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Mambazo's show rich, vivid
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The Capital Times, Mambazo's show rich, vivid >>
By Rena Archwamety Beyer
Special to The Capital Times
Electric yellows, violets, reds, and blues -- mixed with natural greens, browns and oranges -- were all stitched together in a quilt of many colors that hung behind Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Overture Center on Tuesday night.
The rich, low and smooth-as-caramel voices of the all-male a cappella group blended into harmonies, rhythms and songs as vivid as the patterns and colors of the quilt behind the eight men. Ladysmith Black Mambazo gained U.S. fame when Paul Simon collaborated with the group on his 1986 album "Graceland," though it had been a powerful force in preserving traditional Zulu music and dance for much longer.
The group's trademark blend of harmony and unique choreography reflects the traditional "Isicathamiya" or "on tiptoes" style of song and dance that originated in the mines of South Africa. hollandsentinel.com Joseph Shabalala (front) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Celebrating 46 years as a group, members have come and gone, but founder Joseph Shabalala is still a magnetic presence at the forefront of the stage. His energy, charisma and playful nature carried through the entire group and into the audience.
(Jockey Shabalala, Joseph's brother and a longtime member of the group, died last month in Ladysmith at age 62 of natural causes while the group was on tour. Jockey had retired from international touring.) Leader and entertainer, this Joseph of many colors is also a dreamer and formed Ladysmith Black Mambazo after dreaming of some particular harmonies.
The group, made up largely of family members, is named for Shabalala's hometown of Ladysmith. "Black" refers to the strong black ox, and "Mambazo" is the Zulu term for "axe," as the group was so strong in its early days that it "chopped down" all competition in South African Isicathamiya competitions. Eventually banned from competitions for being too good, Ladysmith Black Mambazo now focuses on recording and touring.
Members' voices merged into a single ribbon of low and gently soothing harmony. The relaxing blend of voices and the hypnotic clicks, rhythms and repetition urged you to melt into your seat, rest your eyes and dream about the warm African sun.
"Peace, Love and Harmony" is the group's motto and mission. They sing sometimes in traditional Zulu, sometimes in English, and sometimes in both. Themes ranged from political to playful to prayerful.
One of the first songs was "Phalamende," a celebration of South Africa's relatively recent political freedom to come together and make decisions in Parliament. The members pantomimed checking off ballots, punctuated by clicking sounds of the tongue.
The next song, "Hey, Hey Beautiful Girl," was one of their lighter selections and an audience favorite as the group pointed out to the audience and later showed off some of the kicks, turns and steps of traditional Isicathamiya dance.
After the finale, the long applause by the audience of about 2,000 prompted the group to come out for an encore. It was a warm, sweet rendition of "Amazing Grace" from their most recent album, "A Long Walk to Freedom." At the end of the standing ovation, after all the other members left for the last time, Joseph Shabalala remained on stage.
Alone, the founder, leader, artist and dreamer chanted one final plea as the audience paused in the aisles. "Peace, Peace, Peace ... Peace, Love and Harmony." 03/01/06 >> go there
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