Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Zim Ngqawana: Zimphonic Suites
Zim Ngqawana: Zimphonic Suites
BySubsequent suites connect the dots between tribal vocal/drumming music and instrumental improvisation. Ngqawana's core quartet dances about the boundaries and sews things up in unexpected ways. "Ebhofolo (This Madness)" features emphatic vocals strung across swinging bitonal harmony, with some elegant call-and-response playing as well as extended improvisations which vary at times from animal noises to impassioned cries. Perhaps the most dissonant piece on the record, this tune relies on a deeper inner logic to steer it forward. Subsequent efforts bring out references to tribal melodies, dance hall swing, bossa nova, and a variety of other influences. One has the feeling here not just of cross-fertilization, but a strong compositional focus on emotive expression. Ngqawana's saxophone and flute playing, in particular, harnesses a wonderful inner energy to communicate a message transcending style or nationality.
Visit Sheer Sound and Zim Ngqawana on the web.
Track Listing
Ingoma Ya Kwantu: Invocation, Royal Drumming, Resolution; Intlombe Variations: Diviners Ceremony, Ebhofolo (This Madness), Bantu (Rainbow Nation); Abaphantsi (Ancestry Suite): Sud Afrika (A Country Without A Name), Ode to Princess Magogo (Classical Composer), Old Blues (Early Harmonic Devices), Compassion (Ubuntu); www.kwantunent.com (aka African Continent); Ballroom Dance Suite: Man and Woman (Duality of Life), Man (A Dying Father Figure), Two To Tangle (Challenges of Life); Celebrations: Chisa (Wedding Festivities), Gobbliesation (In A Global Village), Beautiful Love (It's All About Love).
Personnel
Zim Ngqawana
saxophoneZim Ngqawana: soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, alto, picolo, and c-flutes, harmonica, bicycle bells, chimes, whistles, vocals, and piano; Andile Yenana: piano, vocals; Herbie Tsoaeli: bass, vocals; Kevin Gibson: drums, percussion.
Album information
Title: Zimphonic Suites | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Sheer Sound