Going Global in the New Year

From South Africa to Poland, plenty of musical talent seeks to soothe the ears

By JASON VICTOR SERINUS

As we begin another increasingly globally-interconnected year, world music continues to offer a greater variety of refreshing sounds. The following CDs are this critic’s menu for some of the most interesting offerings, even with some imperfections, for 2005.

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
“No Boundaries”
Heads Up 15

In more than 30 years of performing, South Africa’s a cappella male ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo has achieved renown for their tight, sonorous harmonies and uplifting performances. Thanks to their 1986 “Graceland” collaboration with Paul Simon, they achieved the worldwide recognition that led to one much-deserved Grammy Award and seven additional nominations, the most recent in 2004.

Now the singers team up with the strings of the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ralf Gothoni for a gorgeous, soulful excursion that mixes original compositions by group founder Joseph Shabalala and album arranger Isak Roux with classics by Mozart, Schubert and Bach.

As improbable as this may sound, the project’s precedent was the boundary breaking “Shabalala,” Simon’s arrangement of “Amazing Grace” that initially catapulted them to fame. Heard here in orchestrated form, “Amazing Grace” joins a beautiful “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” a curious, gospel-like “Ave Verum Corpus,” and a Zulu version of Schubert’s “Sanctus,” melding faith and spirit in performances that smack less of crossover than of heart fire.

The group performs at New York’s Town Hall on April 10. Tickets are $25-$45 at ticketmaster.com.

From South Africa to Poland, plenty of musical talent seeks to soothe the ears

By JASON VICTOR SERINUS

As we begin another increasingly globally-interconnected year, world music continues to offer a greater variety of refreshing sounds. The following CDs are this critic’s menu for some of the most interesting offerings, even with some imperfections, for 2005.

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
“No Boundaries”
Heads Up 15

In more than 30 years of performing, South Africa’s a cappella male ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo has achieved renown for their tight, sonorous harmonies and uplifting performances. Thanks to their 1986 “Graceland” collaboration with Paul Simon, they achieved the worldwide recognition that led to one much-deserved Grammy Award and seven additional nominations, the most recent in 2004.

Now the singers team up with the strings of the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ralf Gothoni for a gorgeous, soulful excursion that mixes original compositions by group founder Joseph Shabalala and album arranger Isak Roux with classics by Mozart, Schubert and Bach.

As improbable as this may sound, the project’s precedent was the boundary breaking “Shabalala,” Simon’s arrangement of “Amazing Grace” that initially catapulted them to fame. Heard here in orchestrated form, “Amazing Grace” joins a beautiful “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” a curious, gospel-like “Ave Verum Corpus,” and a Zulu version of Schubert’s “Sanctus,” melding faith and spirit in performances that smack less of crossover than of heart fire.

The group performs at New York’s Town Hall on April 10. Tickets are $25-$45 at ticketmaster.com.