Ladysmith Black Mambazo Bio
For more than thirty years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts over the past three decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with.
Assembled in the early 1960s in South Africa by Joseph Shabalala and Mambazo being the Zulu word for axe, a symbol of the group’s ability to “chop down” any singing rival who might challenge them. Their collective voices were so tight and their harmonies so polished that they were eventually banned from competitions-although they were welcome to participate strictly as entertainers.
In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon visited South Africa and incorporated Black Mambazo’s rich tenor/alto/bass harmonies into his Graceland album-a landmark 1986 recording that was considered seminal in introducing world music to mainstream audiences. A year later, Simon produced Black Mambazo’s first U.S. release, Shaka Zulu, which won a Grammy in 1988 for Best Traditional Folk Album. Since then, the group has scored eight more Grammy nominations.
In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded with numerous artists from around the world, including Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, The Wynans, Julia Fordham, George Clinton, The Corrs and Ben Harper. A recent film documentary titled On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was nominated for an Academy Award. Their performance with Paul Simon on Sesame Street is legendary and is one of the top three requested Sesame Street segments in history.
Amid the extensive worldwide touring, the ambitious recording schedule and the numerous accomplishments and accolades, tragedy struck the group in 2002 when Nellie Shabalala, Joseph’s wife of thirty years, was murdered by a masked gunman outside their church in South Africa. “At the time that this happened, I tried to take my mind deep into the spirit, because I know the truth is there,” Shabalala recalls. “In my flesh, I might be angry, I might cry, I might suspect somebody. But when I took my mind into the spirit, the spirit told me to be calm and not to worry. Bad things happen, and the only thing to do is raise your spirit higher.”
Out of this dark chapter came Raise Your Spirit Higher-Wenyukela, Black Mambazo’s brilliant debut recording on Heads Up International, released in 2004 to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the end of apartheid. The album, which held the number one spot on the Billboard World Music chart for several months, and received national sales acclaim on Billboard's Gospel and Top Independent Album charts, was Shabalala’s message of hope and unity to a troubled world.
Given the emotional depth and very personal dimension to Raise Your Spirit Higher, it comes as no suprise that the recording scored a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album, and was nominated for Best Surround Sound Album in a first ever category in 2005.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo followed this highly successful project with the innovative No Boundaries, a classical crossover recording with The English Chamber Orchestra. Released in January 2005, No Boundaries, merges the group’s isicathamiya singing with the likes of Mozart, Schubert and Bach. The music of was arranged by South African-born German pianist and composer Isak Roux, as commissioned by South Africa’s International Classical Music Festival.
The group will celebrate twelve years of democracy in the Republic of South Africa with the January 2006 release of Long Walk to Freedom, a collection of twelve new recordings of classic Mambazo songs with numerous special guests, including Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Joe McBride, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, and Zap Mama. Also appearing on this monumental recording are a number of South African international icons lending their support to the South African anthem “Shosholoza,” including Hugh Masekela, Vusi Mahlasela, Lucky Dube, Nokukhanya and others.
HEADS UP DVD CAPTURES
THE KINETIC ENERGY OF
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO
Features stellar performances and in-depth interviews
For more than three decades, the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been just as much about physicality and choreography as it has been about brilliant vocal harmonies. For this GRAMMY-winning a cappella group that merges South African music and dance traditions with Christian messages of compassion, love and global harmony, the music alone is only half the story. Simply put, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has to be seen to be understood.
Heads Up International offers a visual glimpse of these icons of South African music and dance with a DVD, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live (HUDV 7149), scheduled for worldwide release on January 27, 2009. Recorded in Akron, Ohio, in 2008, the set captures not only fourteen songs performed on the stage of EJ Thomas Hall at the University of Akron, but also forty minutes of in-depth interviews with founder, leader and musical director Joseph Shabalala and other members of the group.
Shabalala, a South African farmboy turned factory worker, first began gathering talented vocalists and arranging multi-layered and tightly woven harmonies in the early 1960s. After a series of records throughout the ‘70s and early ‘80s, the group rocketed to international fame in 1986 with their appearance on Paul Simon’s landmark recording, Graceland.
The thematic elements in Mambazo’s music that appeal to South Africans, says Shabalala, are the same elements that appeal to a universal audience in all parts of the globe. In that sense, the group has come to be recognized as South Africa’s musical ambassadors to the world.
“People love our music because we have a story in this music,” says Shabalala. “It’s a very deep story about tradition, about taking care of yourself, about reminding people to get together and work very hard for themselves. We are treated like kings because of this music. When the police and the politicians [in South Africa] listen to this sound, they love us. They say, ‘This is the African sound. Therefore, let these people go wherever they want to go and spread this music around the world.’”
Spanning more than ninety minutes, the performances within Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live are riveting – not just in their layered musicality but in their sheer kinetic energy. Beginning with their opening number, “Nomathemba,” and throughout the performance, the nine-man group is almost constantly in motion – sometimes as individuals, sometimes as a unit – with simple hand gestures, giant leaps and bounds across the stage or overhead kicks that seem to defy the most basic laws of anatomical flexibility.
Other highlights include the thoughtful “Ekulupekeni” and the stirring “Long Walk To Freedom,” the title track to their 2006 Heads Up recording that recognized twelve years of democracy in the Republic of South Africa. Further in, “Thulanhliziyo” features some light-hearted call-and-response with the audience, while the quiet and pensive “Rain Rain Beautiful Rain” celebrates the inherent beauty and spirituality of the natural world.
The set closes with two emotionally resonant encores: “Shosholoza” (also from Long Walk To Freedom) and a quiet, heartfelt medley of the two well known hymns, “Amazing Grace” and “Nearer My God To Thee.”
The disc also includes an extensive interview with Shabalala, who takes the viewer through the history of the group, beginning with his early days in the late 1950s as a South African factory worker with musical aspirations. Interviews with other members of the band highlight the generational cross-section that makes up the group by introducing the younger members who have joined the ranks in recent years.
“Ladysmith Black Mambazo will never end,” says longtime member Abednego Mazibuko, “especially because now we have a young generation that will follow us. We are very grateful for that.”
Young or old, in motion or at rest, regionally popular in the ‘60s or world renowned in the 21st century, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has spent the past thirty-plus years committed to a message that’s as simple as it is constant. “Only one thing,” says Shabalala. “Only one thing. Love.”
Catch Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live and tap into this basic but profound concept.
Click here to view the ecard for the upcoming January release, Long Walk To Freedom
Click on the following links to gain access to additional Ladysmith Black Mambazo, music, photos, press releases, etc.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Live! DVD
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Ilembe
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Long Walk To Freedom
Featuring: Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Joe McBride, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Zap Mama
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - No Boundaries
Ladysmith Black Mambazo –Raise Your Spirit Higher
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