Famed South African a capella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will return to Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall on Wednesday with its latest album/show Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu. The album was released last Tuesday.
As you can surmise from the title, the album is a tribute to the South African warrior icon and first king of the Zulu Nation. In the late 1700s, Shaka Zulu took a ragtag group of tribes, and through a mix of diplomacy, cunning and old-fashioned military strong-arming, united the Zulus into a nation of 250,000 with a large, well-trained army at the time of his assassination in 1828. His reign changed the face of South Africa, and he is revered as one of Africa's greatest warrior kings.
In typical LBM style, the songs on the album, whose title translates to The Greatest Warrior, focus not on Shaka's physical strength, but on the spiritual and inner strength it takes to persevere. The overriding theme is unity among all of mankind. The album doesn't stray from the group's basic format of unaccompanied vocalists providing their own rhythms through chants and deep-resonating harmonies in the Isicathamiya style born in the South African mines. Lyrics sung in English and Zulu touch on subjects such as people coming together for the common good in O Mmu Beno Mmu (Somebody and Somebody). Kuyafundw Osizini (Learning From the Obstacles) uses the story of Shaka Zulu to comment on overcoming and learning from life's obstacles. The English sung Prince of Peace talks about Jesus Christ's message (group members are Christian) of loving one another. The relevant Let's Do It suggests that while politics can be a dirty business, everyone should rise above petty partisan problems for the greater good.
While its albums are all solid, it's live where Ladysmith Black Mambazo and its message really connect. The two-time Grammy-winning group's 2004 concert at E.J. Thomas was a wonderful evening of music. The group's choreography and leader/founder Joseph Shabalala's heartfelt comments added considerably to its already unique sound. Watching LBM perform, there was an inspiring lack of pretense, as if the music flowed directly from members' hearts, lungs and throats and into the listeners' ears and (ideally) spirit.
Wednesday's show should be entertaining, educational and a rare chance for parents (hint, hint) to expose their children and themselves to music and cultures of our increasingly shrinking planet.
-- by Kathy Fraze
01/24/08 >> 
