strut, Analog Africa, Kindred Spirits, Vampisoul, among the others. We're ending up the show with a Spiritual Anniversary tribute to the late Babatunde Olatunji (7 avril 1927 - 6 avril 2003). Enjoy! "

Record Store Day Winners

2011-04-21T08:48:00.000+01:00

We have ten winners nicely spread across Africa, South America, Europe and the U.S.A. - please let us have your mailing addresses so that we can post you the promised packages. Thank you to all who took the trouble to write in. The overall message was "more of the same please". So, we will continue as we have been doing. Your comments really do make a difference, so please do keep them coming. Requests are always welcome.

The winners are:
John Warr (Chapita LP); Rob Lischke (Chapita LP); Tim Clifford (Mahotella CD); Olivier Ledure (Mahotella CD); Frank (dr.crackle) (Mahotella CD); Greg Davis (Mahotella CD); Fabian Romero; David Sullivan; James Silberbauer; Pieter Remes (the last four will each receive a 5-pack mbaqanga 45rpms from the 1970s).

Record Store Day Jive Bonanza - A three way giveaway!

2011-04-16T01:01:00.001+01:00

Electricjive, flatinternational and Matsuli Music have joined forces for a Record Store Day giveaway.

So we don't have a retail store made from bricks and mortar. But that doesn't stop us from spreading our love of records. And better still no money changes hands. We simply give the records to you. We won't even ask you to pay the postage.

We get lots of pleasure out of sharing great music, honouring the musicians who make it, and we hope to turn on a whole new audience to fantastic out-of-print sounds that might otherwise become lost to global memory. We avoid sharing music that can still be legitimately purchased.

The offer comprises
- two copies of the Dick Khoza Chapita reissue LP from Matsuli Music;
- four 5-packs of seventies mbaqanga/jive singles mostly on the King, Soweto and Groove labels; and
- four copies of the electric-jive assisted Mahotella Queens/Soul Brothers CD compilation on Nascente Records

So ten winners in total and all you need to do is to send an email to recordforthe AT gmail.com telling us why you visit our sites and what music you would like to see more of. We will select the winners at random and close the competition after 5 days.

For more info on World Record Store day visit here

Baloji Cha Cha Cha!

2011-03-25T20:17:00.001Z

Another killer video versioning off the original. Thanks to WUA for the links.

RIP Balla Onivogui

2011-03-17T10:00:00.001Z

Balla Onivogui, chef d’orchestre of Balla et ses Balladins, died on Sunday. May he rest in peace.

Spoek loses control

2011-03-13T10:33:00.002Z

Channeling Ian Curtis via David Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and shot by Pieter Hugo this is the best thing I've seen all year.

Woza Friday

2011-03-11T14:14:00.005Z

Fully appropriate for the end of the week. Woza Friday - literally "come here Friday" - by the Big Four is another South African 45 that saw issue "overseas". Classic early seventies mbaqanga that someone thought could sell in the UK. (Perhaps to all those miners in Wales? But thats another story) The Big Four comprised Moses Dlamini, Hamilton Nzimande, Isaac Luvuno and Brown Duma and they called the music they created "monkey jive". Hamilton moved into production for EMI whilst Moses and the other band members acted as talent scouts for Hamilton. In 1966 Hamilton moved over to the Gramaphone Record Company. In 1974 Moses was approached by Titus Masikane to help find a recording contract for a group of four youngsters from Hammarsdale in Natal. They were David Masondo, Zakes Mchunu, Duza Mthethwa and Mpompie Sosibo, initially known as the Young Brothers. GRC changed their name to the Soul Brothers and with a lot of pushing and promoting from Moses the rest is history. I have just one copy of this 45 over in my shop here.

Hamilton Nzimande at the controls

DOWNLOAD RS / MF

Step Right Up

2011-03-06T22:09:00.000Z

Matsuli gets a brand new store making it quicker and easier to buy and download digital products as well as physical products. PLUS you get the option of FLAC files. I'll be moving all the LPs previously sold at GEMM over the next few days and within the next few days there should be a wealth of vintage vinyl to explore.

Step right in through the MATSULI SHOP link to the right or by visiting this LINK. Check the preview below.

I hope to have some exciting news about our releases for 2011 very soon.

African Bloggers Statement on David Kato and Uganda

2011-02-25T09:53:00.002Z

"We the undersigned wish to express our deep sadness at the murder of Ugandan human rights defender David Kato on 26th January 2011. David's activism began in the 1980s as an Anti-Apartheid campaigner where he first expressed a strong passion and conviction for freedom and justice which continued throughout his life. David was a founding member of Sexual Minorities Uganda where he first served as Board member and until his death as Litigation and Advocacy Officer and he was also a member of Integrity Uganda, a faith-based advocacy organization.

David was a man of vision and courage. One of his major concerns was the growth of religious fundamentalism in Uganda and across the continent and how this would impact on the rights of ordinary citizens including lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered / Gender Non-Comforming and Intersex [LGBTIQ] persons. Years later his concerns were justified when the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill backed by religious fundamentalists was outlined in 2009. David was also an extremely brave man who had been imprisoned and beaten severely because of his sexual orientation and for speaking publicly against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Many African political and religious leaders in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zambia, Gambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi and Botswana, have publicly maligned LGBTIQ people and in some cases directly incited violence against them whilst labeling sexual minorities as “unAfrican”.

In October 2010, the Ugandan tabloid, Rolling Stone published the names and photographs of "100 Top homos" including David Kato. David along with two other LGBTIQ activists successfully sued the magazine on the grounds of "invasion of privacy" and most importantly, the judge ruled that the publication would threaten and endanger the lives of LGBTIQ persons.

The court did not only rule that the publication would threaten and endanger the lives of LGBTIQ persons but it issued a permanent injunction against Rolling Stone newspaper never to publish photos of gays in Uganda, and also never to again publish their home addresses.

Justice Kibuuka Musoke ruled that,

"Gays are also entitled to their rights. This court has found that there was infringement of some people’s confidential rights. The court hereby issues an injunction restraining Rolling Stone newspaper from future publishing of identifications of homosexuals."

Every human being is protected under the African Charter of Peoples and Human Rights and this includes the rights of LGBTIQ persons. We ask the governments of Uganda and other African countries to stop criminalizing people on the grounds of sexual orientation and afford LGBTIQ people the same protections, freedoms and dignity, as other citizens on the continent."

Alix Mukonambi, Molisa Nyakale

Anengiyefa Alagoa, Things I Feel Strongly About

Anthony Hebblethwaite African Activist

Barbra Jolie, Me I Think

Ben Amunwa, Remember Ken Saro-Wiwa

Bunmi Oloruntoba, A Bombastic Element

Chris Ogunlowo, Aloofaa

Eccentric Yoruba, Eccentric Yoruba

Exiled Soul ExiledSoul

Francisca Bagulho and Marta Lança, Buala

Funmilayo Akinosi, Finding My Path

Funmi Feyide, Nigerian Curiosity

Gay Uganda , Gay Uganda

Glenna Gordon, Scarlett Lion

Godwyns Onwuchekwa, My Person

Jeremy Weate, Naija Blog

Kayode Ogundamisi Canary Bird

Kadija Patel Thoughtleader

Keguro Macharia, Gukira

Kenne Mwikya, Kenne’s Blog

Kinsi Abdullah Kudu Arts

Laura Seay, Texas in Africa

Llanor Alleyne Llanor Alleyne

Mark Jordahl, Wild Thoughts from Uganda

Matt Temple Matsuli Music

Mia Nikasimo, MiaScript

Minna Salami, MsAfropolitan

Mshairi, Mshairi

Ndesanjo Macha Global Voices

Nyokabi Musila, Sci-Cultura.

Nzesylva, Nzesylva’s Blog

Olumide Abimbola, Loomnie

Ory Okolloh, Kenyan Pundit

Pamela Braide, pdbraide

Peter Alegi, Football is Coming Home

Rethabile Masilo, Poefrika

Saratu Abiola, Method to Madness

Sean Jacobs, Africa is a Country

Sokari Ekine, Black Looks

Sonja Uwimana, Africa is a Country

Spectre Speaks, Spectre Speaks

TMS Ruge, Project Diaspora

Toyin Ajao StandTall

Tosin Otitoju, Lifelib

Val Kalende, Val Kalende

Zackie Achmat, Writing Rights

Zion Moyo, Sky, Soil and Everything in Between

Everybody's Rocking Tonight

2011-02-04T22:55:00.000Z

First heard on the cassette only (but never commercially issued) Flying Rock compilation this 45rpm EP contains some great South African styled rock and roll and twist. The original notes are imbued with the stereotyping of the day. I hope to share more interesting and out of print South African 45s in the months to come. Stay tuned!

"Street Corner Jazz" (TEYJ8)
"Who of us, whether South Africans or vistors from overseas, are not fascinated by the impromptu enthusiastic street corner African jazz musicians. They are a feature around the streets of most South African cities, particularly in areas of predominantly flat dwellings such as Hillbrow Johannesburg, where they can be sure of large appreciative audiences (yes, they are pretty good at catching the cents without missing a note) from the the balconies of the surrounding buildings.

"The music is simple but it expresses the happiness and inborn feeling for bright foot tapping rhythm. Their instruments are mostly primitive such as a "tea box" bass, improvised guitars, penny whistle flutes and "voice", insteuments in amazingly wide and unique variety.

"The young BOGARD BROTHERS have developed this type of music, but they still retain the characteristi sound. On this record are four titles truly synonymous of this unique African sound adapted to present their ROCK AND TWIST. In this field the numbers are definitely the top tunes of the moment and overseas visitors who take this record back home will treasure it as a vivid reminder of their stay with us."

Street Corner Jazz - The Bogard Brothers (TEYJ8, c 1960)
I'm In Love
Oh, She's There
Flying Rock
She Keeps on Knocking
RS / MF

East African Classic 45s For Sale

2011-01-23T22:34:00.005Z

Up for grabs on eBay nine classic East African rumba 45s including this gem from the "Franco" of East Africa, Mbaraka Mwinshehe recording with his band Super Volcano. Mostly unplayed ex-warehouse stock check them out HERE.

Bayeza (They Are Coming)

2011-01-11T22:08:00.000Z

At the end of last year I was asked by a journalist to name my top five "afro" tunes of 2010. Its been a big year for Africa vinyl archeology and reissues from the likes of Hot Casa, Analog Africa, Academy Records, Soundway, Sofrito and even Matsuli Music's own foray into the field with Dick Khoza's Chapita. And then there are the afrobeat and afrofunk revivalists and new collaborators and explorers. To top it all I continue to listen to a number of old recordings that will never be reissued commercially.

After much deliberation I landed up with these six tunes that were on heavy rotation on the Matsuli Sound System.
1. Mawazo-Mwarabu - Rachid King (1976 Sonodisc)
2. Ilolo (featuring Adam Glasser) - Simphiwe Dana (2010 Album Kulture Noir)
3. Black Balloons - Syl Johnson (2010 reissue box-set Complete Mythology)
4. Bayesa - Wganda Kenya (2010 reissue compilation Quantic presents Tropical Funk Experience)
5. Skophom - The S.A. Move (2010 reissue compilation Next Stop Soweto Vol 2)
6. Je ne bois pas beaucoup - Les Ya Toupas Du Zaire (2010 reissue compilation Sofrito Tropical Discotheque)

But it was song four, Bayesa from Columbian studio band Wganda Kenya that kept bugging me. I couldn't help thinking I had heard it before and I was certain they were singing in Zulu, along the lines of "bayeza kusasa" meaning they are coming tomorrow. Wganda Kenya were Discos Fuentes’ (the pioneering Colombian label of the 60’s & 70’s) studio band and were hired to record non-latin records that encompassed influences from Africa, Martinque and Curacoa. They are probably best known for their cover of Fela Kuti’s classic track, Shakara Oloje. Russ Dewsbury first comped the track Bayesa on the Brighton Jazz Rooms album in 2008.

With a bit of digging I made the connection to at least three different versions of the same song that I am sharing with you today. The Jonas Gwangwa version from 1968 is the earliest but the version that Wganda Kenya seemed to work off comes from Assagai. Mavis Maseko and the Movers provide a more downtown Jo'burg take on the tune. I hope you enjoy the cross-polination. And all the best for 2011!

2010 Rewound

2011-01-01T01:24:00.001Z

New + Notable:
Arcade Fire - Suburbs
Tamikrest - Adagh
Afrocubism
Erykah Badu - New Amerika 2
Aloe Blacc - Good Things
Cee Lo Green - The Ladykiller
Caribou - Sun/Swim
Kayne West - My Beautiful Twisted Fantasy
Simphiwe Dana - Kulture Noir
Lloyd Miller and the Heliocentrics

Reissued + Recycled:
Syl Johnson - Complete Mythology
Black Man's Cry The Inspirations of Fela Kuti
Dark Sunrise - Rikki Ililionga & Mosi O Tunya
Psychedelic Aliens- Psycho Afro Beat
Angola Soundtrack
TL Barrett & the Youth for Christ Choir - Like a Ship
The World Ends Afro Rock and Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria
Next Stop Soweto 2
Wilco spins the Numero Group

Chapita Special Offer for December

2010-12-06T19:23:00.022Z

Making a perfect holiday gift the Dick Khoza Chapita CDs are now available for pre-order. Shipping will start from Tuesday 14 December once stock has been received at matsuli HQ. The digipak CD has updated sleevenotes in a deluxe 16 page booklet. Standard price for the package is £12.50 which includes worldwide packaging and postage.

SPECIAL DECEMBER OFFER:
All CD orders received during December will be at the very special never-to-be-repeated price of £8.50 including FREE worldwide shipping!
All vinyl orders received before the end of December will ship with a free CD!

To buy using PAYPAL (accepts most cards) please go to the CHAPITA REISSUED page.

Lamu Dreaming

2010-11-09T20:39:00.009Z

Just back from a two week break on the island of Lamu in East Africa. It's cold and wet in London and all I want to do is to go straight back to the sea, sand, fish, fruit and wonderful people I met on the island. Keeping me warm are some taraab CDrs that I picked up on the main alley in Lamu Town. I've made a selection of around two hours which I hope you enjoy.
RS link///MF link

And on November rotation at matsuli headquarters:

Issue number nine for Analog Africa. An outstanding compilation of mostly pre-independence tunes from Angola.

Syl Johnson's Complete Mythology from the Numero Group. This one is for completists only - 6 LPs, 4 CDs and LP-sized book in a slipcase. Beautiful.

13 obscure seventies and early eighties tracks from Abijan recovered by vinyl digger Djamel Hammadi

Basic Channel man Mark Ernestus takes on Konono No1 in a dub/techno meltdown

Siyabonga!

2010-10-17T19:20:00.005+01:00

Jetset Records, Kyoto, Japan

Sounds of the Universe, London, UK

Steady Sounds, Richmond VA, USA

"Highly Recommended." (BOOMKAT)
"Serious 70's afro-jazz business." (IF MUSIC)
"Terrific afro funk album from South Africa." (GROOVE COLLECTOR)
"Fat, glorious mid-seventies South African afro-jazz classic." (HONEST JONS)

A BIG BIG THANK YOU for the wonderful response to the release of Chapita which is now almost completely sold-out in the limited vinyl edition. A CD version will be available shortly. The sleeve-notes will be updated to include new information from a 1986 interview with Johnny Dyani (see Kagablog) and from Lars Rasmussen's books on Dyani and the Cape Town jazz scene.

A number of people have asked me about other recordings of Dick Khoza and to my knowledge I am aware of him playing on the following:

1. Pondo Blues by Eric Nomvete's Big Five, from the 1964 Cold Castle Jazz Festival (see Electric Jive)

2. Tete's Big Sound by Tete Mbambisa, February 1976 on the As-shams label. This particular LP is earmarked for re-issue by Matsuli Music along with unreleased recordings from the same sessions.

3. Imbalela by Dick Khoza, from sessions at the SABC archived on the African Renaissance series of CDs. These are now deleted but it appears PLAY.COM still have a few copies. You can preview the track here:

The band Dick Khoza took into the studio to record Chapita included members of the Pedlers who can be heard on the LPs recorded by Patience Africa (BL175) and Mpharanyana (BL173).

As a special treat I am sharing a rare 1974 DAWN label single with you that shows off the Pedlers by themselves. I am certain that the club they allude to can only be the Pelican where they played for a number of years with Dick Khoza as leader and stage manager.

At the Club - The Pedlers

Right On - The Pedlers

Love for Sale?

2010-09-19T09:11:00.008+01:00

The recent article "The Scramble for Vinyl" by Chief Boima over at Africa is a Country blog caused a bit of a flutter and got quite personal. Understandably so. Those "accused" - including Will Holland (Quantic), Samy Ben Redjeb and Frank Gossner - responded alongside a number of others, myself included, to counter the provocative and plainly wrong positions put forward by the chief. The posting is now all the more valuable for capturing the dialogue that transpired.

But some of the nerve endings do not disappear - just two weeks ago I was asked to assist the Nascente label with original vinyl transcriptions of more than 10 Mahotella Queens tracks because Gallo in South Africa "no longer had them". I'm not so sure. I think the masters are there but no-one is interested in them and it's too much hassle to locate them. This is a familiar story since the retirement of Rob Allingham who ran the Gallo archive for a number of years.

Rob Allingham (eBayer "audiofile29") continues to provide valuable insight into a number of early recordings through his eBay auctions. I've highlighted a few of these below:

LUCKY MONAMA AND THE DAVEYTON SISTERS Masuabuleni Sizwe/Ulele Emini U Makoti USA USA.320 1965 E+ Lucky Monama was the drummer with the Makgona Tsohle Band which provides the instrumental backing here - the Daveyton Sisters were led by Nobasuthu Shawe who would shortly leave the group to join the regular line-up of the Mahotella Queens

RIO JAZZ REVELLERS OF PORT ELIZABETH Percy's Polka/Rosenberg's Rhumba Parade H.P.505 1955 E+ hot Cape Coloured-style jazz band with two saxes (not quite as fruity-toned as is frequently the case with this style), banjo, piano, guitar, bass and drums - recorded by Trutone on location and good quality too

S PILISO & HIS SAX Mulendze Phanda/Ngolale Mazweni C.T.C. STAR RECORD TA.701 1967 E+ tight hc almost to label - nap - superglued so it should hold 'S. Piliso' is Shadrack Piliso, Ntemi's younger brother, who joined Mavuthela Music as an assistant producer to Rupert Bopape. Shadrack was a trumpet player so this isn't him playing sax on this record but I can't identify exactly who is playing sax here. The Makgona Tsohle Band provides the backing

DIMA SISTERS Mokhosi/Haketshohe Letho Motella MO.128 1967 E+ This sounds rather like the Motella Queens plus a male tenor who solos on both sides (probably the H. Ramahali credited with writing the two songs.) Backed by the Makgona Tsohle Band.

DOROTHY MASUKA AND THE STARLIGHT CHORUS Zono Zam/Mhlaba Troubadour AFC 418 E+ 1957 classic sides with Dorothy accompanied by Kippie Moeketsi on sax, three female backing vocals and a rhythm section

NANCY JACOBS AND HER SISTERS Tain't What You Do/Bela Bela Quality TJ60 1955 E+ Jazzy vocal trio (the 'Sisters' were actually Nancy's mother and first cousin!) tackles 'Tain't What You Do', which they probably knew from imported copies of the classic 1939 Jimmy Lunceford version. 'Bela Bela' turns out to be a truncated version of 'Sunny Side Of The Street', minus the middle eight and with a different resolution to the main melody line.

And so with the sale of these recordings to wealthy bidders who put these sounds out of reach of mortal public, and in the commercial context of these not being viable for commercial issue what is to become of this history?

And who thinks it's important anymore?

CHAPITA PREVIEW - Underground in Africa

2010-09-06T22:30:00.003+01:00

Full details on the imminent release of the Dick Khoza Chapita vinyl and digital reissue available within the next few days. Stay tuned

New and Notable - The August Radar

2010-08-03T10:32:00.013+01:00

Life during wartime - heavy acid-rock psychedelia, horn and guitar drenched funk grooves and gripping soul ballads. From the Sublime Frequencies label.

Afrobeat legend Segun Bucknor on the Vampisoul label with a comprehensive collection of his politically charged afrobeat, even giving Fela a run for his money back in the day.

Some people loved his David Bowie covers (others didn't) but it was a smart move to appear in the Life Aquatic movie and to find the David Bowie bridge to a bigger audience. This LP has more covers (Michael Jackson, Roy Ayers, Kraftwerk) and some original material that is firmed tuned to the summer. More details.

A big standout track on Numero's second volume of gospel funk (Good God - Born Again Funk) is TL Barrett's Like a Ship. Not to miss a trick Light in the Attic has re-issued the full LP Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir SINGS!. Heaven here I come!

Quinton Scott at Strut keep us in with the goods...hot on the heels of their incredible Next Stop Soweto Series comes this pairing of Malcolm Catto's Heliocentrics with Lloyd Miller.

Remember Cheikh Lo? One incredible breakthrough CD via Youssou N'dour and then a second in the same vein? Well here is another dose of the Senegalese troubadour packaged up and produced by the World Circuit folks. Wonderful production and some great songs.

Another Afrobeat compilation? The formula is familiar by now and I hope it does well for Analogue Africa. Incredible research and packaging from the top African reissue label.

Bring me the axe - finally from Soundway and containing the track from which the label name comes this is another compilation, this time of mostly rock-based Nigerian tracks.

Don't Be Scared

2010-07-07T06:39:00.005+01:00

Spoek Mathambo and his band Mshini Wam (My Machine Gun) with his own brand of township afro futurism. Refreshing stuff and soon out in Europe on 12" with remixes via BBE

Passing Images

2010-07-05T20:29:00.006+01:00

Soccer City in Johannesburg, home to the World Cup final in a few days time

A view of the pitch at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium

Yours truly with Chris from electricjive on our way to watch the Netherlands beat Slovakia

I took the opportunity to speak to one of the street performers on the Durban promenade. Turns out that it was Elliot Ngidi, an old-time jazzman who played with Dick Khoza at the Pelican in Johannesburg. An amazing chance encounter.

Joburg Love Trip - Next Stop Soweto?

2010-06-19T13:19:00.004+01:00

The final installment in Struts' definitive compilation series Next Stop Soweto...this time on a jazz trip. Compiled by Duncan Brooker and Francis Gooding with notes from Gwen Ansell. Some licensing issues mean that the final tracklisting may be a little different to what went out on promotion. I stepped in at the last moment to help Strut locate owners and masters. I hope it does well.

And then our good friends at electricjive have put out this response to the Next Stop Soweto compilations:

Joburg Love Trip :: An Exclusive ElectricJive Mix
01 Bump Jive No 6 - Pts 1 & 2 - The Movers
02 The Webb - Makhona Zonke Band
03 Musikana - Harari
04 Somewhere There - Makhona Zonke Band
05 Johannesburg Love Trip - Thembi
06 Spinning Wheel with Lucky Mbatha vocals - The Drive
07 Sugar Pie - Spirits Rejoice
08 Loving Style - Mavis Maseko and the Movers
09 Lets Live Together - Mpharanyana
10 Joy - Spirits Rejoice
11 Please Tell Me Why - The Movers
12 Darling Darling - The Savers
13 Mary - Soul Brothers
14 Gimme Your Love - Margaret Singana
"This one is specially dedicated to Duncan Brooker, Quinton Scott and Francis Gooding at Strut Records as a thank you for the brilliant Next Stop Soweto compilation series. Its about time!"

Bring the Noise

2010-06-11T14:30:00.002+01:00

Good luck Bafana Bafana against Mexico!

Chapita, Chapita, How Are You?

2010-05-18T09:53:00.002+01:00

At long last I can announce that the reissue of the long lost Afro-jazz classic Chapita by Dick Khoza is in production and will soon be available for digital download and on a limited hand-numbered 180g vinyl edition. The picture above shows the acetate which I approved into production on Sunday. As soon as release dates are finalised I will make a full announcement.
Stay tuned!

Smoking with the Blk Jks

2010-05-07T19:28:00.003+01:00

Brand new free song from SAMA "Best Alternative Album" winners BLK JKS...Zol!
GET IT HERE
More detail here

Introducing the real Hedzoleh Soundz

2010-04-29T17:34:00.005+01:00

I went out this week to visit Honest Jons record store as well as the Record and Tape Exchange at Notting Hill. I returned with a few things including Lagos Disco Inferno, The Ruben Blades-Willie Colon LP, a Simba Wanyika 7" as well as the new CD budget release from Soundway which captures the Ghanaian band Hedzoleh Soundz before Hugh Masekela met and re-recorded the repertoire for his well regarded Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz LP on Chisa. Much as I love the Masekela LP its fantastic to hear the songs in their earlier forms. Highly recommended.

Links:
Hedzoleh on FACEBOOK
Soundway
Masekela with Hedzoleh

Viva el Ritmo!

2010-04-20T11:12:00.004+01:00

A very nice departure of sorts for Analog Africa with this compilation of accordian-led cumbias and tropical sounds. Anibal Velasquez - known locally as "El Mago" (The Magician) - embodies Barranquilla's rich musical heritage. Perfect sounds for summer and out now in all good stores. More details and sound samples over here. More words and mix is available at the Quietus here. Check out this video as well

Preview copy provided by Ilkamedia.

A belated Record Shop Day to you too!

2010-04-19T09:17:00.004+01:00

I was reading some of the readers comments to the Guardian article on Record Shop Day and I thought I'd finally post a short video I made from a record dig back in 2008 in Jo'burg. I'd originally intended to write a story about Hillbrow Records but if you check the link most of the history is there. It doesn't mention the help Leonard got from Rashid Vally early on when the record companies refused to sell Leonard records because they were being shared in the record club.

Some of my record shop favourites through the years:
Lord John (Pietermaritzburg), Manhattan (Durban), Ragtime (Cape Town), Hillbrow (Joburg), Kohinoor (Joburg), Red Records, Sterns, Honest Jons (London), Red Eye, Egg and Mojo (Sydney)

Weekend Special

2010-04-19T07:06:00.004+01:00

"Eeish" as a South African may exclaim. Whilst most of the South African music industry were gathered in Sun City for the South African Music Association Awards on Friday night, South Africa's viral sensation Die Antwoord were playing the Sahara stage at Coachella in California on Saturday night. At the SAMA awards matsuli favourite Adam Glasser walked away with the award for Best Contemporary Jazz album. Meanwhile here in London we enjoyed a sunny flight-free weekend.

I've been served!

2010-04-15T18:45:00.001+01:00

Too much monkey business around town....stay tuned!

.......

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International Women's Month - African Diva's Part 3

2010-03-30T06:00:00.005+01:00

In April 2007 right at the start of this blog I posted a number of compilations in what was then the African Serenades series. This ran over 50 volumes and has had a lot of positive feedback. Whilst I promised to reload these from time to time it seems I am always distracted by other things. I have at least three half finished posts waiting to go but in the meantime I've very happy to say that Ken Abrams, who contributed Number 48 of the African Serenades series (Cuba to Africa) has contributed a new compilation and post today celebrating International Women's Month. You can view some of his artworks a this site.

"As I mentioned in my earlier letter, I've been thinking in compiling a disc of songs by all females in honor of International Women's Month. Originally, I wanted to focus on both French Antillean and African singers, but the month flew by quickly, so, only an African compilation was completed. All of the songs are culled from vinyl, most of which, I have not seen on CD. Like most men, I suppose, I adore the female voice and unfortunately, lead female singers are not common enough in African pop. Therefore, this post is also intended to showcase great African women vocalists that are not as well known, in the West, as Mariam, M'Belia, Angelique, and M'pongo. I tried not to duplicate any of the songs or artists that were featured on the 2 disc African Divas compilation that was part of the African Serenade series, posted years ago. In a way, this volume can be seen as a continuation of those two volumes. Though not as expansive, lacking any vocalists from Ethiopia and the Northern Africa, it reflects what I have in my collection and my musical tastes. Because I limited the collection to 80 minutes, many excellent songs by singers such as Barbara Akabla, Chantal Taiba, Faya Tess, Jolie Detta, Yta Jourias, N. Lauretta, GG Leopoldine, and Martha Zambo were left out. Vinyls were Ripped as .aiff using Peak Pro and Audacity on my Mac and ripped @ 320 vbr from Itunes. I will like to thank musical aficionado, Professor Kofi Kissi Domprey for his generosity. He hosts an excellent program of African music from 12 AM to 2 AM Sunday mornings on wpfw.org." - Ken Abrams

African Divas Part 3 - Compiled by Ken Abrams for Womens' Month
1. G Blem Di 2:45 Akofa Akoussah - Tango LP Sonafric SAF 50.015 1976 Togo
2. Zomvera 5:44 Distro Kuomboka - Dyonko LP- Kariba KARI 043 Zambia
3. Humanite 4:15 Lady Isa - Melembe LP - Editions FrancAfrique EFALP 015 Kenya
4. Djarabi 4:36 Afia Mala - LonLon Viye LP - MI 1101 1984
5. Wamaya 6:53 Asabia - Asabia LP - Star Musique - SMP 6023 1982 Ghana
6. Anebi Issa 4:31 Lady Talata - Mekunu Hoye Fe Paa LP - Research Records RRS
1004-A Ghana
7. Likita 7:13 Jean Manda Ko - Likita - Eddy’s Son K4247
8. Water Nar Mot 5:45 Afro National vocal Patricia Abubakarr
Water Nar Mot - 45 RPM5-12” BL-4246A Sierra Leone
9. Man Onon 3:42 Anina - Kolomou Man Onon LP - Dibena Music DBLP 2001
10. Nasambwe 7:24 Mamie Claudia - Cherie Clau LP - Shakara Music Sha 061
11. Le temps est precieux 8:46 Ma Philo - Batassouagha LP - Phi Pepe SD 15 Gabon
12. Assiya Asso 5:47 - Grupo Missema - PDG 20 ans-Missema MI 2006 -Sonodisc
1988 Gabon
13. Napessiyo Motema 4:06 Aicha Kone - Adouma - WAM 1982 Ivory Coast
14. Salaya 6:28 M’Mah Sylla - Le Rossignol De Guinee - Editions EnimasConakry
SLP 78 Guinea
RS LINK
MF LINK

Don't Stop!

2010-03-09T12:20:00.006Z

So much good music going around. Not just from my friends at electricjive who continue to mine the vinyl depths of Mzanzi but also from fellow bloggers and the small independent labels.

One of the holy grails of South Africa spiritual jazz is the LP recorded by Ndikho Xaba in the USA whilst in exile. Private Press has just shared this so go and check it out.

The self-titled debut from McCully Workshop is shared over at Happy Djkit

Soul Safari has some great Motella singles up for grabs as well.
And finally our friends at Strut are about to drop a kick-ass compilation of SA Soul grooves in their Volume 2 of Next Stop Soweto. Due out in May but info here.

Ayoba!

2010-03-03T19:58:00.005Z

Back in Jozi, one more time before the World Cup madness takes control. For me its been a crazy start to 2010, dealing with moving home, a new daytime job (soon) plus finalising production for the Chapita re-issue. In the downtime I caught up with friends, did some digging and managed to catch the project Abdullah Ibrahim has been working on for some time, namely the New South African Orchestra. Security was tight as the Deputy President was in the house alongside many other dignatories. We even had the speaker of the Gauteng Legislature giving us words before the music.

Abdullah Ibrahim kicked off in a reflective mood throwing in one or two chords referencing his well known earlier works. Part two saw the New South Africa Orchestra (incuding Feya Faku, Khaya Mahlangu and Barney Rachabane) do some solo's and some big band arrangements. Abdullah Ibrahim spoke of heroes of the struggle now past and his desire to reclaim the City Halls around the country for music. We then had a rough interpretation of his South African anthem Mannenberg.

Fela Dis 'n Fela Dat

2010-01-21T07:07:00.003Z

A tasty set of tunes due out in February via Stones Throw imprint Now Again. 4 x 10inch vinyl, Single CD and MP3 versions
"Covers and music inspired by the Godfather of Afro-Beat. This Fela Estate-approved anthology includes rare and previously unreleased music from Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Trinidad and more. "
Black Man's Cry - The Inspiration Of Fela Kuti (Stones Throw, 2010)
Tracklisting
1. Shacalao -Cumbia Moderna De Soledad
2. Woman Pin Down - Dan Satch & His Atomic 8 Dance Band
3. Black and Proud - 6th Infantry Brigade Of The Nigerian Army
4. Hot Pants - Bola Johnson
5. Adebo - Segun Bucknor
6. Never Trust A Woman - Bola Johnson
7. Sisi Mi - Jerry Hansen
8. Up Side Down - Daktaris
9. Comencemos - Phirpo Y Sus Caribes
10. Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley) - Lever Brothers Gay Flamingoes
11. Black Man's Cry - Mosco Tiles Fonclaire Steel Orchestra
12. Egbi Mi O/Black Man's Cry (Medley) - Sylvania East Side Symphony
13. Shacalao - Lisandro Meza
14. Toure Samar- Karl Hector & The Malcouns
15. Lullaby For Lagos - Whitefield Brothers
MP3: Dan Satch and his Atomic 8 Dance Band: “Woman Pin Down”

And appearing at about the same time is this new volume in Soundway's Nigeria Special series:

"It was Fela Kuti and his musical and political ideals that formed the core of afrobeat’s message. Blending highlife, Yoruba music, funk and jazz, Fela dominated the musical tapestry of 1970’s Nigeria and his influence in Nigeria and West Africa led to a craze where most of the bands of the day incorporated this new sound into their repertoires to satisfy the tastes of the audiences of the time. This compilation highlights some of those recordings that have, until now, not seen the light of day."
Nigeria Afrobeat Special
1. Fela & The Africa 70 – Who’re you? (Original 45 Version)
2. Eric Showboy Akaeze & His Royal Ericos – We Dey Find Money
3. The Anansa Professionals – Enwan
4. Saxon Lee & The Shadows International – Mind Your Business
5. Bongos Ikwue & The Groovies – Otachikpopo
6. Orlando Julius & His Afro-Sounders – Afro-Blues
7. Bob Ohiri and his Uhuru Sounds – Ariwo Yaa
8. Mad Man Jaga – Hankuri
9. Godwin Omabuwa & His Casanova Dandies – Do The Afro Shuffle
10. Segun Bucknor’s Revolution – Gbomojo
11. The Black Santiagos – Ole
(3 x LP contains 5 extra tracks)

Feel the Pulse of Amampondo

2010-01-16T11:20:00.010Z

Anyone who has experienced the live force of Amampondo is almost certain to have been disappointed with their recorded output. Nothing quite matches the spectacular energy and passion of the band playing live. Except perhaps for this single which was released in 1984 and has long since been deleted. Just a year earlier I was involved in hosting Amampondo live in concert at the University of Pietermaritzburg's Old Main Hall. The lo-fi recordings we made of that performance are still remarkable. Before listening to the blistering 915 take some time out to listen to the Amampondo version of Qongqothwane aka The Click Song recorded at that 1983 concert.

LISTEN: Qongqothwane (live at the PMB Old Main Hall, 1983 - A Stun Production)

Amampondo - Sibuyele 915 (Gallo, XPD2313, 1984)
1. Sibuyele 915 (Dub)
2. Sibuyele 915
"Dedicated to the people of the No 915 Langa Barracks"
(More background on the Langa township here).
Amampondo: Dizu Plaatjies, Mzwandile Qotoyi, Simpiwe Matole, Nkululeko Ludonga, Blackie Mbizela, Mandla Lande, Xola Mlambo, Thandi Mashiloane, Mapule Mlambo.
Mixed by Nic Pickard and Amampondo. Produced by Bruce Gordon and Amampondo. Recorded at Revill Studios.
LINK

SANGO TIME: Mangelepa in Malawi!

2010-01-09T08:57:00.007Z

LP Cover pic courtesy Nick (thanks!)

"Based in Nairobi, Les Mangalepa are sovereigns in their own musical kingdom 'Le Royaume Mangalepa' - which extends far beyond Kenya to encompass Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia and DR Congo (ex-Zaïre).

"The story of Les Mangalepa starts in the 1960s when, as members of Baba Gaston’s band in Lubumbashi, they led the migration of musicians out of Zaïre and into Eastern Africa, via Tanzania and on to Nairobi. Striking out on their own, they played their first gig as Les Mangalepa at the Park Inn, Nairobi, in July,1976.

"The name was corrupted from the French ‘Marquez le Pas’ meaning 'marching time', in which they parodied the army style, laying down an irresistible beat, which became the stylistic expression for their ever-growing 'marching army' of fans. The songs in this collection are taken from the period when Les Mangelepa were in their full pomp. They conjure memories of a golden period of East African music when the crowds flocked to Uhuru Park, Garden Square, Tents Club and Park Inn. Those coming to the floor for the first time can anticipate a sense of surprise at the joy and vitality of these recordings." - FROM RETROAFRIC.COM

This LP had been sitting, dusty and undisturbed for at least 10 years before the matsuli crew rescued it from the humidity, dust and heat of a warehouse in Durban. Unfortunately no cover! Previously we'd had a number of ideas as to the origins of the Sango label and no-one seems quite sure about its origin or history. The best guess so far is that it was an "export" only label for countries such as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. "The second part of the Sango story is as a late 1970s-early 1980s label of convenience for East African records from the ASL, African Beat and Polydor catalogues that were evidently pressed up for export, many retaining their original catalogue numbers for those labels." (Tim at KenTanzaVinyl)

Orchestra Mangelepa - Live Recording of the Malawi Tour (Sango, ASLP 921, 1980)
1. Ole Pts 1 & 2
2. Saad Pts 1 & 2
3. Malawi Zikomo Pts 1 & 2
4. Kanemo Pts 1 & 2
RS LINK
MFIRE LINK

For more information on Congolese bands in East Africa visit MUZIKIFAN. You can buy the wonderful compilation of their material ENDURANCE through most friendly retailers such as STERNS.

Next Stop Soweto!

2010-01-07T06:34:00.000Z

Our good friends at Strut make their foray into South African sounds with a three release series, the first of which focusses on mbaqanga, the second on soul, groove and fusion and the final installment jazz. Just in time for the world cup!

VOL. 1: UNDERGROUND TOWNSHIP JIVE 1969-1975
Tracklisting:
1. MELOTONE SISTERS WITH AMAQOLA BAND – I SIVENOE
2. THE MGABABA QUEENS – MAPHUTHI
3. S.PILISO & HIS SUPER SEVEN – KUYA HANJWA
4. THE BIG FOUR – WENZANI UMOYA
5. MAHLATHINI & THE QUEENS – UMKHOVU
6. ZED NKABINDE – INKONJANE JIVE
7. INTOMBI ZEPHEPHA – INGOINA LE NYATHI
8. TEMPO ALL STARS – TAKE OFF
9. BOY-NZE NA MAQUEENS – I’SMODENI
10. MAHOTELLA QUEENS – ZWE KUMUSHA
11. AFRICAN SWINGSTERS – EMUVA
12. UBHEKITSHE NAMAJONGOSI – UMADUNA OMNYAMA
13. LUCKY STRIKE SISTERS – MR J.S. MPANZA
14. ABA-LILIZELI – SIKHWELE
15. REGGIE MSOMI & HIS HOLLYWOOD JAZZ BAND – SOUL CHAKARI
16. AMAQAWE OMCULO – JABULANI BALALELI (PART 2)
17. PISTON MAHLATHINI & THE QUEENS – NOMACALA
18. SAMMY BOY – 10 TO 11
19. IZINTOMBI ZASI MANJE MANJE – AWUFUNI UKULANDELA NA?
20. ‘IZA WENA’ HAPPY AFRICA
Release date: International1st February 2010 / 2nd February 2010

In the meantime go and pick up an original Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje link from electricjive to see what all the fuss is about. Myself I'm keen to see the selection for the Volume 2!

Still Grazing (Happy 2010!)

2010-01-04T10:00:00.001Z

I made a conscious effort to avoid any kind of 2009 round-up or summation of the past decade. Partly laziness and a lack of time on my part but mostly due to an overiding sense of that the practice of reducing everything to top 10 lists simply cheapens everything. My private and symbolic "act of resistance" was reading two books: Still Grazing, the biography of Hugh Masekela and De Capo's Best Music Writing 2009, edited by Greil Marcus. The Masekela book has been rather elusive and I eventually found my copy at a second hand bookstore in Durban. The De Capo book saved me from pulling my hair out whilst with relatives over Christmas.

But enough about me. What about you? What would you like to see here? In many ways our friends at ELECTRICJIVE have taken over the baton of sharing rare South African material and I've told them to reload a lot of stuff I had previously featured here. I'm going to try to share some more rarities, a few more mixes and focus on the building the reissue programme of South African classics. But I'd still love to hear from you.

On the Masekela side check out this track from his great LP Introducing Hedzoleh Sounds

Rekpete (DOWNLOAD)

and then check out this tune from J.O. Oyeshiku and his Rainbow Quintet:

Oro re o repete (DOWNLOAD). Spot anything?

Soul Power

2009-11-20T21:08:00.002Z

I've been waiting some time now for the Soul Power documentary to reach DVD. I picked up a copy in the city and watched it closely last night. Wow! Great footage and incredible sound. My only gripe is about the shortage of concert footage...I want more of Franco, OK Jazz, Tabu Ley, Afrisa, Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Hugh Masekela and others. Apparently there is another 12 hours of concert footage waiting....

Now many people have asked me to re-up the James Brown performance from Kinshasa in 1974 and so here it is, once more!
James Brown- The Godfather Goes To Africa
The Zaire Music Festival, Kinshasa Stadium, 23/9/74
1. Intro
2. The Payback
3. Soul Power
4. The Boss
5. Make It Easy
6. Doin' It To Death
7. Bewildered
8. Sex Machine
9. Interlude
10. The James Brown Theme Part 1
11. The James Brown Theme Part 2
12. Caught With A Bag / Gimme Some More
13. Get On The Good Foot Part 1
14. Get On The Good Foot Part 2
15. It's a Man's World Jam Part 1
16. It's a Man's World Jam Part 2
17. Money
18. Finale
LINK

Previously posted with words from Fred Wesley back in Jan 07

Decorate the skies

2009-11-07T09:47:00.003Z

Another friendly dose from the matsuli mosiac:
2009 Matsulidelic Autumn Mix
1. Molalatladi - BLK JKS from their debut LP on Secretly Canadian, these South African rockers keep trying to live up to the hype
2. The Best Of Good Love Gone - 24-Carat Gold from the Numero issue of previously unreleased material
3. Roforofo Fight - Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura Feat. Mayra Caridad Valdes in which the Fela standard gets the Egrem house treatment via Brownwood
4. Pray For Rain (feat. Tunde Adebimpe) - Massive Attack, a big collaboration and a gentle song
5. Fine - yU from the Brownswood Bubblers 4 compilation all cut and pasted
6. Ha Dvash - Fool's Gold, a hybrid Hebrew Afro-blues track rooted in the Sahara
7. Safari Salvaje - Los Rápidos from the wonderful second volume of Cuban funk Si Para Usted Vol. 2: The Funky Beats Of Revolutionary Cuba
8. Meu Mundo - Otto, from the 2009 album Certa Manhã Acordei de Sonhos Intranquilos - enchanting as always from Recife in Brazil with blends of regional rhythm, rock and electronica
9. tui fin mi gomienzo - Ocote Soul Sounds And Adrian Quesada abstract and dubbed out territory for this afrofunk duo
10. Ghost Town - Zeep great version of the Jerry Dammers classic
11. I Do - Gin Wigmore New Zealand's much hyped singer-songwriter with just a touch of Amy creeping through
12. All Tomorrow's Parties - Beck from the fan-club "Beck plays The Velvet Underground and Nico LP"
13. Nangu Sobeh - Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara no passports or visas required, deep roots meets the rock mountain
14. The Rider - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis soundtrack sounds from the Aussie riders
15. Tu No Me Puedes Conquistar - Grupo Los Yoyi from another highly recommended Cuban funk compilation Revolucion! Original Cuban Funk Grooves 1967-1978
16. It's A Dream - Little Ed one of the many outstanding tracks on the Numero Light on the South Side compilation of bluesy funk from Chicago
17. Not Tomorrow - Living Colour 2009 saw a focussed album from Vernon Reid's Living Colour and this is just one of them
18. Ebo Lala w/ Seifu Yohannes - Mulatu Astatke at last the much anticipated Mulatu retrospective sees the light of day
19. Minkou E So Non Mon - T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou and lastly from the latest installment of Benin grooves from Analog Africa here's a killer dancefloor filler.
DOWNLOAD

A Tiny Ripple of Hope - Bobby Kennedy's '66 visit to South Africa

2009-10-31T16:25:00.006Z

This record turned up in a recent dig by our good friend Chris. The first time I heard about Kennedy's visit to South Africa I was sitting in an visa consultants' office talking about student politics. He told me that he had been on the NUSAS organising committee for the Johannesburg sector of the Kennedy tour. Anyway it an interesting oddity and surprising that it made it onto LP. In doing some background research I discovered that the transcript is available on the net which saved me some time. Check it out.

After the assassination of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy undertook a 1966 tour of South Africa in which he championed the cause of the anti-Apartheid movement. The tour was greeted with international praise at a time when few politicians dared to entangle themselves in the politics of South Africa. Kennedy spoke out against the oppression of the native population and was welcomed by the black population as though a visiting head of state. In an interview with Look Magazine he had this to say:
“ At the University of Natal in Durban, I was told the church to which most of the white population belongs teaches apartheid as a moral necessity. A questioner declared that few churches allow black Africans to pray with the white because the Bible says that is the way it should be, because God created Negroes to serve. 'But suppose God is black', I replied. 'What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?' There was no answer. Only silence. ”
In South Africa, a group of foreign press representatives chartered an aircraft, after the National Union of South African Students failed to make sufficient travel arrangements. Kennedy not only accommodated a suspected Special Branch policeman on board, but took with good grace the discovery that the aircraft had once belonged to Fidel Castro. [from WIKI)

Farouk Asvat's Poetry - Special offer

2009-10-25T16:40:00.003Z

At Masuli I have been able to secure a limited number of Farouk Asvat's published works including: A Celebration of Flames, The Time of Our Lives and Bra Frooks. These have all been recently published by Piquant and come in soft-back. Priced at £10 each plus postage or £25 for all three titles. Please contact me on info [AT] matsulimusic.com if you wish to make a purchase.

"Physician and poet extraordinaire, Farouk Asvat made South Africa proud when his poetry that reflects deeply on the history of South Africa received critical acclaim throughout the world.

"Asvat is the author of the prize-winning collection of poetry A Celebration of Flames and of The Time Of Our Lives, for which he won the Vita Literary Award. He was nominated as an Amnesty International “Prisoner of Conscience” in the 1970s, and was also selected to represent South Africa in the 1980 “International Portland Review” of poetry.

"His short stories, poems and essays have been published in South Africa, Germany, France, Canada, Netherlands, Switzerland, Brazil, England the United States. They have also been reviewed by The Star, The Rand Daily Mail, and The Sunday Times among others, while his poems have been recited on SABC Radio and performed by PACT.
He has been interviewed for radio by BBC Book World, Radio Antilles and others, and for print by The Star, Tribute, Azania Vrije and others.

"Asvat has recited his poems in numerous schools, cafes, universities, the XIth Conference Literature at Aachen and Liege, and many other places. He fondly remembers the late 80’s when he had audiences of 2000-3000 people at poetry recitals – he says that those times are indeed memories to be treasured.

"Dr. Asvat is also known as an anti-Aphartheid activist and says of those times, “When I used to read my poems in schoolrooms during the apartheid era, I was targeted by the government for speaking against them but I was never intimidated. I was even ‘politically listed’ by the government for two years, just after I qualified with an MB BCh at the University of Wits in 1978, and was unable to secure an internship with any of the hospitals and clinics.”

"Asvat also talks of his poetry which highlighted his anti-apartheid views, resulted in him receiving death threats from 1971 to 1995, but they did not deter him from expressing his views through this creative forum. Yet being banned by the regime between 1973 and 1978 while a Wits student, ensured that he could not be quoted or published.

"During that period, Asvat freelanced as a journalist, and in later years has been a columnist and literary critic for South African mediums as well as having his series Creative Arts serialized by Sowetan and The Indicator, and his critical analysis of medical services in South Africa was also serialized by Sowetan and Muslim News.

"He was denied a passport until 1986 when he was issued with a highly restricted document, and was granted limited passports in 1987 and 1988 to take up scholarships.
He initiated the Black Thoughts Group that toured the townships in 1973, campaigned against sectarian elections and was a member of the Black People’s Convention amongst many other organizations.

"Asvat resided in Fordsburg for a short period from early 1970’s and has fond memories of his hangouts with friends and family, such as Solly’s Corner, Jupiters Café, Lyric and Avalon Cinemas, and playing soccer and cricket at the Fietas Grounds.
“I still remember those days when we could walk around Fordsburg till the early hours of the morning, visiting shops and cinemas that were still open, and having a great time worry-free of crime.”

"Asvat’s The Times Of Our Lives and A Celebration Of Flames (the new revised editions, with new poems and translations) were released in September and October 2006 respectively.
Some of the comments in the media regarding his poems include:
“… you almost catch your breath at some of the stanzas … you can re-read it several times and be struck by new ideas, metaphors, elegiac surprises and the heartfelt poignancy …” Aggrey Klaaste, editor Sowetan; and
“ … an almost palpable tenderness for a country whom the poet alludes to as if she were a lover.” Neela Alvarez-Pereyre, Commonwealth Essays & Studies.

"This first collection of writings spanning a period of almost twenty years, evoke strong emotions- some have you smiling and even laughing outright with its candid humour, while others touch your hearts one way or the other about love, racism or poverty. Since Dr Asvat’s roots are strongly entrenched in politics, many of his poems reflect the brutality of the apartheid era and bring home the message of the reality of those days to many who were fortunate enough not to be born in those times.

"Some of Asvat’s renowned poems include Possibilities For A Man Hunted By SBs, A Poor Man’s Prayer, Die Kamma-Intellectuals, Part of Afrika & Fietas."

Profile by Fathima Jhani and first published at Fordsburg.com

Mint 45s

2009-10-24T09:55:00.005+01:00

This morning I was just trying to sort out my 45s after a successful evening out supporting the Highbury Soul Band a fortnight ago. I treasure my picture sleeve African 45s so imagine my delight when I discovered Picadilly Records and Phonica had chanced upon a batch of mint 45s from France. Check out their websites and order quickly.

Come fly with me on the wheels of steel! On deck duty supporting the Highbury Soul Band

Jozi time!

2009-10-20T23:11:00.005+01:00

I landed up spending a very brief four days in Jozi and after sorting out the day job stuff on Thursday and Friday it was time to head downtown on Saturday to visit Kohinoor Records and spend a wonderful lunch catching up with Rashid, Mandla and Hotep. Tales of the wild youth of Abdullah Ibrahim flowed midst the wonderful food from Fordsburg's finest eatery.

Later on Saturday I hooked up with an old friend and we took ourselves off to the House of Nsako in Brixton to check out Olufemi, a Mozambican band. The DJ warmed up with plenty of Fela, Masekela and Letta Mbulu before the band kicked off in an Afrojazz direction then changing course to play some dancing tunes for the punters

The Barbican walls come tumbling down

2009-09-28T22:21:00.002+01:00

September Songs

2009-09-27T11:20:00.008+01:00

This post signals some changes for this blog. A couple of things have happened: first I've established MatsuliMusic as an independent music label specialising in the reissue of forgotten South African musical treasures, and second I've found that my fellow bloggers, especially the guys at ElectricJive seem to have the energy I'm lacking in keeping up the frequency and quality of posts. I've told them to re-up a number of my earlier jazz and related LPs they wish. In the meantime I'm preparing the reissue of the South African Afro-funk classic Chapita by Dick Khoza. This is under exclusive license from Rashid Vally's Sun label in Johannesburg.

On the September radar are the following...some of which I've heard and some of which I'm waiting for:

Via Daptone records and courtesy of VoodooFunk Frank's deep record collection a long lost Afrobeat LP from a member of Fela's band. Very Nice!

Otto's new LP is refreshing, especially for those who tire of the soft bossa-nova...some nice hard angular edges.

Massive Attack come down to earth with Splitting the Atom. Not sure when the LP will drop but an EP has been released featured Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio on Pray for Rain - for me the best track so far.

I heard an interesting story this week. I've been preparing some soul and funk tunes to DJ at a 10/10 event in the next two weeks and as I'm planning to play exclusively from 45s I needed to do a little stocking up. Whilst in Haggle Vinyl listening to a bunch of stuff owner Lynn Alexander spins me the yarn about throwing Gilles Peterson out of the store...Gilles was disagreeing with Lynn's classification. Anyway this release looks interesting....a sort of Buena Vista of the current musical scene with a heavy dose of North London taste policing from Gilles.

Samy keeps them coming. Hot on the heels of Benin Legends issue is the second volume of Poly Ritmo tunes recorded mostly in Nigeria. On heavy rotation.

A big favourite for the "World Music" punters the second International release finds the band in a mostly urgent uptempo mood. Given the number of collaborations (everyone wants a piece of the action) you'd think the album would lack the cohesion the debut has. But it keeps growing.

I hooked up the Honest Jon's team to discuss my plans for reissue of the Chapita LP and we got on to talking about the Baobab tune On Vera Ca which appears on this album. We just couldn't work out how many versions they had recorded. A very considered selection and out sometime in late October.

Yes this is the retrospective we've been waiting for. Its the album Miles Cleret at Soundway thought he had sewn up some years ago but then ran into licensing issues with Mulatu. So soon come on the Strut label.

Finally we come to the immortal Franco. Just twenty years ago he passed on and co-inciding with this anniversary is Volume Two of Sterns retrospective. It contains one of my all time favourite Franco songs which was done with Simaro, namely Testament Ya Bowane. Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD

Jive Motella! - Nick Lotay digs deep

2009-09-04T08:54:00.005+01:00

A big shout out to Nick Lotay who has come forward with the best compilation I have ever heard of - until now - frankly unobtainable South African jive illuminating its genesis in the early sixties. And a whole lot more. So sit back, read, listen and learn!

This very special collection of songs comes from the ‘big pot’, as the Mahotella Queens called in it 1982. The fact that the MAVUTHELA MUSIC COMPANY was hailed as a big melting pot of talent (not just by its own artists) gives you some idea of its prominence in the black music industry in South Africa during the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The tightly-knit team of vocalists, instrumentalists, composers, arrangers and producers based at Mavuthela churned out songs on a factory-line basis, subsequently creating hit after hit. The company’s success was down to a number of factors. It had the heavy financial involvement from its white-ran parent company, the imposing and (still) powerful Gallo Africa, and thus access to very high quality recording equipment. There was also the necessity of having a crew of brilliant producers, arrangers and talent-scouts who knew what they were doing. Let us not forget that having a gifted team of multi-talented vocalists and instrumentalists would help. Lastly, Mavuthela also benefited from being under the leadership of the big boss, Rupert Bopape – a manipulator and a criminal in some people’s eyes, but an astute and inspirational figure for others.

You don’t necessarily need a history lesson in order to enjoy the music, but I feel it’s an interesting (but yes, complex) story that needs to be told. Mavuthela’s history is indeed complicated but at the same time fascinating, and although the company began life in 1964, its roots lie deeply in the history of South African popular music.

Sebatana Rupert Bopape, born in 1923 in the green hills of Limpopo, grew up with a genuine passion for music. Though the series of events is not as clear as it could be, it is understood that Bopape landed a job at a record pressing plant sometime in the late 1940s. From there he moved onto to big things. When EMI decided to open its first studios in South Africa in 1951 – threatening the monopoly held by Gallo Africa and its wonderful ‘Gallotone’ series – Bopape was chosen to be its first (what was then called) ‘black music’ talent scout. Needless to say, he was excited about the prospect of running his own roster of artists and began talent-scouting all across the Transvaal. Marabi, the music referred to nowadays as ‘South African jazz’, was the music of the black urbanites. It originated in the slums of Johannesburg in the late 1930s and early 1940s, making a gradual journey to Alexandra and Pretoria. The rich blend of American swing and ragtime and unique African undertones proved irresistible to those who now lived their daily lives in the cities, and this music saw widespread popularity in South Africa during the 1950s. By the middle 1950s, Bopape (now EMI’s black music producer) had some of the best exponents of marabi were under his wing – Shadrack Piliso and Elijah Nkwanyana among them. These guys provided beautiful saxophone, trombone and trumpet harmonies on hundreds of Bopape’s African jazz recordings.

Marabi was the sound of the refined blacks. The music of the working-classes had only just started to receive national attention but the sounds were to flourish over the next few years. Pennywhistle jive went big in the ‘50s, though it had been around since the early ‘40s. It was usually practiced on the streets of Johannesburg by young black kids. The jocular pennywhistles were usually backed up by an acoustic guitar or two and the music attracted not only the attention of rebellious white teenagers, but the police too. “Khwela, khwela!!” the boys would shout to each other when they saw the approaching vehicle that aimed to prevent the jivers from causing a ‘public disturbance’. The “khwela, khwela” call became something of a feature of these street performances, and the music began being referred to as “kwela” by its white fans. (In ensuing years the “khwela, khwela” call has been interpreted in many different ways – the colloquialism for the police vehicles being one example. The actual phrase means “climb up” or “get out of the way”, in reference to the oncoming police car.) Johannes ‘Spokes’ Mashiyane had been one of those youngsters in the ‘40s. Mashiyane was signed to Trutone Records in the early 1950s and soon became the national kwela pin-up: his 1954 single “Ace Blues”, with its jovial rhythm and airy pennywhistle sound, easily became the biggest selling black music hit that year.

Mashiyane became a top star in South Africa but Trutone was by no means the most successful black music production house in the country at the time. You would think that that honour would fall to Gallo, by far the most powerful record company in SA. Ironically, it was the notably smaller black music unit at EMI who often ruled the roost and frequently overtook Gallo’s offerings. Rupert Bopape was an astute man who also doubled up as a talent scout, a role that contributed to his heavy early success. By a large contrast, Gallo’s Walter Nhlapo was a staunch marabi supporter and waved away the new ‘unrefined’ kwela sound as a passing fad. He did not dig deep for young talent to record, as Bopape did (to great success), and thus left Gallo attempting to catch up to EMI.

Rupert Bopape, founder and director of the Mavuthela Music Company and under whose formative influence the production house prospered. Pictured here in his EMI days, 1959. In 1977 Bopape suffered a stroke and, although he made a full recovery, began withdrawing from the day-to-day administration of the company. He left the music business in 1983 and retired to Limpopo, where he remains to this day

Bopape, gradually, found that he had little patience for the intricate rhythms of real marabi music and even less for the educated players, who were more aware of the music industry and less easy to control. Bopape usually focused his attentions on musicians playing on the streets or singers from rural town and country – these people wouldn’t have a clue about the industry and he could thus pay them with a standard recording fee (royalty payments were available to blacks but this was something ostensibly covered up by big producers like Bopape). Another advantage in hiring musically-illiterate players was that he would have the ability to have full control over the recording process without having to get into a heated debate. (There were some marabi players, like Shadrack Piliso, who were in favour of the new jive music and were quite happy to remain in Bopape’s stable. Piliso in particular built up a close friendship with Bopape and the two often composed songs together.) The simpler songs were also quick and easy to produce and saved a lot of money for the record company. In 1956, Bopape ‘discovered’ a kwela group playing on the streets of Alexandra. Formed by the line-up of brothers Elias and Aaron Jack Lerole (Aaron was better known as ‘Big Voice Jack’), brothers Zeph and Simon Nkabinde, and David Ramosa, the group called themselves Black Mambazo (meaning Black Axe. The name was adopted some ten years later by a small time Zulu vocal group from Ladysmith. Whatever happened to them…?). Bopape recruited them to EMI and began recording them under a variety of names: Alexandra Black Mambazo and the Alexandra Shamba Boys being just two. It was at this time that Bopape decided he wanted a vocal attention-grabber on his recordings, to further prop up his musical team. Big Voice Jack, a key member of the group, had used gurgling, guttural, groaning vocals on street performances since the very early 1950s and this remarkable, alarming, curious vocal sound prompted Bopape’s decision to utilise the pennywhistler’s voice to endorse the cohort of musicians and the record label at the start of recordings, i.e. as a commercial gimmick. However, Jack was never a natural baritone, and often took various illegal substances to ‘perpetuate’ the gruffness of his unusual voice. The forced groaning would end up destroying his vocal chords. Gradually Bopape used another member of Black Mambazo, Zeph Nkabinde, to fill Jack’s spot. Nkabinde did have more rhythmic vocal abilities, and possessed a slightly deeper voice. Nkabinde’s interpretation of the groaning style turned it into an art form.

The rest of the ‘50s saw a slow but sure convergence between the ‘refined’ and ‘unrefined’ sounds, pioneered by both the main companies. Marabi and kwela began to unite in what could be called ‘marabi jive’, and the general musical complexities of the older styles began to fade away. Gallo’s The Skylarks, a female close-harmony group modelled on influences from America (and led by the much missed soprano Miriam Makeba), built up a huge following in South Africa. Spokes Mashiyane was lured away to Gallo in 1958 (and insisted he received royalty payments and not a flat fee like his contemporaries), and often played his pennywhistle on recordings with The Skylarks, augmenting the instrumental breaks but often playing alongside the vocal line-up. However, the line-up disintegrated due to a number of factors by the early 1960s (most notably Makeba’s 1959 exile) and Bopape’s Dark City Sisters picked up the torch and kept it flowing, simultaneously becoming the most successful South African girl group of the early 1960s. Formed in 1958 as a result of Bopape’s talent scouting, the group comprised singers such as Esther Khoza, sisters Francisca Mngomezulu and Hilda Mogapi, Nunu Maseko, Dorothy Dube, Francesca Ngubeni, Kate Olene, and Lilly Dlamini. Molepolele-born Joyce Mogatusi, present on almost all of the Sisters’ recordings, gradually rose to become its main singer. The Sisters’ sumptuous, liquid-like harmonies were combined with acoustic guitar, bass, and trap set with saxophones and trumpets (courtesy of the likes of Michael Xaba and Elijah Nkwanyana) and guest male vocalists (usually Jack Lerole or Zeph Nkabinde). Almost immediately, the Sisters found success with audiences, who were enthralled by the group’s harmonious and rhythmic sound and the unique way in which a deep male vocal was juxtaposed against sweet female harmonies. As such, their recordings sold on a massive scale not only in South Africa, but also neighbouring countries such as Malawi and Botswana. Their records also circulated in small numbers in London, on EMI’s “Odeon” label.

A Nigerian pressing of the Dark City Sisters Star Time LP from 1964

Marabi jive was slowly giving way to a more sturdy-sounding, traditional-influenced rock as the 1960s dawned, and it was pushed more or less by Bopape himself (Bopape is credited by many as the father of mbaqanga. It would be something of an overstatement to imply that Bopape invented mbaqanga music, but it is true that he was the one producer who was critical in shaping its development – and it is his groups that are remembered more than any others). The introduction of the electric guitar to South Africa assisted the development of the music greatly, though there were no great innovators of the instrument in the public eye until the mid-1960s. The new sound was pioneered by Gallo’s Spokes Mashiyane, who caused big waves when he ditched his pennywhistle for a saxophone. His 1959 number “Big Joe Special”, just like his 1954 “Ace Blues”, effortlessly became a massive, massive hit.

Not everyone enjoyed this music – Michael Xaba, one of Bopape’s marabi saxophonists, being one of the many jazz men who felt that creative talents were being sidelined in favour of cheaper to produce ‘radio music’ (or ‘msakazo’). Ironically it was Xaba who gave the style its name, albeit disdainfully: mbaqanga (the name of a maize/porridge-type snack cooked by people in the homelands). Xaba thought the style far too “traditional”, too “unrefined” and thrown together rather quickly – as the mbaqanga snack was. This music itself was being referred to on record labels as ‘vocal jive’ or ‘sax jive’ and in studio as ‘phatha-phatha’ (‘touch-touch’ – a popular dance), referring to the almost pounce-like beat. It took over a decade for the mbaqanga name to enter popular culture as a term of affection for electric jive music.

By the start of the 1960s, Bopape’s girl groups were ruling the roost in all-female close-harmony vocal jive in South Africa. Gallo, who were not showing good returns in their black music production, desperately needed something to attract the black public. In late 1963, the company began trying to poach Bopape from EMI, behind the back of their then-black producer Reggie Msomi (also a very talented saxophonist). They offered an incentive: he would be the producer and one of three directors of a brand new black music subsidiary of the organisation. In 1964, Bopape decided he liked the idea, and jumped ship to Gallo. Mavuthela Music Company was formed. Most of Bopape’s musicians decided to remain with EMI as session players, but he set his mind at rest – the Gallo team already had a large list of good enough musicians who could do the job, and there were several talented people who had agreed to stick with him and move to the newly-formed Mavuthela: Shadrack and Edmund Piliso, Elijah Nkwanyana, Christopher Songxaka, Wilson Silgee, Elias and Jack Lerole, Zeph and Simon Nkabinde, Francisca and Ethel Mngomezulu and Nunu Maseko. Simon, Zeph’s younger brother, had joined EMI in the late 1950s as part of Black Mambazo and appeared as a guest groaner (and sometime pennywhistler) on recordings with Bopape’s female groups (the most well-known is his lead vocal for the Sisters’ famous 1962 hit “Shala Shala Twist”). Simon was born into a traditional Zulu-Swazi family in Alexandra township on November 22, 1938 and, as a young boy, built up a handsome reputation with his beautiful voice. He often led isicathamiya choirs that sang at traditional Zulu wedding ceremonies. In the early 1950s, during an all-night wedding celebration, his voice broke during the middle of an expressive song. His throat became strained and by the morning became what he called “gruff”. His parents hurriedly took him to an isangoma (diviner). The medium denounced any claims from the worried Nkabinde parents that Simon had been witched, and provided the simple explanation that he was just “growing older”. Simon began singing again, and was told by his brother Zeph that his deep bass voice naturally suited the groaning style, at that time being originated in street performances by Jack Lerole. In 1952, struggling to find the money to pay for books and various fees, Simon decided to leave school and find work. Several minor jobs followed – dairyboy, timberyard assistant, and so on – and it was in about 1959 that Zeph suggested that he join EMI and make use of his talent. Simon’s teenage nickname was “Mahlathini” (he who comes from the forest), referring to his wild and unruly, bushy hairstyle, and at this point he began developing a stage persona as “Mahlathini The Bull”, with his somewhat overwhelming and commanding presence and deep, bellowing, sharp vocals (incidentally, during this time Simon decided to have his hair cut short).

Mahlathini the Bull in full flight

The vital core of Mavuthela’s roster arose as amateur musicians during the mid-1950s, and the story begins with Joseph Makwela. Makwela was born on January 3, 1940 and grew up in Warmbaths. At the age of 16, Makwela moved to Pretoria on the lookout for work. He eventually became a domestic worker in a white suburb, and encountered by chance another garden boy called Lucky Monama. Monama was born on December 25, 1938 in Cullinan, a small town to Pretoria’s east, but grew up in Hammanskraal. Monama got on well with Makwela and soon they became firm friends, learning that they worked only a short distance from each other. During an off hour at the end of the week, they spotted a pennywhistler performing at a sports ground, Johannes Hlongwane. Hlongwane was born in 1940 in eMathafeni, just outside Nelspruit. At the age of 16, after leaving school, the music-loving Hlongwane was sent to live with his grandfather in Pretoria to find work. After he gained enough money to buy a pennywhistle – during the “golden age” of kwela – Hlongwane began to make a name for himself on the streets of Pretoria by performing outside bus stations, at bus stops, and outside stadiums, inspired by his idol Spokes Mashiyane. After seeing the animated Hlongwane, Makwela and Monama bought their own pennywhistles and sought harmony advice from him, in awe of his precision music playing (and the high amount of money that he had garnered from onlookers). Shortly afterwards, the three lads formed The Pretoria Tower Boys. Three more members were soon added and Makwela replaced his whistle with a guitar. The Boys would, on occasion, come upon a rival pennywhistle group led by guitarist Marks Mankwane. The Boys would often marvel at his meticulous and rhythmic tunes and Hlongwane noted to himself that Mankwane was a very talented musician to look out for. Mankwane was born in 1939 in Warmbaths, hailing from the Pedi tribe, and played his first guitar, a self-made tinned, when he was twelve years old. The first musical influence for Mankwane was the scrupulous guitar work by the Zulu maskandi guitarist Joseph Radebe.

Mavuthela’s brilliant house band, the Makhona Tsohle Band, in 1967. Left to right: Marks Mankwane on lead guitar, Lucky Monama on drums, Joseph Makwela on bass

By the start of the 1960s, each member wanted to try their luck as professional musicians. Hlongwane decided to change his name to West Nkosi. Nkosi and Monama were the first: they moved from Pretoria to Alexandra in late 1960, where Nkosi again played pennywhistle tunes on the streets – Monama backed him up on guitar – enthusiastically waiting to be spotted. A talent scouting expedition from one of Gallo’s scouts saw the two boys moving to Johannesburg and Nkosi joining Gallo’s kwela studio group: Spokes Mashiyane & His All-Star Flutes. However, his time with them was brief, as he wanted to develop his own career as an individual performer. Monama decided to remain at Gallo as a session musician and permanently abandoned his pennywhistle, opting to become a rhythm guitarist. Nkosi once again moved on, ending up joining another studio group called the Bon Accord Boys. The fame that they acquired affected Nkosi deeply, who wanted a reputation as a brilliant soloist. This saw a move back to Jo’burg’s city centre in 1962 and back at the famed Gallo studios, this time with Joseph Makwela, for a second try. The two lads ended up performing as a duo outside the legendary building. They had at this point switched instruments: Nkosi replaced his pennywhistle with a saxophone after realising that the pennywhistle had quickly gone out of fashion, and Makwela made history by purchasing the electric bass guitar owned by Mannie Parkes, one of the band members of Gallo musical director/bandleader Dan Hill (thusly, Makwela became the first black electric bass player in South Africa). Reggie Msomi was sufficiently pleased by the performances, having seen them on his way in and out of the Gallo studios. The two men were recruited by Msomi into his stellar marabi line-up the Hollywood Jazz Band (Msomi himself led the band with an alto saxophone) and were subsequently reunited themselves with Lucky Monama – who, at this point, was already the rhythm guitarist in the Jazz Band. Msomi was impressed with Nkosi, and gave the performer a second role at Gallo as a solo artist. Nkosi’s professional career effectively began. Some minor success occurred before Msomi heard that Gallo was not showing good profits in their black music production. He decided to take the new line-up of the Jazz Band on a tour, this time to up north to Rhodesia, hoping that he would gain decent revenue from the live appearances and recordings of the band for the company.

Msomi took the musicians on a tour of Northern Rhodesia at the very start of 1964. Because the political tension in the country rose to an unexpected level, large proportions of the expected crowds didn’t attend the group’s concert performances. As a result, Msomi and his team were left stranded in Rhodesia for six months, unable to return home without the appropriate amount of money. When they finally managed to trek back to Johannesburg, they found that Gallo had been reorganised to a vast extent.

The company took Msomi’s unexpected departure as an opportunity to replace him. They managed to entice the massively successful Bopape and Mavuthela was born. Msomi was furious at Gallo replacing him behind his back, but he was persuaded by management to remain at the company with promises to become a possible co-producer (and continue recording with new musicians as “Reggie Msomi & His Hollywood Jazz Band”) in the new Mavuthela subsidiary. When West Nkosi, Joseph Makwela and Lucky Monama finally returned to Gallo in the middle of 1964, they found that, in the reorganisation of Gallo, Bopape had fired most of the old musicians. One of the new recruits to the new Mavuthela roster was none other than Marks Mankwane, who had been – until joining Gallo – a part of the popular session team The Downbeat Boys (at Troubadour Records) produced by talent scout Cuthbert Matumba. By the time Mankwane auditioned for Rupert Bopape, he had been playing a variety of instruments under Matumba’s direction including saxophone, banjo, and guitar. After tiresome recordings sessions at Troubadour, Mankwane gradually crafted a brand-new style of up-tempo electric lead guitar playing, exploring the instrument more fully than his contemporaries. Mankwane played his guitar to the full extent when auditioning for Bopape and subsequently won the role of Mavuthela lead guitarist. Also among the new recruits was another Pretoria garden boy, Wilfred Mosebi, a keen percussionist and sometime session musician hired as Mavuthela’s resident drummer. West Nkosi began pleading with Bopape to let him record as a solo artist on the new Mavuthela roster, just as he had done under Msomi, but Bopape – needing new musicians and having received word from Msomi that Nkosi was one musician from the old Gallo unit that didn’t deserve to be fired – and instead put him in a group of backing saxophonists (the four horn blowers in the foreground during Mavuthela’s infancy were Shadrack Piliso, Elijah Nkwanyana, Zeph Nkabinde, and Christopher Songxaka) and started churning out the necessary vocal/sax jive output he had done at EMI.

Most "African" recordings from the sixties in South Africa were issued on 78 shellac discs and only compiled to LP for the "overseas/white" market

The first few Mavuthela recordings were simple instrumental sax jives with a ‘call and response’ nomenclature. Depending on the pseudonym, one of the saxophonists would call with his instrument. He would be responded with a team of saxophones played by the other horn blowers on the early roster – with all important accompaniments from Mavuthela’s house band: Mankwane’s high-pitched electric guitar skills, Makwela on his deeply-plucked bass, Monama on acoustic rhythm guitar, and Mosebi on brushed drums. The music itself built heavily on the mbaqanga (as Michael Xaba put it) sound. The deep electric bass pulsation and concentrated up-tempo electric guitar was an irresistible complementation and as such held the entire melody together.

West Nkosi asked Bopape if it was possible to audition now that Mavuthela was up-and-running. Bopape agreed. Nkosi, together with Mankwane, Makwela, Monama and Mosebi, performed a sax jive tune that he had composed some months prior. Bopape was impressed by this performance, and as a result, Nkosi was made a solo act – under the name West Nkosi and His Alto Sax – and recorded his first tune: “Orlando Train”, the song he had performed in his audition. Bopape formally organised the Mavuthela house band and later penned the Sesotho name ‘Makhona Tsohle Band’ [The Band That Can Do Anything] in reference to the skills of his musicians. Bopape organised for the band to perform at local gatherings to promote the Mavuthela division, which began its fruitful productive career releasing its product on the existing “Gallo-USA” and “Gallo New Sound” labels, and the newly-formed “Motella” label. The instrumentalists were very well-received with their new “electric jive” sound and success was to follow.

West Nkosi was Mavuthela’s biggest sax jiving star, Bopape’s protégé, and later on one of the company’s foremost producers. Following Bopape’s 1977 semi-retirement, he carefully encouraged his own influence with Gallo’s board of directors – using the influential advice that Bopape gave to him – and not only became head of production in the stable, but the first black man to be appointed to the board of directors at Gallo Africa (in 1982). Above – West in 1967.

A huge slice of the black public became fairly fanatical about this new musical craze and the “Motella” name soon gained currency. The easygoing Marks Mankwane was to become a key musical arranger, whilst the more open and enthusiastic West Nkosi found a mentor in Bopape. Bopape educated Nkosi, an aspiring producer, on the rigid studio system, and gave Nkosi a stable role as a solo performer. Nkosi was happy in his permanent position of employment in Johannesburg, not least because it gave him a chance to make a name for himself and at the same time remain with his beloved wife Thami and newborn baby.

Bopape, following his earlier success with the Dark City Sisters, had also built up the Mavuthela vocalist team whilst simultaneously organising the instrumental roster – first recruiting the singers he had brought with him to Gallo from EMI: Nunu Maseko and Francisca and Ethel Mngomezulu. Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde, the melodic groaner, was put in place as Mavuthela’s regular male vocalist.

Bopape and Shadrack Piliso reauditioned every studio vocalist from the former Msomi unit, and Bopape also scouted around the old Transvaal for good singers. Daily auditions followed, but the Mavuthela team very quickly comprised a group of nine female studio regulars: Hilda Tloubatla, Mildred Mangxola, Ethel and Francisca Mngomezulu, Juliet Mazamisa, Windy Sibeko, Nunu Maseko, Norah Ndaba, and Mary Rabotapi. Piliso, one of the horn-blowers but also a gifted harmony expert, arranged the vocal parts so that no voice was out of key. Bopape decided to release singles and albums by any five of the nine regular members under a variety of different group names (as he and every other black music producer had always done) on a factory-line basis, giving the impression that the newly-formed Mavuthela Music Company comprised many “pop groups” to boast about – this would also boost radio airplay. Fabricated group names included New Farm Sisters, Dima Sisters, Soweto Stars, L.V. Sisters, Sweet Home Dames, and Mahotella Queens. The name “Mahotella” was a particular favourite for Bopape and was derived from a road sign:
“Bopape worked in Johannesburg,” says Tloubatla, “but he often travelled to Pietersburg with his family for the weekend. On the way back to Johannesburg they would always pass a sign near a park station that read “amahhotela (hotel), 3 miles”. He grew to love that name so much, and he named one of the groups after it.”
Bopape had earlier written a song about this regular occurrence of passing the sign back in 1962, titled “Mahotella Park Station” and recorded by one of his studio-only girl group line-ups, Abahambi.

“Mothella”, the very first Mavuthela girl group recording from 1964

The first vocal jive recording was released on the newly-formed “Motella” label (originated by Hilda Tloubatla after a name dreamed up by Rupert Bopape – a merging of the Zulu word for hotel [amahhotela] and the English word motel). This first single was aptly titled “Mothella” and pressed with the Dima Sisters name. The song, featuring the now-mandatory groaning vocals now a regular part of South African jive music (as provided by Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde), told everyone to begin taking notice of this new music, which was christened ‘jive Motella’ by Shadrack Piliso (the song’s composer). This first Mavuthela vocal recording sold very well, and after this successful first Motella recording, the subsequent instrumental 78 rpms by artists like Shadrack Piliso and Elijah Nkwanyana referred to this kind of music as ‘jive Motella’ via rapping at the beginning of the tunes, mostly provided by Simon and Zeph Nkabinde. (“Motella! Motella! Ashikinisi, ashikinisi, ashikinisi! Jive Motella!!!”) The first genuine success for Mavuthela was vocalist Nunu Maseko’s composition, the love song “Thoko”, released with the Mahotella Queens name. The record sold in huge quantities and went like hot cakes across the country. By this point, the majority of the very successful Mavuthela girl group singles had been pressed with the Mahotella Queens name: “Ashikinisi”, “Udumoka Christmas”, “Umgqashiyo”, and now “Thoko”. Consequently, it was this recording name that became stuck in the minds of the black public as a symbol of good quality jive music.

“Thoko”, a simple love song released in later 1964, was the first big success for Mavuthela and helped to etch the name Mahotella Queens into the minds of the black public

Before its successful township shows were set up, Mavuthela began promoting its singles to the public outside record stores in order to further publicise their music. In the very early days of Mavuthela’s life, three vocalists – Nunu Maseko, Ethel Mngomezulu, and Hilda Tloubatla – would perform as the Mahotella Queens on stages in record stores, outside of the store, or at bus stations, capturing people’s attention and giving them the number of the record, telling them to “get into the store and buy it!” (in the words of the much missed Marks Mankwane). These significant public appearances contributed to Mavuthela’s early success and, alongside the all-important radio coverage, only served to strengthen its roster – which was, at the time, small in numbers but contained a wealth of pseudonyms that implied many pop groups (incidentally, the amount of group pseudonyms increased radio play for what was essentially a team of 25 or less musicians, and as such, the Motella name was spread far and wide across South Africa). The success of the Mahotella Queens recording name was profound and was Mavuthela’s first big scoop. Gallo’s Sam Alcock organised the first formal concert in Rustenburg in early 1965 – the Mavuthela township package show was born. The Rustenburg show included the Mahotella Queens, Simon and Zeph Nkabinde, Elijah Nkwanyane’s Band, Alexandra All Star Band, and Makhona Tsohle Band. Six regular vocalists largely constituted the Mahotella Queens in their early live performances: Maseko, Mngomezulu, Tloubatla, Mildred Mangxola, Juliet Mazamisa, and Windy Sibeko. Because there was no adequate transport to the Rustenburg venue, the musicians had to take a lift from a passing truck driver. However, when the assemblage finally arrived and performed their tunes, it proved to be a winning show, featuring the first appearances of the now-familiar dance stylings, sending audiences into high spirits; they quickly became the ezisematheni (the latest craze that has everyone talking) and their concerts only reinforced their reputation. The Mavuthela members would stay in the homes of high-flying black businessmen (the female vocalists would often pose as the ‘girlfriends’ of the male instrumentalists!) or sleep in the Gallo-owned tour vans – hotels, at this time in South Africa, were out of the question – often specially designed and labelled with promotional slogans. In addition to South Africa, the Mavuthela musical team also visited neighbouring countries such as (what was then) Rhodesia, Malawi, and Botswana, and performed up to three shows a day for fortnightly periods. They would often perform a set for one audience and perform it again for another audience, one after another, to accommodate the rising number of people. A noteworthy success was when Mavuthela went to Mozambique and ended performing there for nine days in a stadium holding 10,000 people. These happy, colourful and bright concert appearances helped to eliminate the darkness caused by the painful Apartheid system from the minds of their fans – if only for a few hours.

Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde poses with the first three well-known faces of the Mahotella Queens, 1965. Left to right: Ethel Mngomezulu, Mahlathini, Nunu Maseko, Hilda Tloubatla

The 1960s performances were not to be missed. Throughout Southern Africa, in the dull cinema halls, crowded shebeens, or the abruptly-built township stages, a full array of colour ensued whenever the group hit the performance area. The group’s shows would open with the swift on-time rhythms of the Makhona Tsohle Band, who would begin with an instrumental number. One of Mavuthela’s sax stars, such as West Nkosi, Elijah Nkwanyane, or Shadrack Piliso, would join the team on stage, sending audiences into a state of ecstasy with their brass talents. After a couple of instrumentals, one by one, the Queens glided onto the stage wearing customised Zulu outfits consisting of raffia dresses, white t-shirts or black brassieres, deniers, long and colourful Zulu beads round the neck, and bandanas, with afro hairstyles. Mahlathini would jump onto the stage wearing a similarly traditional costume: animal skins and an amended Zulu chief’s headwear with multicoloured feathers, and the music would reach an ultimate high. After a few numbers the Queens would change outfits to represent the shift from rural and traditional to urban and modern – chic striped trousers with fancy blouses, elegant necklaces, and afro hairpieces, sometimes covered by tasteful caps. Mahlathini was dressed-to-kill in a stylish sixties shirt, patterned trousers, gold necklace, and smart shoes. During the second half of the concert – at which point the audience was uncontrollable – the rhythm would slow down, with each of the Queens styled up individually in long, evening dresses and Mahlathini in his best suit and tie; and then, at the very end of the show, the emotional atmosphere would turn from poignancy into a massive celebration with a big finale. The music would entertain, excite, shock and even reduce some to tears. “You know, we even had heavily pregnant women in the audience, they refused to leave the show until they had seen us perform!”, as Hilda Tloubatla remembers.

The legendary concert appearances by Mahlathini and the Queens as depicted in a shot from 1967. Left to right: Thandi Radebe, Olive Masinga, Mahlathini, Thandi Kheswa, Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Shawe

The exciting times were depicted many a time in Drum magazine. Here is an excerpt from a 1967 piece on the Mahotella Queens that describes the euphoria perfectly: Simon Nkabinde, Juliet Mazamisa, Faith Mangxola, Windy Sibeko, and Julia Yende. Not a day passes without the Mahotella Queens being heard on the radio. A Soweto party without the sexy troupe’s records being played is unthinkable. But to most people the Queens are faceless voices. Drum joined Juliet and her colleagues in their recording studio and on the township platform just to see what being a recording idol means. Any five year-old kid in the townships knows or has heard of Mahlathini, whose proper name is Simon Nkabinde. This rotund, gravel-voiced lad from Orlando East has sent Mbaqanga fans into frenzies with his famous ‘Sithunyiwe’ and ‘Uyawuzwa Umoya’ – two records that are selling like hot cakes. He is the only man in this group. Backing them are Marks Mankwane, on lead guitar, Wilfred Mosebi, drums, Joseph Makwela, bass guitar, and Vivian Ngubane, rhythm guitar. The first show we went to was a performance for school kids at the Orlando Stadium. The thousands of Soweto children went wild. Something happened at the Bantu Men’s Social Centre where hundreds of people could not get in. And when the Queens started swaying their hips in their latest dance, adults were turned into swooning teenagers.

Mahlathini rehearsing a number with the Mahotella Queens in 1967, in Gallo’s famous Johannesburg studios

The songs that appear in this special compilation were all originally recorded and released between 1964 and 1969 on Mavuthela’s “Motella”, “Gumba Gumba” and “Smanje Manje” labels, and come from my personal collection of records. However, an enormous thank you must go to Siemon Allen at flatinternational, who very generously contributed tracks 1, 3, 5, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 30 from his vast assortment of 78 rpm records. Check out the numerous interesting projects he is working on by visiting www.siemonallen.org.

Some of you may remember an earlier guest post I did for Matsuli about my ongoing discography and retrospective project on the Mahotella Queens last year (“Africa’s Greatest Jive”). This Mavuthela compilation, with any luck, provides a musical counterpart to the project, and hopefully quenches the thirst of those who have been searching for this music for a very long time. So much of it is now extremely hard to find and you’ll often see original 78 rpms, 45 rpms and LPs going for massive amounts of money on eBay. It is such a shame that most of the material in this compilation has been kept under lock and key in the Gallo Archives in Johannesburg – in fact, only a meagre seven tracks from this collection of thirty songs are from rereleased CDs, the rest are from records. One only hopes someone from Gallo stumbles across this post and is able to influence the big guys at the top into reissuing at least some of this music… but for now, let’s just enjoy what’s there to enjoy. Load this playlist onto your iTunes or your iPod and submerge yourself in the sound of the sixties – and if you know how to do jive Motella or jive Mgqashiyo, get jigging!

Nick Lotay
September 2009

MAVUTHELA - THE SOUND OF THE SIXTIES

Compiled by Nick Lotay
1. MOTHELLA – DIMA SISTERS (1964)*
2. THOKO – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1964)
3. ISINQAWUNQAWU – DIMA SISTERS (1964)*
4. JIVE MGQASHIYO – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1964)
5. LALELAKE! – ZEPH NKABINDE (1964)*
6. NGIKHALA NGIYA BALEKA – MTHUNZINI GIRLS (1966)
7. IZULU LIYA DUDUMA NO. 2 – MAKGONA TSOHLE BAND (1967)
8. JIVE MOJIKISA NO. 7 – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1966)*
9. BEAT BY BEAT – WEST NKOSI AND HIS ALTO SAX (1964)
10. MOPIE SPECIAL – UMKHIZE OMOANE (1967)
11. JIVE SMODERN JIVE – SHADRACK PILISO AND HIS BAND (1968)
12. MAJAZANA – ABAFANA BEZI MODERN (1966)*
13. KGWALE – SPOKES AND HIS GOLDEN SAX (1967)
14. PHENDUKA JIVE MGQASHIYO – JAZZ MANIKINIKI (1964)
15. INYONI YAMI – WEST NKOSI AND HIS ALTO SAX (1965)
16. MAFELO – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1966)*
17. UJOMELA – MAKGONA TSOHLE BAND (1969)
18. TO WHOM IT CONCERNS – MARKS MANKWANE AND HIS BAND (1965)
19. SITHUNYIWE THOKOZILE NO. 3 – IZINTOMBI ZOMGQASHIYO (1967)
20. UMOYA NO. 3 – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1966)*
21. SGUB KHWELA JIVE – ABAFANA BE MVUNGE (1967)
22. MARKS SPECIAL – MARKS MANKWANE AND HIS BAND (1969)
23. MOTSOALA – IZINGANE ZO MGQASHIYO (1969)
24. SEA WATER – MTABHANE NDIMA (1969)
25. LILIZELA – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1969)
26. JABULANI MABUNGU – IZINTOMBI ZOMGQASHIYO (1967)
27. KHUPA MARAMA NO. 5 – MARKS MANKWANE AND DI-ABAFANA (1967)
28. DIKGOMO – MAHOTELLA QUEENS (1967)
29. UP AND DOWN – MARKS MANKWANE AND HIS BAND (1969)
30. STAMKARI – ZEPH NKABINDE (1964)*
*courtesy of Siemon Allen at flatinternational
LINK

A final word of thanks from me to Nick for sharing these treasures with all those good people that frequent this site. Now I'd like to see the gents at electricjive match this!

Dread, Beat and Punk inna Parktown

2009-08-31T20:55:00.001+01:00

The earliest line-up of National Wake including Paul Giraud and Mike Lebese
Michael LBS - its an LP that was on my wants list for over 20 years. More memorable than the music is the reflection it throws on the early eighties in Jo'burg, South Africa. And it's a stepping stone of sorts, marking a place on the musical landscape between the afropunk of National Wake, the conscious afro-jazz sounds of groups like Tou, Afrika and the Malopoets and the Soweto reggae bands Splash and Dread Warriors. Michael Lebese made this LP but never took the band or songs live. A number of the songs (Corner House, Going Away, and Sitting on the Beat) were composed by National Wake, a band that Michael started out in with Ivan Kadey. For more on National Wake check my old posting on the band and the times. There is a great audio documentary on National Wake here as well as further detail at the Facebook site Ivan has set up.

Michael Lebese
I've always had it in my head that Michael chose to give himself the moniker LBS after LKJ. Note the Tapper Zukie LP on the cover. There was even a record store in Jo'burg called Vinyl Jah-nkies. But the true story of pre-Lucky Dube reggae in South Africa is for another time.

Michael LBS - Greetings From Africa (RRC 2246, 1981)
1. Standing in the Sun
2. We Make it Happen
3. Alexander
4. Sitting on the Beat
5. Cornerhouse Stone
6. Africa's Request
7. Do You Leave Us So
8. Feel In Love
9. Going Away
Produced by Herbert, engineered by Phil Audiore and Graham Handley at Satbel
Band The Stars, all composed, mixed and arranged by Michael Lebese
Thanks Punka Gerald and Ivan Kadi K.O., cover by Dan Roberts
LINK

Groovin' Again

2009-08-23T15:47:00.007+01:00

Back and in the groove again! Picked up the CD re-issue of the first proper Thomas Mapfumo LP, Hokoyo which was put out earlier this year by Water. Great to have it back on the shelves but they should have asked around for a decent copy of the LP to get a better transfer. The vinyl imperfections are too a little too noticeable on the CD and don't add any value or authenticity. What a pity as this deserves a lot more respect.

My all time favourite men's harmony group from South Africa, the Manhattan Brothers with Mbombela. I found this as a Danish single pressing with the recording coming from the US-released LP Out of Africa Always Something New. Sterns put out a brilliant compilation some years back. Seek it out here. There a lot about them on the web but this link has some nice pics.

Finally and confusing for some...this is not the Hugh Masekela version of the Letta Mbulu UK jazz dance hit What is Wrong with Groovin'. I couldn't get the turntable up and running today because I was trying to sort out a DVD of the series Fishing with John. Anyway, instead its Aredze from Letta Mbulu, a killer dancefloor track. I seriously suggest making a visit to Electricjive who continue to drop all killer, no filler South African selections.

Just when is the sabbatical?

2009-08-06T11:43:00.002+01:00

Thank goodness. I am taking two weeks off! So happy holidays. In the meantime check out this incredible South African blog "ELECTRICJIVE" that has just dropped some rare grooves from Hugh Masekela, Harari and Barney Rachabane.

Keep the spear burning!

"The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents, but usually refer to one of the following activities or events:
Official or unofficial observances of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations or festivities
- A general leave of absence from a regular occupation for rest or recreation
- A specific trip or journey for the purposes of recreation or tourism
People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacation or holidays are often used spent with friends or family.
A person may take a longer break from work, such as a sabbatical, gap year, or career break." (from WIKI)

Friday night Ikeja dash

2009-08-04T12:05:00.008+01:00

At the tail end of my whirlwind Nigerian trip I arrived back from Abuja to the Lagos hotel on Friday at around 4pm wondering what to do with my free time before flying back to London on Saturday morning. I mentioned the location of a record store I wanted to visit to my work colleague who advised me that it would take far too long to get to Ikeja and that it would be unsafe. I knew about the traffic out of VI to Ikeja but wasn't about to give up a chance to go to the original location of Fela Kuti's Kalakuta Republic and the Fela Music Library. Consulting with the hotel staff about the location and with drivers proved less than promising before I negotiated a deal with one of the drivers who was confident that staff at the Sheraton in Ikeja would know. There were some lost in translation moments..."The Fela Store" becoming "Fela's compund" and similar but eventually after 3 hours from VI to Ikeja we located the TriAngle chicken restaurant and then moved slowly towards the Ikeja bus-stop asking as we drove. The driver was worried about his taxi and I was insistent about not turning back after having come this far. Eventually we located a shoe repairman who confirmed the alley where the store was and with success in front of us we headed off down a dark alleyway. Then we found the store. Mr T wasn't in and his generator wasn't working but plenty of original Fela LPs on sale in various conditions.

Thursday night in Abuja at the Hilton, hotel band playing covers and this and that...took a request from me for Sweet Mother, good to see it liven up the area...then later Don Bruce (Abuja's self styled James Brown) took us through the Staple SIngers "I'll take you there", James Brown's "Licking Stick" and then some dodgy versions of Rivers of Babylon and No Woman No Cry...by then time to bail out.

Lagos No Dashing

2009-07-25T16:00:00.004+01:00

On the road again...Dubai-Manama-Lagos-Abuja and no dashing please...thanks for all the positive shout outs and encouragement. Lots of requests for re-upping old content. Just need to find a way of prioritising three and a half years of posts. Any ideas?

Hugo Mendez's Tropical Fiesta!

2009-07-22T14:41:00.005+01:00

My impression of the Nascente label changed when they started to commission some of the best DJs and subject matter experts for some of their CD compilations. Which means that they now issue some compilations that typically only smaller boutique labels would put out. A case in point is their "Funk Experience" series which has seen the following brilliant sets: NuYorican Funk Experience, Brazilian Funk Experience, more recently the Cuban Funk Experience set from John Armstrong and now the Tropical Funk Experience curated by Hugo Mendez.

The current Hugo Mendez set includes rare tracks and sought after classics that trade hands for absurd amounts on eBay and elsewhere. Out now and highly recommended. Available at Dusty Groove and other good dealers.

Hugo and the Sofrito crew have also been busy with some 12" specials issued in small runs and only on vinyl (until compiled elsewhere!). To listen and for more details go to the Sofrito site here.

The Last Bushman of Montagu

2009-07-21T22:10:00.003+01:00

I was lucky enough to go to this performance in London last night. Highly recommended. Here's the blurb: "David Kramer's Koos Sas tells the story of the notorious and infamous Khoisan, Koos Sas who was accused of murdering a shopkeeper in Montagu, South Africa in 1917. In this musical work, Kramer re-imagines Koos Sas as a rebellious hero a thorn in the side of the farmers and the state who refused to accept that the veld where his ancestors had lived for thousands of years could belong to anyone. Shot as an outlaw, he was the last of what the authorities considered to be bushmen robbers of the previous century. It is a love story played out against the background of racism and subjugation, in a time when European trade in human remains was commonplace." Until 1 August. To book call 020 7328 1000 or visit http://www.tricycle.co.uk

Summertime!

2009-07-19T21:57:00.003+01:00

I hope this summertime mix finds you well. I'm reaching the point where I need some encouragement to keep on blogging. So please some shout outs! The exciting stuff I've been hinting about is taking time to materialise and so many other things have just had to take priority. Enjoy!
Matsulidelic Summer Mix - Selected by Matt
1. New Morning - Quantic And His Combo Barbaro (Tradition In Transition, 2009)
2. Nao Vou Chorar - Os Diagonais (Black Rio 2, 2009 compilation )
3. Ephra - The Budos Band (The Budos Band EP, 2009)
4. Get it on with music - Zane Cronje (Glenda - Snake Dancer OST, 2009 reissue)
5. Blue Skies - Noah And The Whale (from TSURURADIO Presents... I'm Coming Home Mixtape!!!, 2009)
6. Deeper in Black - Lionel Pillay (Deeper in Black, 1981)
7. Tambourinis Cocktail - Keletigui Et Ses Tambourines (The Syliphone Years , 2009 compilation)
8. Heritage Ya Luambo - Syran Mbenza & Ensemble Rumba Kongo (Immortal Franco: Africa’s Unrivalled Guitar Legend, 2009)
9. My World Is Empty Without You - Lee Fields & The Expressions (My World, 2009)
10. Hakilimaya - Horoya Band National (cassette from Conakry, undated)
11. Balla- Ambassadeur International (Mandjou, 1979)
12. Peru-t - Jazz Corps featuring Roland Kirk (The Jazz corps featuring Roland Kirk, 1966)
13. Fluorescent Half-Dome - Dirty Projectors (Bitte Orca, 2009)
14. Go Go's Feast - Peter King (Shango, 1974)
15. Alyo - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (10", 2009)
16. Shipbuilding - Yael Naďm (Around Robert Wyatt, 2009)
17. Ain't No Sunshine - The Soul Fantastics (Panama! 2, 2009 compilation)
18. Antenna - Sonic Youth (The Eternal, 2009)
19. Muato Wa N'gingila (Angola) - Teta Lando (Cazumbi - African Sixties Garage Vol. 1, 2008 compilation)
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Hot in Dar!

2009-07-12T12:02:00.002+01:00

Can't wait to hear this new release from Buda Musique. In the meantime I've been playing Quantic's latest excursion into tropical sounds - Tradition in Transition - alongside the new Black Rio 2 compilation and Stern's magnificent Keletigui Et Ses Tambourine. Very soon I will have a whole lot more news with some exciting developments for African jazz fans.

Mzansi postcard - blow that vuvuzela whiteboy!

2009-07-01T16:17:00.004+01:00

Sore lips and plenty of noise. Bafana Bafana holding Brazil til the dying minutes (0-1). Then almost taking Spain in the playoff for 3rd place (2-3).
A vuvuzela, sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Setswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn, approximately one metre in length, commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. The origin of the name is disputed. It may originate from the Zulu for "making noise," from the "vuvu" sound it makes, or from township slang related to the word for "shower.[WIKIpedia]

Heading South

2009-06-21T22:52:00.006+01:00

I'm headed South this Tuesday and midst my day-job, catching up with friends and family and some record digging I've also managed to score tickets (thanks Hilton!) to see Bafana Banfana play in the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup this Thursday in Jo'burg. It seems like a stroke of good timing and good fortune.

Dressed to Kill

2009-06-16T16:43:00.002+01:00

FULL SHOW

TETE MEETS DUKU AT THE BLUE BERRY

2009-06-13T13:54:00.008+01:00

Here's a real treat for South African jazz fans. Tete Mbambisa and Duku Makasi in this 1969 studio recording. Very rarely seen on eBay and mostly only gathering dust on collectors shelves. Enjoy!
It's hardly news anymore that Cape musicians are the best in the Republic of South Africa. It goes without saying that they are still the originals from who almost every group draws more inspiriation. Still it may help silence the jazz diehards who have been doing the 'Cape artists are not that great bit' all year. In this disc they have come out with a very impresive package that will knock you out. The title tune Inhlupheko (Distress) a ditty that wraps around you with infiinite sadness was born at the 'Blue Berry', home of iimpressario Ray Nkwe and Soweto's jazz workshop where entertainers meet to share ideas and knock tunes into shape. It happened during the festive season in 1968. Four gawky figures, their limbs ached and their faces were masks of dejection. They were from Port Elizabeth and had come to the Golden City to perform at shows. The concerts were financial flops and the four musicians were left stranded. When they finally reached the Blue Berry their lonely desperation flooded into Rays heart and he fed the four hungry men. With their tummies full the four jazzmen controbuted towards a drink work fifty cents and it gurgled happily down their throats.They picked up their instruments and started to blow. They blew into the night and temporarily forgot their distress. Thats how Inhupeko was born. The composer of the song, Duku Makasi has been called the new tenor-sax voice of 1969 and this recording proves he is also the sound of '69. He has that hard core of progressive jazz and tears up with a fine rhythm backing of Tete Mbambisa on piano, drummer Mafufu Jama and the thudding bass of "Big T"Ntshele. The other tunes on this LP record illustrates the group's fine voice. And the musical mind behind the success story of the Soul Jazzmen is Duku Makasi. Just one more treat for jazz fans. (From the original liner notes)

THE SOUL JAZZMEN - INHLUPEKO (City Special, CYL1000, 1969)
1. Inhlupeko
2. Relaxin'
3. Mr Mecca
4. How Old is the World
5. Love For Sale
6. Dollar the Great
The Soul Jazzmen: Tete Mbambisa (Piano), Duku Makasi (Tenor Sax), Psch "Big T" Ntsele (Bass) and Mafufu Jama (Drums)
Recorded 6th January 1969. Produced by Ray Nkwe. Cover photos by Alf Khumalo
LINK

Gemini Rising (Again!)

2009-06-07T12:52:00.002+01:00

I've been away for a week taking in the sights, sounds and hotel interiors of Washington DC. 3000 plus buyers and sellers from telecommunications companies around the world gather at the International Telecoms Week for three days of meeting madness. I had a day off on Sunday when I walked to the White House and past the various monuments and museums before taking myself off to Som Music and Red Onion Records to look for vinyl artifacts. I picked up the Ofege reissue as well as an early Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and a Sipho Mabuse LP. Pretty slim pickings but it was a nice way to pass the day midst the strong sunshine.
In the meantime and between time I've been gathering some of the stronger tunes from new music issues over the last couple of months and I've put them into the following podcast which I hope you enjoy. The link for a direct download is at the bottom or you can subscribe into itunes by using the button on the left. I'm also listed in the iTunes store at this address: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=317148269
Update (Sunday 7 June: Apologies for the audio quality on the podcasts but I don't have a lot of bandwidth to burn. Instead I will be providing a higher quality file (160kbps VBR or thereabouts) as a direct download.

GEMINI RADAR
1. Secret Agent - Tony Allen
2. Live From Tigre Lounge - Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics
3. Invisible Cities - NOMO
4. floating orange - Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu
5. Gimakiny Akia - Extra golden
6. Kamu Telyat - Group Bombino
7. The Fall Of Seven Diamonds Plus One - Tortoise
8. Diaraby Magni - Vieux Farka Touré
9. Happy Tibetan Girl - Jah Wobble and the Chinese Dub Orchestra
10. Neh Yelginete (My First Love) - Dub Colossus
11. Je t'aime - Staff Benda Bilili
12. Lima-Paris - RadioKijada
13. Maybe So, Maybe No - Mayer Hawthorne
14. Protect Ya Neck - El Michels Affair
15. T.I.A - K'naan
D/L LINK (173kbps VBR)

Refreshed and Rejuiced!

2009-05-19T17:19:00.004+01:00

I spent some time on the www.matsulimusic.com website adding in a discographies section (Malombo, Batsumi and As-shams label so far). I've enabled comments in a blog style so please all your snippets and stories please. You'll also see a jukebox section where I put all the relevant podcasts from the podomatic site. Unfortunately my podcasts have been too popular and I ran out of bandwidth over there which is why I'm testing them via the DOT COM site. You can subscribe via the following RSS link or by clicking on the button on the sidebar at left.

Malako Disco Original

2009-05-15T07:33:00.007+01:00

This morning I received the publicity flier for Samba Mapangala's upcoming live shows (see below). By co-incidence I was looking for some of his early material with Les Kinois following a discussion with Stefan at World Service. After some trawling through the digital archives I came across two albums both of which were passed on to me from a visitor to the Melodica Record Store in Nairobi. The album I'm sharing with you today was labelled Malako Disco Original and despite the annoying crowd applause tacked on contains some of the songs that would make their way onto Samba Mapangala's break-through LP from 1982 "Its Disco-Time". Check this post for the history of that record.

Background from myspace/sambamapangala :
Born in Matadi, Congo, Samba Mapangala moved to Kinshasa in the early 1970s, to pursue his secondary education. Inspired by legendary Congolese vocalists Tabu Ley Rochereau and Soki Dianzenza, it was there that Samba began his singing career.
Samba’s early years included stints in the groups Bariza, Super Bella Bella and Super Tukina. It was while touring in Eastern Congo in 1975 that Samba and other musicians separated from Bikassy Bijos’ Orchestra Saka Saka. Recruited by a Ugandan promoter, Samba and his comrades set up camp in Kampala. There, they formed Les Kinois, with Samba as lead vocalist. In 1977, Les Kinois shifted their base to Nairobi, where they made their first recordings on 7” vinyl with Melodica Records. Hits like the original Malako, Sunday, Christmas and Sigana Mar Anyango rang out over the airwaves.

Les Kinois gave way to Orchestra Virunga in 1981, with Samba as bandleader and lead vocalist. 1982 saw the release of the “Disco Time” LP, which included Malako Disco, Virunga and other hits. Released internationally as “Virunga Volcano”, this album has been recognized in “World Music: 100 Essential CDs” by Simon Broughton.

Malako Disco Original - Samba Mapangala & Orchestre Les Kinois (Melodica CDr)
1. Malako
2. Mwana Mboka
3. Christmas
4. Sunday
5. Mpenzi Rudi
6. Safari
pw=samba

Samba Mapangala & Virunga Live on Tour 2009:
June 20: Kennedy Center, Washington DC, UN World Refugee Day 6 p.m.
July 9: Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA
July 10: Midsummer Night Swing, Lincoln Center, NYC
July 11: Nyati Lounge, 543 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Jersey City, NJ
August: European tour, details to be announced
October 9-10: Richmond Folk Festival, Richmond VA

Empowering Afro Funk

2009-05-09T08:23:00.003+01:00

The Sofrito crew have put together a very special evening of Afro Funk at the Empowering Church in Dalston on Saturday 23rd May! So far the line includes:
KARL HECTOR AND THE MALCOUNS (LIVE)
NOSTALGIA 77/THE SKELETON (LIVE)
SOFRITO COMBO
HUGO MENDEZ & FRANKIE FRANCIS
PLUS GUESTS
MILES CLERET (SOUNDWAY)
THE MIGHTY CRIME MINISTER
HOSTED BY
MC KWASI
9:30 TIL VERY LATE – FIRST BAND ON AT 10:30

Karl Hector and the Malcouns have been described as “Afrodelic Kraut Funk from the minds behind the Poets of Rhythm and the Whitefield Brothers.” Headed by the mysterious Karl Hector – erstwhile leader of the Funk Pilots project – and aided by Poets of Rhythm/Whitefield Brothers guitarist Jan Whitefield alongside Thomas Myland and Zdenko Curlija (founders of the Malcouns), the band take a trip through heavy psychedelic Afro Funk, taking in melodies from Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Their album Sahara Swing came out on Stones Throw/Now Again last year but their sizzling live show has never been seen in the UK - the 23rd May is their first UK appearance!

The Skeleton is a new Nostalgia 77 project and to top it all off the Sofrito DJs Hugo Mendez and Frankie Francis will be playing the best in Hot Tropical Rhythms, with special guest Miles Cleret (Soundway), the Mighty Crime Minister and MC Kwasi to complete a night of Tropical fun!

Tickets are £15 – advance tickets ONLY. Tickets from Sounds of the Universe in Soho (plus £1 booking fee) and Honest Jons (Ladbroke Grove), as well as by email (discos.sofrito@gmail.com/.

See you there!

Just Five Tunes (Live in London)

2009-05-05T06:18:00.004+01:00

SOUND OF THE WORLD DJ RELAY 7 this THURSDAY 7th MAY - FREE!
With yours truly for just 15 minutes of DJ fame at 8.30 [EDIT: MAKE THAT 11:30] and a special live performance from West African blues master LAYE SOW

Chilli Fried invites you down to the Sound of the World DJ Relay offering those on the Chilli Fried mailing list and contributors to Charlie Gillett's Sound of the World website (www.soundoftheworld.com) the chance to show off their skill behind the decks with short DJ sets. Everyone, from well known DJs, broadcasters and journalists to fresh faced first timers, get a quarter of an hour to play their selection of whatever they like and try to fill the floor.

There’ll be a special live set from Senegalese bluesman Laye Sow. A highly accomplished singer and guitarist from the North of the country (the region many consider to be the original birthplace of the sound that became the blues), Laye is a charismatic performer and an old friend of Chilli Fried, having performed at one of our early sessions. Tonight he’ll be previewing tracks from his forthcoming album, accompanied by guitar and calabash.

Come and join this FREE party and expect the unexpected.

Chilli Fried North, 8 PM – 12 AM, Thursday 7th May 2009 at Darbucka, 182 St John Street, London, EC1V 4JZ

SANGO SPECIAL! HIT PARADE EAST AFRICA

2009-05-01T22:05:00.009+01:00

A mix of classic East African rumba from the vaults. Alastair Johnston from Muzikifan provides the context: "The 1970s through mid-80s was the era of Congolese expatriate bands in Nairobi: groups like Boma Liwanza of Shango Lola, Les Kinois of Samba Mapangala, Super Mazembe of Longwa Didos, and Les Mangelepa of Bwammy wa Lumwona (who had come East with Baba Gaston and Baba National). Those from North-East Congo came to Kampala, Uganda; those from Shaba in the South came to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, but sooner or later they headed to Nairobi for the recording studios there. In 1985 the Kenyan government under Daniel Arap Moi cracked down on expatriate bands and groups like Les Mangelepa were forced to leave or disband."
Tracklisting for the mix is over at matsulimusic.podomatic.com
DOWNLOAD MIX

If you like what you hear then you will be pleased to know that there are a limited number of these featured Sango singles still available to buy. For just £40 including worldwide postage you get any five of the following titles:
ARTIST :: TITLE :: LABEL :: CATELOGUE NO :: DATE
Orch. Les Mangelepa :: Dracula pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: ASL 7-2250 :: 1980
Orch Baba National :: Assana-Nela pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: ASL 7-2254 :: 1980
Orch. Viva Makale (Alimasi) :: Akamba pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: ASL 7-2256 :: 1980
Orch. Pepelepe :: Baleki Nzela pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: ASL 7-3380 :: 1980
Kabras Boys Band :: Khwanyola Hasara /Dinah Nanyama :: SANGO :: PA 7-7219 :: 1980
Okamm Stars Band :: Jinfa Dumbe / George Ambuche :: SANGO :: PA 7-7220 :: 1980
Orch. Simba Wanyika :: Daina pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 426 :: 1980
Maroon Commandos :: Charonyi Ni Wasi pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 434 :: 1980
Soloist National:-L'Orch. Super Volcano :: Hayati Ndugu Sembuli :: SANGO :: POL 435 :: 1980
Orch. Les Wanyika :: Pamela pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 437 :: 1980
Maroon Commandos :: Wacheza Na Maroon pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 438 :: 1980
Simba Wanyika :: Mary Tuyamalize pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 439 :: 1980
Mlimani Park Orchestra :: Maudhi Y aKila Siku pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 444 :: 1980
Them Mushrooms Band :: Mombasa /Kenya Hakuna Matata :: SANGO :: POL 446 :: 1980
Orch. Les Wanyika :: Kwanza Jiulize pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: POL 447 :: 1980
Orch. Les Wanyika :: Paulina pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: SAN 21 :: 1979
Orch. Super Volcano :: Shida pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: SAN 23 :: 1979
Maroon Commandos :: Maona Kijicho pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: SAN 24 :: 1979
Orch Les Noirs :: Mayaka pts 1 & 2 :: SANGO :: SAN 26 :: 1979

Strictly first come first served. To order please CONTACT me or visit www.matsulimusic.com

Moving Along with Batsumi

2009-04-26T13:36:00.011+01:00

What better way to celebrate South Africa's vibrant democracy than to reveal one of the holy grails of South African spiritual jazz - Batsumi. Contemporaries of Malombo, the Dashiki Poets and other conscious African artists, Batsumi fused jazz, African drums, poetry and words delivering a powerful fusion that was in itself an expression of freedom from physical and mental chains. I've compiled what little information is available on the group without in-depth primary research. There appear to have been just two original LPs along with one reissue. The sleeve notes for the second LP mention a third LP which I've not been able to track down. In 1982 an LP under the band name Marumo and titled Modiehi (Spade, 1982) included some members of Batsumi. There is also a catelogue number on the Stax label (Stax 5517) which appears to have been allocated to the first Batsumi LP. If you have any further information then please post a comment or contact me. Thanks and enjoy.

BATSUMI (RTL 4041, 1974)
Produced by Baba Matiwane. Cover illustration by Zulu Bidi.
1. Lishonile
2. Emampondweni
3. Mamshanyana
4. Itmuleng
5. Anishilabi
Musicians: Thabang Masemola (Flute & Jew Harp), Themba Koyana (Tenor Sax), Buta-Buta Zwane (Vocal and Bongos), Maswaswe Mothopeng (Vocal and Guitar), Sello Mothopeng (Organ), Thabang Masemola (Batsumi Drums), Lekgabe Maleka (Drums), Zulu Bidi (Double Bass)

MOVING ALONG (RTL 4100, 1976)
Produced by Batsumi
1. Toi-Toi
2. Moving Along
3. Evil Spirits
4. Sister
Sleeve notes:
From their inception in 1972 Batsumi were in search for new indigenous sounds and in 1974 they cut their first disc BATSUMI, popularly called BATSUMI SOUND by their fans. MOVING ALONG consists mainly of familiar SOUNDS to prepare the many fans for BATSUMI's third Album which will revel in rapturous indigenous sounds BATSUMI caught in their quest. Al the songs on this Album are composed and arranged jointly by the Group. Buta-Buta is the main vocalist, blind Minesh Sibiya plays bongos and sings Toi-Toi. Adel Maleka who is the leader of the group, is the percussionist and plays drums. John Maswaswe Mothopeng the blind pianist also plays acoustic guitar. All these are founder members who for the first four years have been engaged in hunting for new sounds. Also feature din this Aldum as session men are the three former Batsumi members, Zulu Bidi, Temba Koyana and Sello Mothopeng, and two other musicians Peter Segona, a trumpeter and Sipho Mabuse, a flutist.

BATSUMI (DJR 1053, 1977)
Compilation of tracks from the first two LPS.
1. Itumeleng
2. Lishonile
3. Mam Shanyana
4. Moving Along
5. Evil Spirits

EXCLUSIVE SAMPLE: Batsumi - Iyaho from the 1974 Soweto Jazz Festival
For further information and exploration:
A personal recollection from Keith Addison here.
Lefifi Tladi and the Dashiki Poets, words and recollections from David Marks at 3rdEar here

Many thanks to Siemon, Rashid, Francis, Keith and David for information, LPs, PDFs and more!

Until next Friday - 10 Jive Singles PLUS TEE for £60

2009-04-17T09:46:00.028+01:00

Thank you for all the support and orders I've received for the singles and t-shirts. If you still want the As-shams t-shirt you have just a week to place your order! And for this next week ONLY you can get the t-shirt at a reduced price of £10 when you buy the Get 10 Classic singles pack. Thats a total of £60 for ten classic jive singles from the seventies along with an exclusive t-shirt design of the legendary As-shams jazz label run by Rashid Vally.

Afrofunking London - the Samy Effect

2009-04-14T23:37:00.005+01:00

London DJ Debut of Samy Ben Redjeb (ANALOG AFRICA)
 Friday, 17 April, 9pm till very late @ The Empowering Church (Passing Clouds II), 3 Richmond Road, Dalston, London E8 3HY
£7 before 11pm, £10 after  

Samy Ben Redjeb, Frankfurt's favourite crate-diggin Afro-Beat aficionado heads to London for his UK debut. He will be playing an exclusive set from his legendary vinyl collection which will include finds from a recent 3 month trip to Africa. Of course tracks from Samy's acclaimed Analog Africa label releases, such as tracks from the 'African Scream Contest' and 'The Vodoun Effect' compilations, and sneak previews of the soon-to-be-released 'Legends of Benin (Afro-Funk - Cavacha - Agbadja - Afro-Beat)' collection, will be included, too. 

See you there!

Hey Bra

2009-04-09T19:26:00.002+01:00

Another rare LP with a hot dose of instrumental jive led by Bra Sello, a popular sax jive artist. He appeared alongside vocal artists such as Mahlathini in a number of revue shows in mid seventies and cut a number of singles on the CBS label. This compilation collects these sides together with other tunes from artists on the CBS label.

You can buy an original unplayed single of Bra Sello in our vinyl offer....the tune Sajika Isitmela/Back to 80s on the King label from 1976 is available for purchase. In the meantime enjoy this LP

Bra Sello with Abafana Bentuthuko Vol 1 (CBS LAB4006, c1972)
01 16-0-16 :: Bra Sello
02 Tycoons No 8 :: Bra Sello
03 Mr Music :: The Big Four
04 Can't Be Still No 2 :: CBS Al Stars
05 15-0-15 :: Bra Sello
06 Thashi Thashi :: The Big Four
07 17-0-17 :: Bra Sello
08 Down Town :: Bra Sello
09 Mthembu Nonzimande :: Abafana Bentuthuko
10 Siyanyawuka Nzimande :: Bra Sello
11 Boom Straat :: The Big Four
12 Jive Aerican Jive No 1 :: Bra Sello
LISTEN

Sgt Katapuwa's Jukebox Jive Vol 1

2009-04-09T15:31:00.002+01:00

To whet your appetite for the warehouse of singles that are now for sale via the matsulimusic.com website the matsuli team have put together a sampler of the South African jive 45s. We refer to our stock as Sgt Katapuwa's vault after the title of one single became ingrained in our heads. ENJOY!

Sgt Katapuwa’s Jukebox Jive Vol. 1
01. Mokena - The Soweto Boys
02. Ubani Ongasebenzela Amahala - Us'gebengu & Mo Mogilogilo
03. Freeday Jive - Soweto Boys
04. Uthintobani - Abafana Be Nala
05. E-Goli - Mdonseni and the Queens
06. Umam Uyejabula - Mahlabatini and the Jive Kings
07. Baya Ngi Hlega - Mahlatini Girls
08. Matubatuba No 2 - Sakies Big Five
09. Umculo Ujulile - Shebeleza & Natal Queens
10. Mohlankana - John Moriri and Manzini Girls
11. Lepae Laka - The Queens
12. HA! He! - The Naledi Boys
13. Umbhalane - Amaqhawe and the Freeway Boys
14. Zola Jive - Abafana Be Concorde
15. U'mlazi Special - Good Boys
16. Kudala Besibiza - Indoda Mahlatini & Mahlatini Band
17. Amagoduka - Indoda Mahlatini
18. Howick Station - The Jive Kings
19. Richards Bay Freeway - Sakies Big Five
20. Bump Inn - John Mkabela Abafana Bentokozo
21. Sikiza No 2 - Good Boys
22. Unaimbe - The Zaireans
23. Thula Mtanami - Us'Gebengu & Mo Magilogilo
Selected by Chris A from original 1970s vinyl 45s on the Soweto, Groove, Oshisayo and Mabob City labels.
DOWNLOAD or LISTEN

On Sale Now!

2009-04-09T01:24:00.000+01:00

After many months of ground work and preparation I am very happy to announce the availability of two very special and exclusive offerings from matsulimusic.

The first of these is the chance to purchase original unplayed (and dusty) South African jive 45s. Two options here:
TAKE FIVE (5) - Pick your own five from the limited (or general) stock lists
GET TEN (10) - We pick a random selection from the general stock list.
And thats not all - we will also send you an exclusive link to a set of tunes from the vaults.
ORDER DETAILS

The second of these exclusive offerings is the chance to buy an officially licensed As-shams (Sun) t-shirt. Rashid Vally's As-shams record label was home to Jazz musicians, poets, artists and free-spirits whose creative output articulated a world beyond the brutality of Apartheid. Many of the seminal works of South African jazz including Abdullah Ibrahim's Mannenberg first appeared on this label. It was given its name by Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) and the logo was designed by Abdul Kader Ali (AK). This is a limited on-demand print-run. ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY FRIDAY 24 APRIL FOR AIRMAIL DELIVERY TO YOU BY FRIDAY 22 MAY.

ORDER DETAILS

Spirit of the People

2009-04-04T20:56:00.004+01:00

Once more to Zimbabwe and a legendary album that single handedly popularised mbira music in Southern Africa. This project was specially commissioned by Gramma Records on the first anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence. Ephat Mujuru's band Mudzimu waVanhu (Spirit of the People) included the late Thomas Wadharwa (sekuru) Gora, Forbes Gushungo, Martha Mujuru, Martha Tembo, Lovemore Chiripanyanga and Patrick Mberi. File next to Paul Berliner's field recording of Mhuri yekwa Rwizi's Soul of Mbira.

Ephat Mujuru & Spirit of the People - Mbira Music of Zimbabwe (ZML 1003, 1982)
Chipembere
Marenje
Guru Uswa
Ndoziva Ripi
Bangidza Ra Mutota
Muzazananda
Dangu Rangu
Nhema Musasa
ENJOY

Back in the Garage

2009-03-31T07:22:00.004+01:00

Whilst doing my usual trawl through the wonders of the web I stopped off at Other Music in New York and spotted this. Couldn't find anything about the label just a few bloggers that had already leaked it. Looks like a straight bootleg but interesting none the less.

This not an Afro Beat or Afro Rock compilation, the music on this record is strictly 60's garage! You probably always thought such countries, except South Africa, had nothing to contribute the 60's garage scene.....but seems our little world still has virgin places for the obscure garage 45s diggers before going to Mars!!! Here you have a surprising compilation of very, very rare tracks taken from 45s released in Congo, Angola, Mozambique and South Africa. Garage rock, garage surf, powerful 60's R&B... an amazing collection with groups such as H20 (Mozambique) who had even carton boxes among their instruments, a rare track by the A-Cads, the incredibly rare Kriptons from Angola, an Italian sung (!!!) great cover of the Prunes' "I had too much to dream" by Conjunto Oliveira Muge in Mozambique, the eerie French sung "Eh bien mon ami" by African Fiesta.

I'm not so sure about the rareness of some of these tracks (which I used for the African Rock and Roll 1&2 on African Serenades) but check it out.

Tracklist:
1 A-Cads - Down The Road
2 Dr. Nico - Save Me
3 Conjunto De Oliveira Muge - Sospesa Ad Un Filo
4 Gino Garrido - Baby I Love You
5 Impacto -Knock On Wood
6 Them - I Want To Be Rich Again
7 Os Kriptons - Billy Boom
8 Conjunto Night Stars - She Only Wants A Friend
9 Os Gambuzinos - Aida
10 Orchestre Veve - Venus
11 Os Rebeldes - Murder By Contract
12 John E. Sharp - Monkey Shine
13 African Fiesta - Eh Bien Mon Ami
14 Os Kriptons - Manga Madura
15 Invaders - No Money, No Honey
16 Os Rocks - Wish I May
17 Os Inflexos - Furtivo Olhar
18 Les Krakmen - Krakmen Twist
19 H2O - Riens Des Mots
20 Teta Lando - Muato Wa N'Ginjila
21 Os Gambuzinos – Kalumba (bonus track)
22 Os Inflexos - You're Much Too Proud (bonus track)
23 Os Rocks - I Put A Spell On You (bonus track)

African Serenades 01-11-50

2009-03-29T15:48:00.003+01:00

The African Serenades were as series of compilations compiled by a number of African music fans including myself. At one stage I even had a website with all the artwork and download links to the full series. The web sheriff closed that down and the compilations took on a life of their own via CDr swops, soulseek and private sharing. They remain one of the most asked after reloads from visitors to matsuli. So I've reloaded three of my contributions, including the very first which I have retitled Lights Down Low. Volume 11 is a selection of South African jazz and 50 includes a lot of fuzzy guitar sounds. All the tracks are numbered and artwork is included. Enjoy!
VOLUME 1 :: LIGHTS DOWN LOW
VOLUME 11 :: SOWETO CALLING
VOLUME 50 :: AFROPSYCEDELICDAZE