Profoundly South African

Tete Mbambisa :: Black Heroes (2012)

Calum — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:27 +0000

It’s an arresting image, the extreme close-up portrait that graces the cover of South African jazz legend Tete Mbambisa’s Black Heroes (2012), his sixth commercially released album. Insomuch as the frame, and by extension the recording, can barely contain the immensity of the subject, it is a fitting accompaniment to this raw and immediate solo piano set recorded at the University of Stellenbosch in August 2010.

The album’s charm lies in the unfettered composure of Mbambisa’s performances. Stripped arrangements dispense with ensemble, stage and spotlight and gather listeners around the piano with vocalisations and foot stomps adding intimacy and grit. Black Heroes pits nostalgia against the blues but it’s ultimately the redemptive power of music with soul that wins.

Black Heroes is produced by Jonathan Eato, curator of the JISA (Jazz in South Africa) Project, which aims “to develop a critical understanding of jazz in South Africa that is informed by the thinking of the musicians who make the music.” The album’s liner notes are lovingly assembled, featuring archive photography and a comprehensive discography. All rights to the compositions and recording are held by Bra Tete and all revenue from CD sales goes directly to him. Buy the album direct from JISA (via PayPal) here.

Clicks:

Tete Mbambisa Discography
Listen: Black Heroes Album Extracts

Tete Mbambisa at the Black Heroes album launch in Cape Town
22 April 2012 | UCT College of Music | Photo: Calum MacNaughton

Bruce Langhorne :: Tambourine Man (2011)

Calum — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:00:48 +0000

“Back there was something ELSE!” writes Bob Dylan in a 2004 handwritten note reproduced on the inner sleeve of Bruce Langhorne’s 2011 solo release Tambourine Man. “Like they say,” Dylan continues, “it was better to be in chains with friends than in a garden with strangers.”

The “back there” of Dylan’s message refers to New York in the 1960s, where Langhorne forged a reputation as one of the most important session guitarists of the emerging folk-rock scene. Toting a Turkish frame drum around the studio, he inspired the song “Mr. Tambourine Man” and features prominently throughout Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home (1965). “Friends” included the likes of Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Peter LaFarge, Odetta, Buffy Sainte-Marie and even Hugh Masekela. Check the credits for Bra Hugh’s signature 1968 single “Grazing in the Grass” and you’ll find Bruce Langhorne on guitar.

Although he composed film scores in the 70s and 80s, Tambourine Man is essentially Bruce Langhorne’s first solo album in a fifty year recording career. It’s an eclectic set that reflects a myriad of world influences traversing Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s also laced with the kind of devilish humour that could only come from a man who invented an African Hot Pepper Sauce! Be sure to check out Langhorne’s slow maskanda treatment of “Mary Had a Little Lamb“ (replete with slide bass, spoken word bridge and blues harp in lieu of accordion). The album is available on Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby and BruceLanghorne.com. Big up to George Madaraz and Debbie Green of George-Green Studios for producing and many thanks to Maureen Nathan (who attended the CD launch in the US) for bringing an autographed copy back to Cape Town!

A friend of the Tambourine Man and a champion of South African music, Maureen Nathan watched Mama Goema with Bruce Langhorne in Los Angeles. Bruce sent this wonderful message back to the Goema Orchestra:

“Clothe the Naked
Feed the Poor
Keep on Playing Together”

Mama Goema :: Spine Road High School

Calum — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:51 +0000

There’s nothing like getting to watch a film at school! 136 Grade 10s at Spine Road High in Mitchells Plain got to kick back and enjoy Mama Goema at their Tuesday morning assembley after the Freedom Day long weekend. There was, naturally, a pedagogical spin to the screening as learners were encouraged to consider Cape Town’s ever-growing film industry as a potential career choice. Moreover, the learners were reminded that they don’t have to look any further than their own communities to tell compelling stories that the rest of the world wants to hear. And they also missed 10 minutes of Maths (sorry teachers)! More pics and some feedback from the learners after the jump.

“The movie was quite interesting. There were various types of intruments and that was gevaarlik.”

“The movie did rock! I learnt about all the different instruments and how musicians act funny.”

Neo Muyanga :: The Flower of Shembe | May 2012

Calum — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:58 +0000

In 2010, the producers of Mama Goema accosted a perambulating Neo Muyanga on Bree Street and conducted an impromptu interview with him in a nearby boutique. The ensuing conversation provided insight into how migrations and trade routes can be traced globally through rhythms. In the case of the goema, 16th century Portuguese trade routes linked rhythms on the Garden Route of South Africa with those in Kerala on the Malabar coast of south-west India.

Neo Muyanga’s talents have worn a number of different hats over the years, from his acoustic duo Blk Sonshine to co-curating the sorely missed Pan African Space Station. In his capacity as composer, arranger and performer, Neo has focussed on the theatre in recent times with Memory of How it Feels appearing at the Baxter in 2011. Moreover, a début operetta entitled The Flower of Shembe has a short run at Artscape this week (2-5 May 2012).

Kyle Shepherd Trio :: Mahogany Room | May 2012

Calum — Wed, 02 May 2012 08:00:14 +0000

Riding a wave of critical acclaim following the launch of South African History !X earlier this year, Kyle Shepherd is back for a short run of more intimate appearances from Wednesday 2 to Saturday 5 May 2012. It’s billed as being paired down to his trio with Shane Cooper and Jonno Sweetman but, knowing the Mahogany Room, there’s always a chance that a guest or two might find their way to the stage.

Mama Goema :: District Six Museum Bioscope

Calum — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:00:35 +0000

The District Six Museum is no stranger to the likes of Mac McKenzie and Hilton Schilder, whose early 2000s museum jams played a role in the genesis of The Goema Captains of Cape Town. What’s more, leafing through the museum’s crate of LP covers turns up a copy of 1987′s Mr. Mac & The Genuines! As District Six is a cornerstone of Cape Town music culture, the museum “bioscope” is currently hosting a Hip Hop Film Festival that showcases a six-pack of Cape music films. Featuring a Hip Hop flavour in the form of Khayelitsha’s Backyard Crew and with Denver Turner’s “This Is How We Move” in our credit sequence, Mama Goema is delighted to be a part of it. Catch us there on Saturday 21 April 2012 from 14.00 to 18.00 (55 minute screening begins at 15.00).

Click: District Six Museum Bioscope Film Festival Schedule (April-May 2012)

Mac McKenzie Friendship Orchestra :: Table Bay Concerto

Calum — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:00:10 +0000

While Mama Goema is screening in Canada this weekend, Mac McKenzie will be making waves in Basel and Anwil as The Table Bay Concerto in G-Major reaches the music stands of a Swiss “friendship orchestra” for the European première of a composition that shook Cape Town in November 2011. No strangers to melting-pot culture, the Swiss have a Mother City fondue to look forward to:

- Saturday 21 April 2012 @ 19.30
Reformierte Dorfkirche, Kleinhüningen/Basel, Dorfstrasse 39
- Sunday 22 April 2012 @ 12.15
Broglin Haus, Anwil

Click: www.africanmusic.unibas.ch

Mama Goema :: Canadian Festival Screenings | April 2012

Calum — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:00:52 +0000

Vancouver…
Vancouver South African Film Festival 2012 | 20-22 April 2012
* Mama Goema screens on Saturday 21 April 2012 at 2pm (Schedule)

…& Montréal:
Montréal Festival de Cinéma Vues d’Afrique 2012 | 27 April-6 May 2012
* Mama Goema screens on Monday 30 April 2012 @ 5pm (Schedule)

Mama Goema Vues d’Afrique Programme 2012 (PDF, 60K)

Mama Goema :: Labia Cinema Screenings

Calum — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:00:23 +0000

Labia on Orange (Cape Town) | Friday 30 March-Wednesday 04 April 2012

In the company of Woody Allen and Lars von Trier, Mama Goema is currently screening at the Labia on Orange in Gardens (Cape Town).

Click: Labia Website

Kyle Shepherd :: South African History !X (2012)

Calum — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:30:04 +0000

Kyle Shepherd’s music is not only a form of personal expression but also reveals bright collaborative sparks with his trio and guests and is seeped in South Africa’s collective consciousness. A compelling performer and articulate interviewee, Kyle appears in the film Mama Goema (2011) and underlines how deeply Cape Town’s music is connected to the “goema lifestyle” of our city’s inhabitants. Co-produced by Profoundly South African, the above video formed part of a value exchange with the filmmakers. It accompanies the launch of South African History !X (2012), an album in which Kyle unravels the matrix of social and historic influences that inform his compositions.

“X in mathematics represents the unknown. For my generation of young South Africans, large parts of our history still remain unknown. Many of us are, however, committed to knowing ourselves through knowing our country and the truth around its history. Like all my work, this still remains a sincerely musical statement, with the music also offering a path to self-discovery.” Kyle Shepherd

Kyle Shepherd launches South African History !X at The Baxter Theatre Concert Hall in Rondebosch (Cape Town) at 8:30pm on Thursday 5 April 2012. The line-up includes Buddy Wells (sax), Shane Cooper (double bass) and Jonno Sweetman (drums) as well as Darren English (trumpet/flugel horn) and Ethan Smith (alto sax).

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