Free Chapita Now!!

As this is post number one hundred on Electric Jive we want to celebrate just a little. We are happy to be part of any process that highlights South African music in particular, and African music in general. As part of this celebration Electric Jive has secured one copy of Dick Khoza's Chapita LP, recently released by Matsuli Music. One Electric Jive reader will receive this special, individually numbered collector’s item as a gift from us, delivered free of charge.

We also want to celebrate our blog friends, readers and other kindred spirits who share our passion for this music. We are convinced that the proliferation of African music blogsites is growing the audience base. We believe that this greater interest and exposure can only be good for music – old and new. In the past year we have probably seen more re-issues of old South African music than ever before – witness Chapita; the three great Next Stop Soweto volumes, the South African Funk Experience; Shangaan Electro; the Mahotella Queens/Soul Brothers compilation by Nascente to name just a few.

There have been some interesting debates on vinyl-digging colonialism and re-issues over at Africa is a Country  – picking up on the music industry's rapidly shifting set of business and relationship parameters created through web 2.0.

We have witnessed the growth in some amazing efforts to build discographies and add to the documentation of South African music - witness Nick Lotay's incredible articles on the Mavuthela label or the As-shams discography created by matt from matsuli. We are particularly excited by the just emerging initiative of Siemon Allen over at flat international which we hope to support in whatever way we can.

We think, with a little mindfulness, our music blogsites can be good for music and for artists past and present. Electric Jive has been careful not to share free downloads of music that can be easily bought. We do believe we have helped grow the sales of some CDs by sharing links to sites where these can be purchased. In sum, we feel good about being part of what blogs and people around the world are able to do in sharing and promoting music. We look forward to sharing the next 100 posts with you!

We invite you to share a comment and any thoughts with us. This time next week one of the comments will be randomly selected (by number - not content) to “win” a free copy of the Chapita re-issue. Best wishes from us both. Fortherecord and Dabulamanzi.

More Sounds of Africa

We seem to keep uncovering these compilations made for European homes (local and overseas). The cover imagery here is at least one step removed from the usual curios and animal pictures. So we get a bit of mysticism crossing into the psychedelic. As for the sounds its a mix of rock solid urban mbaqanga jive, Soweto soul and bump groove. Enjoy!

Sounds of Africa (Trutone, TBL2, 1969)

1. Soul in my Boots - Soul Prophets

2. The Real McKay - The SOul Prophets

3. Inkomo Zam - The Sweet Sixteens

4. Lendoda - The Sweet Sixteens

5. mahunt - Ismael Mbelu

6. Go man - Ismael Mbelu

7. Khuluma Njalo - The Paper Dolls

8. Eswazini - The Paper Dolls

9. Long Time No See - Boogies

10. Somandla - The Aweet Sixteens

11. Easy Going - Israel Mabena

12. Mbuzi Mbuzi - The Sweet Sixteens

RS/MF

Alex Soul Menu

The Flaming Souls were formed by Simon Twala and Philip Malela when Alexandra's first soul group The Anchors broke up. They recorded two full length LPs, She's Gone (UPL2008) and Alex Soul Menu (UPL2010). Other members of the group included Gerald Khoza, Herman Fox, Kenny Mosito and Condry Ziqubu. For more details on the Soweto Soul scene check out "Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music" by Max Mojapelo as well as the sleeve notes to Next Stop Soweto Volume 2, that included a Flaming Souls tune. The Flaming Souls were produced by Teal record scout West Nkosi.

The Flaming Souls - Alex Soul Menu (UP UP UP, UPL5010, 1970)
1. Admission
2. Harvest
3. A Whiter Shade of Pale
4. Hot Pepper
5. Modupe (Thunder Showers)
6. Alex Soul Menu
7. Alex Soul Stew
8. Everybody Needs Help
9. Tell It
10. Tribute to a True Friend
11. Soul Men

Apologies for the condition of this record but we felt the historical value outweighs the fidelity.
"Praise it, condemn it, whatever, WE LOVE IT!!" (Elliot Makhaya, The World Soul/Pop Writer)
UPDATED DOWNLOAD LINK HERE

Moçambique's Fado

This Gallotone LP is testament to a sophisticated Lusophone music scene in southern Africa more than fifty years ago. It is also an important and beautiful record of Moçambique’s gift to the Portugese and global canon of Fado music.

Most important, this LP is the earliest recording that Electric Jive knows of Moçambican singer Joao Maria Tudella (below right) who went on to become a globally recognised Fado singer. The estimated date of this Johannesburg recording is 1955 or 1956 (GALP1011). This album also contains important Moçambican Fado compositions, including the perernially popular “Uma Casa Portuguesa” which is about: "The Portugese home has its own characteristics. It is simple and lives off the sincere friendship of those who belong to it, and values more the tenderness of a kiss to the warmth of a fireplace which often they cannot afford." (from the back cover).

An authoritative 1973 essay by musicologist Margaret Nabarro captures the fascinating history of Fado in Moçambique.

“As in Portugal, the accompaniment to the Fado in Lourenço Marques was provided by the two guitarists, the Portuguese guitar providing the melody and the Spanish guitar providing the harmony, often a ground bass.

“Although most of the fados performed in Lourenço Marques came from Lisbon there were examples of locally produced fados. Artur Fonseca, the brother of Antonio Fonseca, the guitar player, studied music in Lisbon and he is a composer of considerable repute. One of his best successes is the fado “Uma Casa Portuguesa. This fado is internationally known and has been sung and recorded in Lisbon by many famous singers including Amalia Rodrigues, who is still regarded by most as the “Queen of fado singers”. The libretto of «Uma Casa Portuguesa» was written as a poem by two young Lourenço Marques poets, Matos Sequeira and Reinaldo Ferreira. The first performance was given in Lourenço Marques in the Spring of 1954 at the Radio Clube de Moçambique and the singer was Sara Chaves.” Read more here.

Fado Singer Joao Maria Tudella was born in Moçambique in 1929 and schooled in South Africa. He was unsuccessful in his law studies in Coimbra, Portugal and was forced by his family to return to Mozambique. Tudella persisted with his singing passion and became famous for it. This recording is one of the earliest and was made while he was still working in Lourenco Marques either for Shell or for an insurance company. In 1959 he linked up with the South African Dan Hill band and had an international hit with the song Kanimambo. Tudella persisted with singing Fado and went on to tour America, Brazil and became a big hit in Portugal in the 1960s, winning numerous awards and national prizes there.  Read more about him here.

Gallotone issued a follow-up Lusophone issue (GALP 1067) in 1959 to celebrate the first anniversary of the “new” Moçambique Restaurant in Noord Street, Johannesburg – “Cabaret at the Mocambique”. You can find most of the songs of this recording over at our good friend Soul Safari.

This post goes out to "music-knitter Nauma at the freedomblues blogsite - thanks Nauma for sharing all the wonderful Fado and other Lusophone music you have posted recently!

Rapidshare download here
Mediafire download here

Taxi Jive (Songs from the African Bush)

Not a lot of bush in this compilation of urban jive compiled for a foreign audience. The compiler did a good job though and the great examples of early electric jive more than compensate for plainly wrong sub-title and imagery.

Taxi Jive - Song from the African Bush (MXX 10048, Mace, c1965)
1. Quick Step - Sdudla
2. Taxi Fare - Fast Drivers
3. Makhona Tsohle Jive - Eight Gentlemen
4. Echo Jive Christmas Surprise - The Hilltops
5. Xmas Time - The New All Stars
6. Linville Special - Zebra Boys
7. Dwi - Valenti's Rhythm Kings
8. Mojo Dance No 2 - King Marshall
9. Spider - The Snake Bites
10. 3-0-3 - Margo's Men
11. Woza Nazo - Eight Gentlemen
12. Yehlela - The Big Heads
The Eight Gentlemen are almost certainly the Makhona Tsohle Band whilst Valenti's Rhythm Kings would probably be Boy Masaka's band of the time. The band names are modified for the American label.

Update: photos of the labels from the original Troubadour compilation LP - suspect it was 1966 or 67? (Chris).



Enjoy!
RS/MF

Spokes Mashiyane's sax lays down mbaqanga roots

Part two of this one-two sees Spokes Mashiyane explore a wider range of possibilities with his saxophone in mapping out what was to become mbaqanga.

Play any South African the first few bars of 'Emafini", and no matter where they are, they will recognise the "source" – add in the the still jazz-rooted uptempo mbaqanga bassline, the ocassionally soloing rhythm guitar, and the essential ingredients are set.

So – how about it you good folk with old 78 recordings kicking around in your collections? Electric Jive would be very happy to make everybody happy by sharing them here?!

The 78rpm hisses on this recording have been "tidied up" with Click Repair.

Emafini - GB 2962
Pretoria - GB 2962

Rapidshare here
Mediafire here

Spokes Mashiyane on 78rpm

Every now and then record digging in Durban turns up some rarities that convince you to keep on perservering. In addition to the last two posts on Electric Jive, a pile of five shellac 78rpm’s found their way to me from an older person who was leaving the big city for a small house in a small rural town - just could not afford big city life anymore. Herewith a quick-fire one-two of Spokes Mashiyane recordings done on the “New Sound” label. ClickRepair has been used to tidy up the standard hiss one gets from these old 78s.

Spokes Mashiyane and his All-Star flutes is more in the mould of the traditional banjo and flute kwela music that was so popular in the late 50s and early 60s. The third song offered today. “Bo Joang Joala” is a combination of pennywhistle and banjo backing to a more mbaqanga-oriented vocal platform for male and female voice, replete with great ululating. The “B” side of this particular recording “Qo Petsa” is unfortunately damaged. The surface is not scratched or visibly impaired, and no matter how much careful cleaning, the sound still comes out muffled and inconsistent. I can only conclude that it was an “off” pressing?

Tomorrow’s offering takes Spokes into saxophone territory.

Spokes Mashiyane and His All Star Flutes
The Last Sixpence - GB 2964A
Banjo Special - GB 2964B

Spokes Mashiyane and His All Stars
Bo Joang Joala GB 2941B
Qo Petsa GB2941A - damaged

Rapidshare here and here
Mediafire here and here