Reggae Special ala Bump Disco Soul Jive (1975)

Another one of those albums where cover and content do not quite add up - but upon playing it for the fist time I was just as happy to discover the unexpected. By 1975 reggae was gaining huge traction in urban South Africa - the message and the 60s ska residues made for a perfect fit. In real terms though, the marketing departments pretty much got ahead of the local musicians.

This album is not reggae, but three tracks of looping, loping bump jive and disco soul, to be filed on the same digital shelf that contains the best that Movers and the Nzimande All Stars were producing around the same time. Later this year I will share another "Reggae Revolution" album from 1976 which is more funk and soul than reggae, but tasty nonetheless.

The first track "Reggae Special" is more than ten minutes of lead-guitar and sax-led, bass-fed elliptical, funky off-centre driving bump-jive rhythm. "Springbok Dance" starts off almost exactly like that much-loved Bump Jive No. 6 from the Movers in which all the members of the band are introduced. Soon enough it swings into a more soul-centred funky guitar-led instrumental. "Bump Jive No 3" picks up on the overall theme. This is a clean and clear recording. Get it and enjoy it while you can.

Reggae Special: David Thekwane and the Brothers (1975)
SSL 0103

1. Reggae Special (10:25)
2. Springbok Dance (4:11)
3. Bump Jive No. 3 (9:42)

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Intuthuko Brothers feat Hansford Mthembu (1974)

Especially for you Manzo: Following on from Siemon's April posts of "Modern Sax Stars" featuring the Intuthuko Brothers in the guise of Abafana Intuthuko and Hansford Mthembu in 1967, and the 1976  "Stars of Africa" herewith a 1974 offering from this talented and mellow outfit.

Hansford Mthembu (the spelling on the album cover is a misprint) was a pretty special guitarist. He also leads  on the "Amagugu" album featured on Electric Jive here. At that time he was married to Amagugu singer Francine Thopi Mnguni,  previously with Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje. Mthembu also went on to produce recordings by the Kings Messengers Quartet in the 1980s, and regularly played guitar for multiple bands assembled by West Nkosi.

1. Tomorrow's Wedding (Hensford Mthembu / T. Masikane)
2.Please Dont Cry (Hensford Mthembu)
3. S.A. My Love (Hensford Mthembu)
4. Champaine & Wine (Hensford Mthembu)
5, Loving Arms (T. Jans)
6. Xmas Bells (Hensford Mthembu)
7. Back Home (Hensford Mthembu)
8. Uthanda Bantu (Hensford Mthembu / T. Masikane)
9. Ematimatolo (Hensford Mthembu / T. Masikane)
10. Kwa Kheth'Omthandayo (Hensford Mthembu)
11. Is'Gul'Egoli  (K. Monare)
12. First Stop Durban (K. Monare)

Intuthuko Borthers: Featuring Hansford Mthembu (1974)
Skyline Marabi SK80163
Produced by N. Venter

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Jazz and Hot Dance in South Africa 1946-1959 (Harlequin 1985)

Compilations are the focus of a feature in the latest issue of UK magazine The Wire - a number of writers and commentators weigh in on revisionism, archiving, chronologies, lists and other topics. The first internationally released compilation of South African music, "Soweto" (on the West German label Zensor from 1982), gets a mention. Despite forging access to so-called "authentic" songs for international listeners after the hype of Malcolm McLaren's dalliance with mbaqanga it is this compilation from 1985 on the Harlequin label that continues to enjoy a "marker" status as the first LP compiling some of the earliest jazz from South Africa issued on the LP format. Until this album was issued you would have had great difficulty in listening to this legacy unless you were a 78 collector.

There remains an incredible legacy of South African jazz, marabi, boogie and jive still locked away on 78s gathering dust on collectors shelves. Until someone sorts out this travesty (and at Electric Jive we certainly try to unlock as many as we can) we will have to rely on compilations such as these which are now sadly out of print. For more in this genre do explore Soul Safari's Township Jive and Kwela Jazz which has brought a number of these compositions back into print.

This compilation was part of a series that Harlequin  completed covering early jazz in a number of outlying countries. Reproduced liner notes are available at flatinternational. Enjoy!



Various Artists: JAZZ & HOT DANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1946 - 1959 (Harlequin, 1985)
01. Pesheya Kwezo Ntaba - MANHATTAN BROTHERS WITH MERRY BLACKBIRDS' ORCHESTRA
02. Amazw' Amnandi - MANHATTAN BROTHERS
03. Mia Mia Bounce - BLACK BROADWAY BOYS
04. Jumping Jive - MANHATTAN STARS
05. Ndasuka Ekhayo - KING COLE BOOGIES WITH BB ALL STAR BAND
06. Swazi Stomp - AFRICAN SWINGSTERS
07. Ba Zali Bami - DOROTHY MASUKA AND HER HOT MUSIC
08. Organ Grinder's Swing - JAKE NTULI AND THE MANHATTAN BROTHERS
09. Unoya Kae - SHANTY CITY SEVEN
10. Amafosi - KING FORCE SILGEE'S JAZZ FORCES
11. uMgibe - BENNY G. MRWEBI AND THE HARLEM SWINGTERS
12. Rasberry Jazz Blues - JAZZ SWINGCOPATERS
13. U Boogie Woogie Wam - WALTER THELETSANE
14. Third Avenue Special - ALEXANDRA ALL STAR BAND
15. Take It! - BOOM BROTHERS
16. Meadowlands Boogie - SPOKES MASHIYANE AND FRANCE PILANE

Enjoy: MF / RS

Uwandile's Apartheid (1987)and Temba Matebese

Another forgotten story of South Africa's rich musical stream is that of exiled guitarist Temba Matebese. Whilst the record being shared today comes from 1987 the early bits of the story begin back in 1975 when Temba worked as the music consultant on The Wilby Conspiracy. Just a year later in 1976 Temba was in Lagos working with Lekan Animashum and Tunde Williams on the LP Temba and T-Fire's No Stop Dis Music. A second LP, T-Fire's The New Testament and production credits on Basa Basa's Homowo from 1983 are also noted before this album was recorded in Lagos in 1987 and released in the UK on Mother Africa records. T-Fire's track Will of the People from The New Testament was comped on the Soundway album Nigeria Disco Funk Special.

Aside from that not a lot more information can be gleaned on the elusive Temba Matebese...perhaps not William Onyeabor but if anyone has more information we would love to hear more.

Uwandile - Apartheid (MALP01, 1987)
1. The Breaker
2. Apartheid
3. And this thing gets you down
4. Thumela
5. Where It All Began
6. Izenzo
7. Forever this Time
Links removed due to impending licensed reissue.

Intuthuko Brothers - Stars of Africa (1976)

As promised last week, today we feature the first in a series of posts on the Intuthuko Brothers. Also known as Abafana Bentuthuko, this distinctly mellow mbaqanga group was led by guitarist Hansford Mthembu and can often be heard backing Bra Sello Mmutung on a number of his LPs. The 1967 compilation album, Modern Sax Stars, featured here at Electric Jive includes Mthembu and his group as well as David Khanyile and Bra Sello.

The group that became the Intuthuko Brothers were formed around 1966 and were hugely popular in South Africa and toured extensively throughout the country and Swaziland in the mid 1970s.

Stars of Africa (1976) is dedicated to the group's first bassist Jackson Simelane Makwenta who unfortunately died in a car accident in 1975. Makwenta is also remembered by the inclusion of the first track, Mahlabathini Special No. 6, which he composed and arranged.

Intuthuko Brothers
Stars of Africa
Kaya-Lami
KYL 2002
1976

Modern Sax Stars (1967)

I recently acquired a number of distinctly mellow mid-70s mbaqanga LPs by the Intuthuko Brothers and for today I had planned to post the earliest of those featuring Hansford Mthembu. But I came across a YouTube posting by alkis09 of Bra Sello with Abafana Bentuthuko where kayem11 had added a comment mentioning that Abafana Bentuthuko were also known as the Intuthuko Brothers. Of course I should have known... I recalled a 1967 CBS LP Modern Sax Stars featuring David Khanyile (Festus the Great), Bra Sello and Hansford Mthembu or (as the LP cover clearly notes) Abafana Bentuthuko.

Abafana Bentuthuko led by Hansford Mthembu were the backing band on a number of LPs for Bra Sello Mmutung. So for today's post I thought to focus on this earlier LP featuring the group, and cover their later 1970s material in future postings. You may be familiar with some of the tracks included here, 12-0-12 and Vala Nzimande were big hits for Bra Sello and Hansford Mthembu respectively, and are also featured on Nick Lotay's earlier post: Sax Jive Special. Bra Sello can also be heard here at EJ on Butterfly, and on the compilations DiscoSoulJive, and Pull Up! Sixties Jazz 78s.

David Khanyile (Festus the Great)
Bra Sello and his Band
Hansford Mthembu (Abafana Bentuthuko)
Modern Sax Stars
CBS
LAB 4002
1967

Nelcy Sedibe - Sengaliwe (1984)

Today we present a great LP from the Electric Jive archives. Sengaliwe, solo artist Nelcy Sedibe’s first album, was released in 1984 on the Soul Jazz Pop label.

From the liner notes on the back cover:

Nelcy Sedibe was born in 1957 at Barberton in the Eastern Transvaal. She did her primary schooling at Mganduzweni, from there to Masoyi Higher Primary to do Standard 5 and eventually went on to complete Form 2 at Mshadza High in 1977.

Nelcy started her singing career at the age of eight, singing for Sunday School. She also participated in school choirs. When she left school she went to work as a beautician. During those years she kept up her interest in music and joined a band called KAKAI. In 1980 Nelcy decided to go to Johannesburg to pursue her career in music. She had a strong belief in herself and was positive that she could break into the music world and become the best female vocalist in South Africa.

In Johannesburg she met Mr Mojapelo, Kori Moraba’s manager. He put her into Kori’s group as a vocalist. Together with Kori she toured the country gaining valuable experience performing in live shows, but she still wanted to be a solo singer and felt that this was not what she was looking for. Nelcy eventually met with producer West Nkosi who signed her to his record company. Co-incidentally, the group that backed Nelcy on her first recordings was KAKAI – and from here it was smooth sailing.

Back in her home town of Barberton, Nelcy rehearsed for almost a year before recording. During this time West Nkosi sent her a cassette to guide her in the style of music that she should be singing and recording. Nelcy began to feel that all her dreams were coming true. In April 1983, Nelcy received the news that she was to go to Johannesburg to record – she was delighted. She recorded a Maxi seven single which was aimed specifically at the Zulu Nation. She wrote her own music and lyrics for “KIKIZELANI” and West gave her some tunes like “SENGIZULA NEZWE”.

For Nelcy things have only just begun – and the sky is the limit.

Nelcy's song "Holotelani", the original Swazi-language version of "Kikizelani", was included on the groundbreaking 1985 compilation The Indestructible Beat of Soweto. The great singer has since passed on but her magical voice can still be heard through the numerous recordings she made - and this album is a real gem. Enjoy!

NELCY SEDIBE
SENGALIWE
produced by West Nkosi
Soul Jazz Pop BL 470
1984
Zulu Vocal

RS / MF