In celebration of the just released CD “Black Heroes” by legendary South African jazz composer and pianist Tete Mbambisa, Electric Jive is giving one away.
Jazz fundi Don Albert says that on “Black Heroes one hears his melodies, underpinned with rich chordal voicings and often a bass line that is pure African. His mix of African and American jazz is subtle. You’ll hear a tune such as “Dembese” and know the melody, now you will now know it was written by Mbambisa.”He is not afraid to display his emotional style on slower tempos, or to call out ‘hey’ when he likes what he’s doing, as on “Masiye”. He also has a strong side, but never just pounds the keyboard. A good example is the way he plays block chords on “Thembile’s Workshop” or his ostinato bass on “Umsenge” while on “Emavundleni” he evokes a bluesy feel.”
Tony McGregor puts it this way: “.. absolutely amazing album by Tete Mbambiso ... what a joy! To add to the greatness of the music the CD is brilliantly produced with wonderful liner notes by music maven Jonathan Eato and singer Pinise Saul. I wish all producers would take a look at this CD and learn how to really put a package together. What a wonderful tribute to a great musician – and one sadly not as well recognised as he should be. Thanks Bra Tete for the music!”
If you would like to stand a chance of winning this give-away, there are two simple steps. First, leave a comment below, saying you would like a copy. Second, send an e-mail to recordforthe AT gmail dot com, telling me the names of at least two bands that Tete Mbambisa has played with.
If you would like to buy a copy of Black Heroes (all proceeds go to Bra Tete):
Rest of the World, visit Jonathan Eato's JISA site and click on the PAYPAL link. He is working on getting more stores to stock the CD.
In South Africa:
African Music Store in Long Street, Cape Town has copies available, and they will post to you. Tel: 021 426 0857 – they do not seem to answer e-mails, but you may be luckier than me: info@africanmusic.co.za. Kalahari.com have also said they will sell it – but nothing has appeared yet.
If you would like to hear excerpts of the CD - you can do that here
