Tuesday, April 24, 2007
World music in Langa
I have spoken many times about one of Cape Town’s most interesting son’s, Dizu Plaatjies, African music lecturer & traditional instrument specialist at U.C.T., composer, story-teller & musician. But I can never say enough!I am fortunate to work closely with Dizu, and so asked him if he would like to present a number of short clips, in the next few weeks, in which he plays some of the instruments that he specializes in.
In this first piece, Dizu chose to play the Nyungwe, a member of the Mbira or thumb-piano family from Mozambique, but most well known from Zimbabwe.
Dizu’s career started with Amampondo, right in the early days of the group’s formation, where he was the charismatic leader and front-man on stage. Dizu’s persona is regal, and one flash of his smile warms the hearts of his audience – until he starts performing that is, when one feels flashes of ancient history wash over you with his masterful domination of your senses.
He has been hugely successful since he and the group parted ways some years ago, but his teaching projects in Langa, where he mentors the community’s youth, have provided him with an array of talented musicians to form part of his group titled Ibuyambo. If you are into rhythmical traditional music, I can highly recommend MELT 2000’s Dizu Plaatjies & Mzwandile Qotoyi Ethno Trance Live (BNETCD002) – makes me want to get all Johnny Clegg, but I’m afraid I’d pull a hamstring! (Dizu & daughter @ my place)Dizu has a firm grip on his roots, and by keeping the knowledge of this continents musical history alive, I feel he is a national treasure that needs to be nurtured and respected.
Apart from all the above – he’s a hell of a nice guy too!
Labels: Dizu Plaatjies, Langa, music, shout-out, traditional
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Pops & Dizu duo! Traditional for the future!
It’s been a hectic few days, keeping me from filling you in on Pops Mohamed’s stay here with us. Pops had needed a bit of a break, and so Lenny invited him to come and stay for a bit of creative relaxation. Relaxing we did at big fires every evening in my garden, and creative because Pops has seen his wish for a collaboration with Dizu Plaatjies come to fruition.Pops and Dizu are two of South Africa’s most special experts and internationally recognized musicians for the part they play in what I consider to be the continual evolution of Southern African culture.
Dizu, who got his career going with Cape Town’s favourite sons Amampondo, has soared since going solo and focusing on his own musical project Ibuyambo. Ibuyambo is a show-piece of instruments and insight into the cultures that made use of them, and of course sounds that are traditional, but always changing.
Pops too has been at the forefront of capturing, and nurturing indigenous sounds, and with his passion for jazz, and modern electronic mixes, giving these sounds a new life by introducing them to younger audiences. I mean Pops regularly appears with, and has recorded, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari, which when you combine with a sax, and maybe a DJ changes this music into the most ancient modern trance dance available to us! And apart from the Mbira, the Uhada and Urhube being some of Pops choice instruments, he is also South Africa’s only recognized Kora player!Now imagine combining this knowledge; by fusing this experience and letting them be backed by a full orchestra…
It is just mind-blowing how this is going to take the world by storm!Already this week there has been one request for a performance later this month; and there hasn’t even been a rehearsal! Pops went to spend the day with Dizu at U.C.T.’s College of Music, and was immediately asked to come back soon to present Master classes – which will also be a perfect platform for us to start marketing this very exciting duo.
Later yesterday afternoon, after a cool beer at Tiger’s Place in Langa, I was fortunate to sit and watch Pops tune Dizu’s new Kora from scratch (that's its case pictured right - not a coffin!). Made in the U.K. for Dizu, the strings had never been tuned, and Pops is the only man in the country who could do it. So listening to the first plucks that sounded like those street curio Castrol tin guitars, to Pops strumming that Kora as if you were listening to the angels playing your tune! It is so delicate and calming. Dizu said that if we hadn’t pulled Pops he would have probably played the whole night away!
While we were there, some of the kids were playing in Dizu’s rehearsal room. It’s a room filled with drums of all kinds, pipes, bags all lumpy with Kudu horns, marimbas and mbiras. A little later a few members of Ibuyambo, including Xolani who was part of the group that appeared at Red Bulls Hangar 7 in Austria, came in and showed us what they do in their spare time… make wonderful music!Pops has gone back to JHB; but his energy is going to stay awhile longer – it is always so great to listen and learn from one so knowledgeable!
Hayta da Pops!
Labels: Amampondo, bushmen, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Dizu Plaatjies, Ibuyambo, kora, Kudu horns, Langa, marimba, mbira, Pops Mohamed
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Brenda Fassie - Vulindlela
It was a hell of a shock hearing yesterday’s news about Lebo, as I mentioned in my previous post. Today’s news tells more of her last moments; of how she had been thrown clear of her Land Cruiser Prado meaning she wasn’t wearing safety-belts; that there were so few injuries visible, but that she had been crushed internally; that the driver either fell asleep behind the wheel, or was distracted – enough to lose control.
There are so many lessons to be learnt by this tragedy.
It seems to be a sad time for South Africa, also having recently lost Moses Kumalo to death that could have been prevented.
Sipho Gumede, Moses Molelekwa, TK, Ben Shabalala, Chas Smit, Gito Baloi & Brenda Fassie (UPDATE - and now Jabu Khanyile...)– these are all artists in the last number of years – all huge talents that are lost to us well before their time.
Ma Brrrr, as Brenda was known, is one of the most famous residents of Langa Township, just outside Cape Town. Ma Brrr was the undisputed queen of SA music, and even felt she had the right to class herself as the Madonna of Africa. And she was – she sold more albums than Madonna did, and enjoyed shocking her audiences just as much! But she lived life in the fast lane, and it eventually caught up with her.So, in honour of fallen hero’s, I would like to feature Ma Brrr’s hit Vulindlela. That we can all enjoy every day as if it is our last that; we look around and appreciate who we are, and where we are, and most of all that we think, and take care of ourselves.
Labels: Brenda Fassie, Jabu Khanyile, Langa, Lebo Mathosa, Moses Molelekwa, Sipho Gumede
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Madosini - Queen of Langa
She's is such as amazing personality - as I keep mentioning - and her music is true "of the African earth". This lady who mesmerizes audiences the world over lives in a humble flat that she shares with a number of other people. And i know for a fact that all her earnings go towards the welfare of her grandchildren, while she chooses her simple exsistance is a very run down part of Langa township.Now that Brenda Fassie, also one of Langa's many talented children, has passed on, I really do believe that Madosini deserves the title of Queen of Langa.
Here is another short video clip I was fortunate enough to be able to capture with famed British artist from the group Strangelove, Patrick Duff when he came to rehearse with Madosini and Vuyo Katsha of Amampondo. It's rough and ready, and the builders outside had probably heard it all before, but it shows how two worlds can meet and be creative in the shortest time - something we like to refer to as in the spirit of ubuntu...
Patrick Duff, Madosini Manqina & Vuyo Katsha, Gugluthu outside Cape Town, 15 July 2003.
Labels: Amampondo, Brenda Fassie, Langa, Madosini, Patrick Duff
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Amampondo - 25 years young!
Amampondo, from Langa outside Cape Town, have been making music for 25 years!
They are the father's of South African marimba music, meaning that most of the marimba sounds you'll hear in South Africa, were probably put down by them. Peak, with some very good friends Garth Meyer and Douw Jordaan from Gardot Flix, had the honour of making their first music video, to the track Seng' Inkomo.
Filmed on a shoe-string budget at the City Varsity Campus in October 2004, this track shows just how modern traditional music can be, and that you don't need a huge budget to make something beautiful.
Seng' Inkomo, a song about the importance of 'Milk' in our every day lives, by Amampondo.
Labels: Amampondo, Garth Meyer, Langa
Madosini video
We had just shot an interview for ETV for a documentary about ex-President Nelson Mandela. Madosini is one of his favourite artists, and as she comes from the same area in the Transkei, she was interviewed, in Xhosa, at Gugus Thebe Langa Cultural Centre in Langa.
Needing a nice quiet place to get some footage for my files I took Madosini to Rhodes Memorial, up above the University of Cape Town, on the slopes of Devils Peak. This is her short piece.
Labels: Langa, Madosini, Nelson Mandela
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Madosini - The Queen of Pondoland music
An artist very close to our hearts at Peak is Madosini Manqina from Langa in Lenny spent a good month with her when we took Amampondo on tour to the
Though essentially a solo artist and story-teller, its her mastery in the making and playing of the Uhadi (berimbau), Isitololo (Jews Harp) Umrhubhe (mouthbow), and she adds this speciality to the sound of many groups and collaborations.
She's been a regular part of Amampondo, she worked with Thandiswa Mazwai on the short film Spirit of the Uhadi and her album Zabalaza, and has appeared at WOMAD Festivals in the UK, Australia, Singapore, and many more, with artists like Patrick Duff (ex-Strangelove) and Vuyo Katcha. She also represented the Xhosa tribe in the multi-cultural Jazz ensemble PedXulu (a combination of Pedi, Xhosa and Zulu musicians)
One of our most exciting experiences with her was our first attempt to send her off on tour with the Pondo's in 2002. The group were on their way to perform with the The Sto:lo (People of the River) or First People of Chilliwack, Canada, and we had booked all the travel and accommodation using the information we had received from the group, including Madosini. But when we arrived at the BA check-in counter, they refused to let her on the plane, as the name on her ticket was different from the name in her passport...
You feel the bottom of your world fall out from under you when this happens, and the only thing to do, is to move into four-wheel drive and pull the funniest faces you can to ensure the artist is on that plane.
The ground-staff were amazing, and gave us the time of the flight to Johannesburg to sort it out with the airline there – they let her on the flight as long as we knew that there was a chance she would be stranded in JHB – motivation enough for Lenny to pull out all stops and beg, plead and threaten. What a relief it was to eventually get her on the flight to Canada later that night.
It was only later that same year, when we sent her to WOMAD Canary Islands when another abnormality was sorted out. Madosini’s birth date made her out to be a beautiful, sprightly 82-year old. We were always amazed at how good she looked, with clear skin and eyes, and great spirit, but the Spanish didn’t feel the same.
When travelling to
It was only during the research and filming of Thandiswa’s Spirit of the Uhadi while in the
Madosini is currently performing in
Madosini lives in a single room in an old hostel in the heart of Langa with 6 other adults, and 4 children under the age of 6.
But it’s her music that opens the mind to the wide sky of the
Madosini Manqina – the Queen of Pondoland.
Labels: Amampondo, Langa, Madosini, Patrick Duff, Thandiswa Mazwai, Uhadi, WOMAD
