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| For more African
artists visit FEATURE
ARTISTS |
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| One of South
Africa’s most revered singer/songwriters, Vusi Mahlasela
has played a central role in the evolution of contemporary
South African music. An important cultural figure during the
notorious apartheid years, it’s only recently that the
rest of the world has begun to familiarise itself with this
unique artist. Prominently featured in the award-winning 2003
documentary Amandla!: A Revolution In 4-Part Harmony, Mahlasela’s
recent one-off appearances at the Falls Festival, along with
his upcoming national tour, should gain him new fans here
in Australia. Born near Pretoria in 1965, Mahlasela grew up
and still resides in Mamelodi, a creative township which has
produced a number of noted poets, writers, artists and musicians.
“I’m sure I learned to sing before I could talk,”
says Vusi. His octave-spanning vocal ability was evident early.
“I surprised myself. There was a choir competition,
and there was a part that was supposed to be sung by a girl
because of the high pitch, and all the other groups used a
girl, but my group gave it to me because I was able to hit
those notes. We won the competition!” |
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The early 80’s were a
pinnacle of creativity in East African music. They saw the
consolidation of the Zairean (Congolese) rumba in a profusion
of orchestras whose high musical standards have rarely been
equalled since. A rival and equally important scene of distinctive
sounding rumba had emerged in neighbouring Tanzania and
Kenya with the leading exponents being Orchestra Super Mazembe,
Super Matamila and Orchestra Makassy which was based in
Dar Es Salaam. |
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The Sahara desert in Northern Mali
is an unforgiving place. Sand dunes dotted with bright green
acacia trees, blistering 40deg heat by day and 0 by night
when the stars seem so near you can touch them. The recent
bloody uprisings of the Tamashek speaking peoples, the Tuaregs
still fresh in everyone’s minds. Imagine a concert
that unites Tuaregs, Malians, Mauritanians, musicians from
Niger and from the rest of the world. Imagine that everyone
invited to perform, African stars such as Ali Farka Toure
and Oumou Sangare, and ex-Led Zep Robert Plant ...
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The music of Madagascar is unlike any music
you’ve ever heard. It’s also like every kind
of music you’ve ever heard. Sounds like a paradox?
The legendary Malagasy guitarist Etienne Ramboatiana puts
it in a nutshell “ The music of Madagascar combines
the spirituality of Oriental music, the rhythms of African
music, and the intellectualism of European music”. |
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The Garifuna are the descendents
of the West African survivors of two Spanish slave galleys
that sank off the coast of Bequia near the Caribbean isle
of St Vincent in the late 18th century. They subsequently
intermarried with the native Arawak-Carib Indians who lived
in the area and adopted their language as a lingua franca
between the Africans’ own diverse language groups. |
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Oumou
ranges from Malian desert blues that throb with spiky ngoni
and haunting violin, majestic call and response between
vocals and female choir to modern flavours and some beautiful,
ballad material...
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