Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ladysmith Black Mambazo: No Boundaries

130

Ladysmith Black Mambazo: No Boundaries

By

Sign in to view read count
Ladysmith Black Mambazo: No Boundaries
Musicians are known to have a "voice"?—a distinctive sound or style of playing that sets them apart from others. Even if you haven't heard the song or been given any kind of heads up about a new recording, it doesn't take long for you to figure out who is performing. That is especially true of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African vocalists who are as comfortable a cappella as they are with accompaniment. Recent winners of the Grammy award for Traditional World Music Album for the 2004 release Raise Your Spirit Higher , the group continues to charm and entertain.

No Boundaries , a collaborative effort with the strings of the English Chamber Orchestra and the International Festival Orchestra, is the latest in the Heads Up Africa Series. Featuring an eclectic mix of delightful folk tunes, spirituals and European classical music, the album reiterates Ladysmith Black Mambazo's status as one of the world's most enduring—and endearing—vocal ensembles.

Perhaps the process makes the difference—a close parallel to the origins of American blues music. The group borrows heavily from a traditional music called isicathamiya , which developed in the mines of South Africa, where black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and families. Poorly housed and paid worse, the mine workers would entertain themselves after a six-day week by singing songs into the wee hours on Sunday morning. When they returned to their homelands, this musical tradition returned with them.

In their unique style of merging those traditions with Christian gospel music, Ladysmith Black Mambazo scores beautifully on the new album, paying tribute to such classics as "Amazing Grace,"? "Dona Nobis Pacem"? and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."? They take it even higher with vocal renditions of works by some of the masters, such as Schubert's "Sanctus (Heilig, Heilig, Heilig)"? and Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus."? Founder and principal arranger Joseph Shabalala also contributes "Jabulani—Rejoice,"? a classic Mambazo song from the early album Thandani ("Homeless"?), which eloquently expresses the tragedy of the African experience, yet leaving a sense of hope and faith, and "Ngingenwe Emoyeni (Wind of the spirit of God),"? a Zionist church hymn.

One of the most interesting songs is "Lifikile Ivangeli,"? which at times sounds like it would be right at home in a medieval royal palace. In fact, it's of Scandanavian origin, but with Shabalala's treatment, it takes on a South African flavor, stretching toward an early Baroque arrangement and eventually to a sound more closely associated with the late Renaissance period. This complex, yet beautiful evolution exemplifies what Mambazo is all about. On the Grammy-winning Raise Your Spirit Higher , the group sang, "Music Knows No Boundaries."? On the new album, Ladysmith Black Mambazo proves it.

Track Listing

Jabulani-Rejoice; Homeless; Amu Wemadoda; Amazing Grace; Dona Nobis Pacem; Ngingenwe Emoyeni (Wind of the Spirit of God); Umzuzu Nayi Ujesu; Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; Sanctus (Heilig, Heilig, Heilig); Ave Verum Corpus; Lifikile Ivangeli; Walil' Umtwana (The Child is Crying).

Personnel

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
band / ensemble / orchestra

Joseph Shabalala, Jockey Shabalala, Msizi Shabalala, Thulani Shabalala, Sibongiseni Shabalala, Thamsanqa Shabalala, Albert Mazibuko, Abednego Mazibuko, Russel Mthembu, Jabulani Dubazana- vocals; Ofer Falk, Benjamin Buckton, Alison Dods, Matthew Elston, Gillian Findlay, Richard George, Matthew Scrivener- violin; Clive Howard, Matthew Souter, Josephine St. Leon- viola; Lionel Handy, Simon Wallfisch- cello; Stephen Williams- double bass; Dawid Venter- flute; Simon Ball- bassoon; David Cohen- clarinet; Isak Roux- piano, harpsichord; Hanneke ver Schoor- English horn; Tim Roberts- oboe; Amarille Ackermman- harp; Barry van Zyl- African drums, drum set, percussion; Bernard Kisby-Green- timpani, timbales, percussion; Magda de Vries- marimba, vibraphone, percussion; Robert Brooks- added vocal on "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and "Sanctus."

Album information

Title: No Boundaries | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Heads Up International

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.