Old New Sounds of Africa - sixties Kwela and Phatha Phatha

Another undated early sixties compilation featuring Spokes Mashiyane on saxophone, and Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks. Well worth a listen!

Thanks a plenty go out to Bra Robs from Italy for his generous donation of this perfect quality vinyl to ElectricJive.

From the back-cover aimed at a European audience: “During the last few years there has been born in the native townships of the big South African cities a “New Sound”. With its roots deeply set in the old rhythmic pattern of tribal Africa, this music has absorbed the modern overtones of contemporary American Jazz, and it is significant that many of the new African dance idioms, such as the “Kwela” and “Patha Patha” have originated on the concrete corners of city pavements far away from the country “kraal”. But still, even in these modern forms, there is a nostalgic hankering after the old world left far behind beyond the horizon, and so we find a composition dedicated to MORIJA, the famous college for non-Europeans set among the picturesque mountains of Basutoland, and another bearing the name of MAFETENG, the little Basutoland town. A third song NDIDLIWE ZINTABA, has the poetic theme, “the mountains have swallowed me up”, the story of a wanderer finding refuge in the mountains of his homeland.
"African songs have always served to record current events, and this custom persists in the modern songs recorded on this disc. In the song “LENYALO LE THATA the singers explain that “marriage is hard these days” – a bitter complaint about the many domestic break-ups in city families.
“HULA MAHULA” is a tribute to the joys of the hula hoop!
"The saxophonist SPOKES MASHIYANE, who stars on this record, is one of the most famous of African musicians. MIRIAM MAKEBA, now heading cabaret bills in the U.S., is the first African singer to make a name in the outside world.”

1. Kwela Du Du (Spokes Mashiyane and Leo De Lyon) J. Monaheng.
2. Phatha Phatha (Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone) R. Msomi.
3. Uile Ngoan’a Batho (Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks with Spokes Mashiyane) M. Rabotapi.
4. Mafeteng (Spokes Mashiyane and his Big Five) Arr. H. Mathabe
5. Lenyalo Le Thata (Spokes Mashiyane and the Melody Sisters) J. Phalatsi.
6. Phatha Phatha No 2. (Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone) H. Mathabe
7. Six and Six (Spokes Mashiyane and Leo De Lyon) J. Monaheng
8. Big Five (Spokes Mashiyane and his Big Five) T. Madi
9. Hula Mahula (Spokes Mashiyane and the Melody Sisters) F. Phalane.
10. Morija Special (Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone) S. Manikela.
11. Kwela Zulu (Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone) R. Msomi.
12. Ndidliwe Zintaba (Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks with Spokes Mashiyane) Gibson Kente.

Link RS
Link MF