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Ladysmith sings with one voice
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The Gazette (Montreal, QC), Ladysmith sings with one voice >>
For a man with a positive message and deep spirituality, Ladysmith Black Mambazo leader Joseph Shabalala seems to run up against more than his fair share of faith-testing obstacles.
Two years ago, Shabalala's wife of 30 years, Nellie, was gunned down in a church parking lot - a tragedy bluntly and movingly addressed by the singer's grandsons on Tribute, the hip-hop elegy that closes the latest Ladysmith Black Mambazo album, Raise Your Spirit Higher.
"In my flesh I might be angry, I might cry, I might suspect somebody," Shabalala was quoted as saying in an interview when the album was released in January. "But when I took my mind into the spirit, the spirit told me to be calm and not to worry. Bad things happen, and the only thing to do is to raise your spirit higher."
But darkness came again this month when Shabalala's brother Ben, a member of the group from 1979 to 1993, was killed in what has only been reported as "unknown circumstances." It was a chilling echo of the murder of another Shabalala brother, Headman - an original Ladysmith singer - by an off-duty police officer in 1991. To honour Ben's memory, the 10 group members have decided to continue their current world tour, which brings them here Wednesday for a free outdoor concert with Johnny Clegg.
Ladysmith's performance will showcase its trademark fusion of traditional Zulu music and Christian gospel - a combination sparked by Shabalala's conversion to Christianity around the time the group was formed in the early 1960s. According to Albert Mazibuko, Shabalala's cousin and a tenor in the South African a cappella group, that spiritual anchor has been crucial in Ladysmith's ability to soldier on in the face of despair. "Without connecting ourselves to God and being able to pray all the time, it's very difficult to cope with every bad thing that is happening in our lives. It's something that gives us strength all the time," Mazibuko said.
South Africa's apartheid regime also played a role in building that resilience during the group's first three decades. "We were very fortunate. Because we were singing in our own language at home, the government didn't understand what we were saying. But our people understood. We were encouraging them to come together and fight for their freedom," Mazibuko said.
Paul Simon, smitten with a tape of Soweto township jive, enlisted the group to participate in the recording of his landmark Graceland album in 1986 and brought them on a subsequent tour. At that point, they became part of North American pop consciousness, even appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Apartheid ended in 1994 with the election of Nelson Mandela as president and the peaceful transfer of power to the black majority - and Wednesday night's double bill celebrates a decade of that freedom. "The last 10 years have been very exciting. We have been witnessing the fruit of people being at peace with each other," Mazibuko said.
Political milestones aside, the group's sound has remained constant over a career spanning more than 40 albums. Its traditional music, isicathamiya, originated in the mines of South Africa, where black workers sang songs into the wee hours at the end of every work week, with dance steps performed on tiptoe to avoid drawing the attention of camp security guards. When the miners went back to their homelands, the music and choreography went with them.
In Ladysmith's case, that distinctive tradition was boosted by something less earthbound. The blueprint for the group's unique blend of voices - half of which are basses, the rest altos and tenors - came to Shabalala in a dream in 1964. To bring his revelation to life, he recruited family members and friends. "Even now, sometimes, he dreams the songs," Mazibuko said.
Changes in the group's makeup over the years have added freshness to the sound, Mazibuko said, but the presence of family remains an important element. The group now includes four of Shabalala's sons. For Mazibuko, those blood ties have always given the group a head start.
"When people belong to one family, the tone is the same when they talk, so when we try to harmonize, the voices can blend more easily," he said.
The age range in the group - 29 to 63 - is also a plus for Mazibuko. "When you work with young people, you hear new ideas and see a lot of energy. But we are old people. We have wisdom. When you combine those elements, it makes a wonderful team," he said, laughing.
Johnny Clegg and Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform free on the General Motors stage, corner of Jeanne Mance and Ste. Catherine Sts., Wednesday night at 9:30.
To see the group's showcase Graceland number, Homeless, co-written by Paul Simon and Joseph Shabalala, watch 46664: The Event, a DVD of the all-star AIDS benefit concert in Cape Town last November.
bperusse@thegazette.canwest.com
06/27/04
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