Sibusile Xaba

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IzangoMa: Ngo Ma

by Chris May
June 6, 2023

The first thing that needs to be said is: this is not a jazz album. Jazz is only one of many musical traditions, most of them South African, that coalesce to form IzangoMa's debut. The percussion-rich, horn-embellished, multi-layered blend weaves together kwaito, mbaqanga, township jazz, marabi, pantsula, mbube, Jamaican nyabhingi drumming, electronica and a whole lot more. But jazz is an honoured tradition in the mix. The penultimate track, “Tribute To Johnny Dyani" (check the YouTube below), is a salute ...