Legendary South African group makes exclusive SF appearance
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the best-known South African musical group— and one of the most widely revered a cappella choruses—in the world. Far beyond their exquisite harmonies and intricate dance steps, Joseph Shabalala and his cast have become ambassadors for South African culture, accompanying Nelson Mandela to his Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and appearing onstage with artists from around the globe.
The roots of the group extend back to the ’60s. Shabalala, having returned to his rural hometown of Ladysmith after working in Durban, had a series of dreams featuring children singing in beautiful harmony. The music he heard, called isicathamiya, was a traditional Zulu form that had fallen into obscurity as many rural men traveled to cities to look for work.
Inspired by his dream, Shabalala formed a group composed mostly of family members. Soon the group was winning every competition they entered, and Shabalala christened them Ladysmith (for their town) Black (the color of the powerful ox) Mambazo (the Zulu word for axe, representing how the group consistently felled their competition). They made a series of recordings in the 1970s, including Amabutho, the first album by a black ensemble to go gold in South Africa. But it was a guest appearance on another record that vaulted Ladysmith from an influential regional act to an international sensation.
Paul Simon’s Grammy-winning Graceland was a watershed moment in pop music. The album spurred the late ’80s world music wave and brought Ladysmith widespread acclaim for their vocals and songwriting (Shabalala wrote the music to “Homeless,” with Simon contributing lyrics). Soon they were Grammy-winners in their own right for the 1987 album Shaka Zulu.
Their latest Grammy-nominated album, Long Walk to Freedom, features collaborations with Sarah McLachlan, Taj Mahal, and Hugh Masakela. But the core of Ladysmith has remained a family affair, with five of the eight members part of the Shabalala clan.
This event is open exclusively to SFJAZZ Members! Join SFJAZZ today to buy tickets today, and enjoy the long list of SFJAZZ Members-only benefits!
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| Bay Area musician John Santos (left) and Michael Spiro (right) perusing the vast IAJE schedule of events. |
As Duke Ellington famously pointed out to Billy Strayhorn, the “A” Train is without a doubt “the quickest way to Harlem.” It was also, appropriately enough, the quickest way to get from New York’s JFK Airport to last week’s 34th Annual International Association for Jazz Education Conference (“the IAJE” for short), held last week in two neighboring hotels in midtown Manhattan. Riding in on the “A,” with the Duke’s horn section swinging along in my head and Betty Roche singing “Hurry, get on, now it's coming / Listen to those rails a-thrumming,” I reflected on a seeming parallel between the Ellington theme song and the conference—a simple set of subway directions that became one of the all-time great jazz standards, and a modest conclave of jazz educators that became the annual gathering of the tribes for this music.
Read the rest of the IAJE Recap
SFJAZZ regrets the passing of two cherished jazz legends, Alice Coltrane and Michael Brecker, this past weekend.
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| Alice Coltrane captured in concert in the San Francisco Jazz Festival (photo: Sun Lee). |
Alice Coltrane
(1937-2007)
Coltrane, widow of saxophonist John Coltrane, was a distinctive and influential harpist, pianist, and composer as well as a powerful spiritual leader. Her transcendent performance in last November’s San Francisco Jazz Festival—one of her final concerts—will certainly be a lifetime concert-going highlight for thousands of her Bay Area fans.
Read Coltrane’s obituary in The New York Times
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| Michael Brecker in concert. |
Michael Brecker
(1949-2007)
Michael Brecker boasted a singular tenor sound and a fiery musical imagination. Accomplished in both the jazz and pop/rock idioms, the 11-time Grammy-winning saxophonist succumbed to leukemia after battling myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone-marrow disorder, since 2005. His last studio album, recorded just weeks before his death, will be released in June, and features a stellar cast of musicians including Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette and many others.
Read Brecker’s obituary in The New York Times. |
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Along with being Grammy-winning recording artists, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have lent their signature vocal sound to a number of popular advertisements:
Which soft drink used Ladysmith’s “Rain Rain Beautiful Rain” in its television ads?
 E-mail
Your Answer (include "Rain"
in the subject line)
The fourth correct respondent will receive a cozy, fashionable SFJAZZ hoodie.
The
fine print: Our contest winner
will be notified directly by email, and
both the winner's name and the correct answer
to the question will be published in next
week's e-News. The following are not eligible
to enter: employees and current contractors
of SFJAZZ and its seasonal sponsors; past
e-News Jazz Trivia Contest winners. |
Congratulations to last week’s winner, Lester Kaufman, who knew that Thelonious Monk’s middle name was Sphere. |
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