South African CDs

 For nearly fifty years now Hugh Masekela has been blending American jazz with the various sounds of black South African popular styles. On his latest effort REVIVAL Hugh works in the style called 'kwaito', which evolved in the 1990s after the fall of apartheid.

 'Kwaito' is slang for ferocious or hot-tempered, but you wouldn't guess that from listening to Masekela's relatively mellow smooth groove sounds. This is radio-friendly music: people who previously thought they disliked jazz easily fall in love with these sounds.

 I hear echoes of marabi music of the 195s and the 1960s in here, as is common with so much of Hugh Masekela's music. Around here it's considered a good thing.

  The AFRICAN CHRISTMAS project was put together by Ed Jordan and Neil Solomon, two of South Africa's most successful songwriting/producer teams. Ed plays piano and sings throughout. Although a small band of only 7 musicians plays on all cuts (3 guitars, keyboards, drums, bass and percussion), ten vocalists are featured in that unique South African choral style and as alternating soloists.  Two of the featured vocalists have worked for years with the legendary group Savuka (Johnny Clegg).

 One of my favorite tunes as 'The Sun Shines Down (on a Christmas Day)', one of two new tunes on the album. My alternate favorite tune was the other original, 'African Christmas': the only totally a capella tune on the recording - and a terrific way to close out the album. If I had a regular radio show this year, I'd play this cut every night.

  If you liked Paul Simon's GRACELAND and Christmas music, you should check out AFRICAN CHRISTMAS. It's a little bit of both worlds, nicely packaged not just for the holidays but for year-round listening.

It seems everyone loves Oliver Mutukudzi, who seems to have passed all the other Zimbabwe performers in world popularity: is it his mix of various Southern African styles, his easy-going manner, or a combination of factors? I believe it’s a combination.

Like other Zimbabwean performers there is a certain groove ‘Tuku’ makes his own and no matter where the influence of a song comes from, once ‘Tuku’ puts his stamp on it, it’s easily recognizable as his.

The cd THE OTHER SIDE was actually recorded at a live performance in Switzerland back in 1994 and is a re-release. THE OTHER SIDE is interesting, as although Tuku rarely sings in English, he speaks it fluently: in this live concert he introduces each song with a short explanation which I found interesting and not the slightest bit irritating.

On Ziwere Mukobenhvn we hear Tuku as he is today: he even sings some songs in English. This cd’s song lineup is essentially the set we saw him perform a few months back. Some songs make you think; nearly all will make you want to dance.

Just when you begin to think Tuku’s music is a typical Shona Zim sound, he surprises with some South Africa Mbaqanga like ‘Ndikarangarira’, but it’s not a jarring surprise, it still sounds like Tuku music – his own sound – and that’s what makes Tuku great and so popular: deeply rooted in Shona mbira music, but always absorbing other sounds from all over Southern Africa.

Westerners may be a little bit surprised upon first listening to CHINEMBIRI CHIDODO, billed as ‘pure spiritual drum grooves’, as many of the tunes sound very similar to a trap drummer practicing or warming up before a gig.

It’s only when you stop to think, ‘hey, this guy is playing all this on hand drums’ – that coupled with the realization that the traditional African concept of spiritual music is quite different from the European and Asian concepts of spiritual music – that CHINEMBIRI CHIDODO starts making sense.

Most of us have heard West African drummers before: in fact, when Westerners think African drumming, it’s West African music that springs to mind.

The music shifts here are more subtle: it may take several listens before the music of CHINENBIRI CHIDODO sinks in.