Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » IzangoMa: Ngo Ma
IzangoMa: Ngo Ma
ByAnd the jazz connection runs deeper than that. IzangoMa, which translates from Zulu as "healer," is a South African/Mozambican collective whose backbone is Sibusile Xaba, on vocals and keyboards, and Ashley Kgabo, on synths and drums. Xaba, who wrote and arranged all the material, is also a guitarist, and one of his chief formative influences on the instrument was Philip Tabane, founder in the early 1960s of South African jazz pioneers Malombo (see review of two important, spring 2023 Malombo reissues here). IzngoMa's guitarist, Virgilio Faruk, here, comes out of much the same bag.
All of which preamble is to establish IzangoMa's jazz credentials, and commend this elemental, elegant and inventive album to AAJ readers.
Anyone searching for a genre with which to tag Ngo Ma, which loosely translates from Zulu to English as "by my mother," is invited by the Xama to consider "rhythm music." And it is a good description. A second suggestion, again from Xama, is "a shroom trip laced with ones and zeros," a reference to both the out-there vibe of the music and the role played by digital studio tech in realizing it. Again, a good description.
But do not get hung up on genre categorization. Just bathe in the music, a tradition-rooted, future-facing electro-acoustic blend whichlike Philip Tabane's malombo jazzis primarily music to listen to, not dance to.
Track Listing
Agenda Remember; Birds (Of A Feather); City Lights; La Nna Mfana; Mgundgundlova; Ngo Ma; Out Of The World; Phew; Q&A; Tribute To Johnny Dyani; Wathint Imbokodo.
Personnel
Sibusile Xaba
vocalsAshley Kgabo
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
Sibusile Xaba: vocal, piano, mouthbow, keyboards, mbira; Ashley Kgabo: synths, drum machine, snare drum, sticks, bongo, vocal; Khanyisile Mtshobile: vocal; Fakazile Nkosi: vocal; Neo Erasmus: vocal; Malusi Masia: alto and tenor saxophone, flute; Abraham Mennen: soprano saxophone; Jack Mcwabe: trumpet; Yao Agbodohu: djembe, vocal; Mthokozisi Mazibuko: congas; Soares Bruno: maraca shaker, ngoni drum; Omar Machava: cow bell, malombo drum; Virgilio Faruk: guitar; Thapelo Khumisi: Rhodes.
Album information
Title: Ngo Ma | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Brownswood Recordings