Hugh Masekela – Afropop.org interview

Hugh Masekela is definitely a person I’d think of if some in Hungary asked me – ” so tell me all about it” – his jazz sound is really very unique – it tells a lot about all the travels he’s done but also about his South African roots.

While I was browsing and actually hardly found anything real Masekela related info – I finally came accross this 2002 Afropop.org interview by Banning Eyre – it’s quite a long one – it will give you a good idea about the life work of this SA jazz maestro:

B.E.: …. let’s talk about your side. You weren’t able to go to South Africa for how long?

Hugh:Thirty years.

B.E.: So what’s it like to live there again now?

Hugh: Well, for me it’s a real bonanza because I never thought I’d be able to go back home, and I’ve been back twelve years. And in twelve years, I’ve been able to get to the point where like this album Time is on Chissa Records, which is our own label. I think that, except for like the young musicians who are into like what is called kwaito–South African hip-hop or whatever you call it–they are the first people to do their own productions. It the same way it happened when reggae started in Jamaica or when samba became a craze in Brazil. We’re just getting into a stage where we’re building the first steps towards creating our own industry, and our own manufacturing, wholesaling and marketing, and hopefully our own distribution. And our own broadcasting. But that’s going to take time because we are trying to access a business that was previously white owned. With Chissa, we’re trying to set up something that is modeled on Motown, where there’s collaboration instead of divided artists. We all try to bring like excellence out of each other. (read on…)

 

A weekend song : Umqombothi (African beer) – Yvonne Chaka Chaka

When I arrived in South Africa in 1997 – I started my new African adventures with brewing African beer in a factory next to Hammanskraal (North of Pretoria).

The beer we were selling was named Bafana Bafana – name of the South African national football team. Those were interesting times – tipsy times I’d say – since the factory workers for some reason were mostly in a happyyy mood – they were dancing around all day – I wonder why

This song is by Yvonne Chaka Chaka – one of the greatest singers in SA.

When asked who she admired most, Chaka Chaka said “My mother because she has always been there for me. My mother raised three daughters single-handedly on a domestic workers salary. That took great courage and strength. She is my mentor and hero. When I was born in 1965 in Soweto, it was during apartheid, and those were extremely difficult times. My dad was a great musician who could never realize his dream. He died when I was 11 years old. I inherited my talent from both parents, so music has always been in my blood .When I was little I would strum an empty tin and blow into a broom stick pretending it was a microphone. I sang in church choirs. I loved singing. I am blessed that I achieved my destiny, and been able to accomplish what my father could not.” (Wikipedia)

Yvonne Chaka Chaka : Umqombothi

We MaDlamini
Uph’umqombothi (3x)

Verse
I work hard every day
To make my beer
(Umqombothi)
Wake up early every morning
To please my people with African beer
(Umqombothi)
I make sure the fire burns
To make my beer
(Umqombothi)
My special beer Umqombothi
(Umqombothi)
Is African beer

Chorus
We MaDlamini (Everybody)
Uph’umqombothi (Come and drink my)
We MaDlamini (magic beer)
Uph’umqombothi

Verse
I work hard to make them happy
Every weekend (Umqombothi)
Makes them party to the rhythm
Makes them dance, this magic beer (Umqobothi)
I wanna make you happy (Umqobothi)
I wanna make you smile (Umqobothi)
I wanna make you dance (Umqobothi), dance
I’ll make sure there’s a party
Where they drink my special beer
Umqombothi is magic beer
Umqombothi is African beer

Chorus 3x
We MaDlamini (Everybody)
Uph’umqombothi (nawu)
We MaDlamini Uph’umqombothi (nawu madoda)

Wozani ka MaDlamini
Wozani ngithi wozani
Wozani ka MaDlamini
Come on I wanna make you happy
I wanna make you smile lets boogie together
Umqombothi (Umqombothi)

I work hard every day
To please my people with African beer
( lyrics from museke.com )

 

Wintery post with fire and jazz

I haven’t been posting for a while and one of the reasons is that winter has arrived.

African winters can be cold – just like in Tunis – the winters are chilly – since there is no central heating like in Hungary – so if you are cold – all you can do is – jump up and run a few laps . So instead of typing away and I spent some time staring into our fireplace while trying to warm up a bit.

… which is really relaxing and if you stare long enough – you might even find that you forget all about the issues of the day … and if by any chance you have some smooth jazz on like this one called ‘African Herbs’ by SA jazz master, Abdullah Ibrahim …..

… then automatically you will be transported to a whole different world – just like you were on a holiday in the … Bahamas …. untilll…

…there is the phone again – and you are rudely taken back to the hard working side of things…

 

Weaver building a nest – Peet’s wildlife photos

Peet is a photographer / scientist from Potchefstroom. See some of his science animations here.

Amazing photos – great way to get to know African wildlife.

Visit Peet’s Flickr profile for more.

 

From Alexandra to Randburg and Back

Since at the moment I have very little time to travel around South Africa – I try to learn a lot from the photos and videos I find on the NET.

I have found a series of photos in Lebogang’s Flickr collection about a journey I’d like to take myself – from Alex to Randburg by taxi.

About Alexandra from the Wikipedia:

Alexandra (sometimes nicknamed “Alex”) is a township located in Gauteng province, South Africa. It is situated on the outskirts of Johannesburg, close to the wealthy suburb of Sandton and is bounded by Wynberg on the west, Marlboro and Kelvin on the north, and Kew, Lombardy West and Lombardy East on the south. In contrast, Alexandra is one of the poorest urban areas in the country.

Alexandra is situated on the banks of the Jukskei River. The township covers an area of more than 8 km² and has an estimated population of 470,000 people. In addition to its original, reasonably well-built houses, it also has a large number (estimated at more than 20,000) of informal dwellings or “shacks”.

Randburg – from the Wikipedia:

Randburg is a large town in Gauteng, South Africa. Once a separate municipality, its municipal government has since become a part of the City of Johannesburg.

Randburg’s resident demographic tends to be more affluent than most Johannesburg dwellers. Randburg is well known for its plethora of shopping centres and entertainment areas, including the Brightwater Commons, Cresta Centre, NorthGate, Sanlam Shopping Centre and various others.

Randburg contains more than 32 suburbs, most of them residential. These include Darrenwood, Linden, Cresta, Aldara Park, Olivedale and others.

Click here to take the journey.

 

Onnerwater – a David Kramer video

I have been browsing around on Rouvanne’s blog – and a came across one more time the post with “the David Kramer video” – it is without a doubt a masterpiece – so I thought it had to be part of this blog.

I did mention David Kramer before and his documentary called Karoo Kitaar Blues. He is one of those artists that I could listen to day and night – a story teller – his lyrics, music and theater productions are like a long neverending story about the lives of South Africans – and he tells it in an unbelievably simple humble way.

Here is Onnerwater by iaminawe – interesting enough – the sounds of this song resembles Hungarian folk music very much – another proof that no matter where we are from – we are more alike than different, ne?

Other songs:

• Neria by Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi
• Three little birds – a Marley song played by Gilberto Gil
• Baykat by Ismael Lo & Yafode by Daby Toure
• Doo Be doo & I’d like by Freshly ground
• Africans by Nneka
• A eme o by Andrea Echeverry
• Braided hair (from the film Giant Leap)
• De La Rey by Bok van Blerk
• Balance by Sara Tavares
• Hymn for Taiwa by Moses Khumalo

 

Freshlyground – afro-fusion sounds born in a bar in Observatory

One day Netanya arrived with “the Freshlyground cd” and she told me – “I am convinced that you will like this one.” She was right.

Freshlyground has unbelievable lyrics and amazing compositions – rich with African atmosphere – from Southern African styles to music from other parts of the continent, violin solos, flute, mbira music and more … They have become so popular so quickly that they need no introduction here – so this post is especially for those poor souls without Freshlyground access

Here is what their Youtube page says :

Afro-fusion sounds, multilingual lyrics, post-apartheid multiracial South African music heroes… Freshlyground are a band of diverse African musicians based in Cape Town. Born in a bar in Observatory, Cape Town, the guys have stuck to their roots. Their various roots, that is. And that’s saying something in a band of 7.

Here is Doo Be Doo – which everyone knows here in SA – but I am not sure everyone understood what the lyrics is about :

And I’d like :

And if you liked the above – then meet the band :

Other songs:

• Africans by Nneka
• A eme o by Andrea Echeverry
• Braided hair (from the film Giant Leap)
• De La Rey by Bok van Blerk
• Balance by Sara Tavares
• Hymn for Taiwa by Moses Khumalo

 

“It has to do with sounds. Natural sounds from far up north.” – The music of Moses Molelekwa

“It has to do with sounds.
Natural sounds from far up north.
Sounds of rivers with gentle waterfalls.
Sounds from trees though still.
Sounds from the mountain in their fix.

Sounds not only from chirping birds,
Also from least thought of pigs
Creaking doors tenderly pushed ajar
Whispers of wings in the divine space
All in the likeness
of melancholy thoughts.

Many, many years will go by,
Pain will be reduced to understanding
Tears will spell out acceptance
A boy so adored will grow
to find solace in the music
of the Ancestors
for decades to heal.”

Jerry ‘Monk’ Molelekwa
Father of Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

Rouvanne says Moses is one of his favourite SA artists – you can read his posts here and here – I feel the same way – so here is a post about him – though best is if you stop reading right now and listen to his work – you will see what I mean.

When I heard Moses’s music for the first time – I thought – wow – and that is all I could think of – when it comes to words – and I was just sitting there listening. The richness and shades of his sounds is amazing and comes so naturally one note after the other. There are artists that don’t have to sit down and write a song – they just start talking or playing and it instantly becomes a piece – so you can’t actually tell the difference when they talk or sing. When one listens to Moses Molelekwa play – it’s as if he was telling a story about the people on the street, the trees and the sky – you don’t really need to hear the words.

When I listen to music I don’t only listen but always think what makes a musician/artist write a song or paint a picture and write a poem (or a combination of all of these) – what exactly inspired him – who & what he/she saw, where he travelled, what experience made him write a song – in other words I take music as something that teaches me about a person, a place, about a situation – that is why I started my Natural mystic pages. Moses’ music vividly explains about his life – it is not music that makes you say – “yes I heard this a million times – it is just like this other piece” – it is music that makes you think : “He is walking down this road, it’s a late sunny afternoon, the birds are singing and …..” etc. etc.

Just listen & watch this video and you will see what I mean :

Hymn for Taiwa – by Moses Khumalo

Here in the OpenCafe we work to the jazzy sounds of artists like Hugh Masekela, Judith Sephuma, Baaba Maal, Vusi Mahlasela and very often Moses Molelekwa – one of our “musical geeks” Kagiso – who is very interested in Linux projects and also plays the saxophone – has his own favourite Molelekwa song which we always play when he is around – Hymn for Taiwa by Moses Khumalo – which is a tribute to a great musican by another jazz great. This song describes the feeling of many of us who love Moses’ music and are sad that he is not with us any more.

Here is another video from Rouvanne’s video collection entitled “Moses Taiwa Molelekwa – jazz genius“:

Other posts on music:

• Senegalese magic
• Karoo Kitaar Blues – David Kramer and the ou liedjies of the Karoo
• Natural mystic – a series of posts on art and creativity
• De La Rey Generation
• One Giant Leap
• Naseer and the lute

 

Film of the day : The Flyer

Today I saw a South African film about a young Cape Town street kid who becomes a trapeze artist.

Here is the story from London Film festival site :

Kieren Jordaan (Jarrid Geduld) is a member of a street gang. While trying to pick pocket an old trapeze trainer, Anders Larsen (Marcel Van Heerden), our athletic Kieren gets caught and Anders drags him back to a warehouse and makes him work off his crime. Kieren scrubs and polishes the floors as he watches Anders’ trapeze artists fly. As he observes them practice, his imagination is captured. Kieren pays off his debt but does not want to leave. He wants in but he knows his gang friends would never approve. When something in the gang goes horribly wrong Kieren is forced to flee and it is here, in this world of the flyers, that he seeks refuge. Under the guidance of his new found mentor Anders, Kieren’s raw talent takes flight. But later on in life, when his old gang buddies catch up with him, Kieren must fight for his dreams and his destiny. When his brother (Ian van der Heyden) is released from prison, Kier is forced to choose between his new life and his old.

It’s a great film to watch if you’d like to find out about Cape Town and its people.

 

Karoo Kitaar Blues

I first heard of David Kramer not long after I arrived in South Africa in 1997.

Kat and the kings

During my first years we spent much more time in Johannesburg where our favourite club was Kippies – the jazz club of legendary jazz artist, Kippie Moeketsi - right next to the Market Theatre. I felt priviledged to be able to listen to the jazz greats at the club – I wish I could go there regularly but I think it closed down.

One day we bought tickets at the Market Theatre to see a David Kramer’s musical, Kat and the kings ( The story of Kat Diamond and the Cavalla Kings ) . Not knowing what to expect I was looking forward to hearing something new – something I never heard before – and that is what I got. The sights and sounds of the musical was captivating – though I had no idea what the story was really about. Trying to describe the musical in this post would be impossible – you can read more about story behind it but best is to go & see it – or if it is not playing – go and see any other David Kramer production to get the feel and the energy he puts into his shows.

The Wikipedia about David Kramer :

David Kramer (born Worcester, South Africa in 1951) is a singer, songwriter, playwright and director, most notable for his musicals about the Cape Coloured communities.

He played in a South African band called The Creeps in the 1960, and moved to England in 1971 to study textile design at Leeds University. He released his first half live/half studio album Bakgat in 1981, most of which was banned by the SABC. His follow up album Die Verhaal van Blokkies Joubert came later that year and produced the singles Hak Hom Blokkies and Die Royal Hotel. The album reached number 11 on the South African LP charts. His only other singles chart success was with Stoksielalleen from the Kwaai album, however he did chart with Delicious Monster, Hanepootpad and Kwaai in the albums charts.

In 1986 he collaborated with Taliep Petersen on the highly acclaimed stage musical District Six It was also with Petersen that he produced Fairyland and Kat & the Kings all to critical acclaim, the latter having successful runs on Broadway and in London’s West End.

With his trademark red velskoene shoes, bicycle and guitar, he has been an enduring figure on South Africa’s music scene. His songs are mostly stories about ordinary life in South Africa life.

Karoo Kitaar Blues

Karoo Kitaar Blues was one of the DVDs we bought for Christmas. I couldn’t wait till we opened the box and started playing it. This is a musical documentary about David setting off to find some of those musicans that still play the “ou liedjies” – “the old songs”of the Karoo . He travels from town to town, from village to village and wherever he stops people seem to know him well – wherever he goes the music and dancing starts as he asks the people to sing & play the songs of the Karoo.

In this short video, Hannes Coetzee, one of the musicians in Karoo Kitaar Blues is playing the slide guitar with a teaspoon in his mouth.

Read more on the official David Kramer site.