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South African group's sound belies its size
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Omaha World-Herald, South African group's sound belies its size >>
The first thing you notice about Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the extraordinary variety of its sound.
This remarkable South African group, which stopped off at the Holland Performing Arts Center on Friday, consists of only nine men who sing a cappella. But hearing them in performance was enough to make us believe they were a large chorus complete with some unseen percussion section.
In songs such as "Homeless," which was made famous on Paul Simon's 1986 "Graceland," the chorus sang an accented motif that sounded almost like a bass drum. In "Ilembe," a traditional sounding Zulu song from the group's latest album, the singers tossed off more clicks, clacks, tongue trills, birdcalls and whistles than you might otherwise hear from some avant-garde percussion ensemble.
The second thing you notice is the incredible flexibility of their interpretive style. Almost all of the songs are sung with traditional Zulu techniques. Yet tunes such as "Hello My Baby" were sung with such convincing pop sensibility that you almost forgot this was a folk ensemble.
Joseph Shabalala founded Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the early 1960s to sing a kind of traditional music known for its resonant, dark-hued blending of bass, alto and tenor voices. But it's also known for its acrobatic dance movements.
Shabalala himself proved an expert African folk dancer, kicking his feet high above his head — not bad for a guy who's 66. His dance also reminded us that this music is grounded in ritual.
In one traditional war song, Shabalala picked up a microphone stand and began carrying it menacingly, like one of Shaka Zulu's stabbing spears. It could have been a coming-of-age dance for a young warrior. "Ilembe," meanwhile, was a song meant to impress the ladies, so it included movements that were playful and at times even flirtatious.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo came to fame in South Africa in the mid-1960s, when it began winning vocal competitions. So it was no surprise when the audience was challenged to a contest. After a little coaching, the 1,682 people who packed the Holland did manage a few nicely blended Zulu verses. The group declared us the winner. I wasn't so sure.
By JOHN PITCHER 02/09/08 >> go there
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