Little Lemmy

August 10, 2007 – 11:26 pm

This tune – Little Lemmy – is played by Little Lemmy (‘Special’ Mabaso) with Big Joe on alto sax (I might be making that second bit up – but he is credited as playing, and it sounds like Lemmy on the whistle). It can be found on the old, Decca LK 4292 “Something New from Africa”, as well as the currently available “The Pennywhistle – The Magical Instrument of Africa” on Gallo.

I have transcribed the theme (first four bars, repeated four times) which occurs at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the piece, as well as the first whistle solo. There is another whistle solo and a couple of sax solos in the complete piece which, as usual, lasts almost exactly two minutes and thirty seconds (so that two tunes fit on one side of a 45rpm single – well, that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it!). You should be aiming for a speed of 150bpm (where a beat is a dotted crotchet (that’s a dotted Quarter Note to our USA pals)) which is pretty fast, especially on the run in bars 15-16.

I have no idea why I accredited the piece to Mokonotela – I must have read it off another piece by accident. The tune is actually accredited to ‘Hill’ – I wonder who that is?

If you enjoy playing this (or if you don’t) – please let me know by leaving a comment.

Little Lemmy

By chris | Posted in Playing | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Babatoni, the Kwela Bass

August 4, 2007 – 6:57 pm

Babatoni in a kwela band. Donald Kachamba & Friends, Chileka, July 1997, © 1997 H. Bettermann Back in June there was a blip in the visitor stats that was the result of a link to the Kwela Project from a post in the Banjoroots Yahoo group. The post was about Africa-American single-stringed instruments, and as well as mentioning the renowned ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik (who happens to play clarinet in Donald Kachamba’s Kwela Heritage Jazz Band), it talks of the babatoni – South African washtub (well, more accurately, tea-chest) bass. Babatoni, aka Kwela Bass, is just one instance of a vast, worldwide class of single-string bass instruments. So now, when you listen to kwela – listen to what is happening in the bottom-end, far from the wailing pennywhistle. Maybe that’s a babatoni you’re hearing!

By chris | Posted in Broadcast, History, Instruments | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Learn Kwela

July 17, 2007 – 2:28 pm

With a web site with as little traffic as the Kwela Project, it’s pretty easy to notice what kind of things are bringing visitors here. For example, Sunday’s BBC Prom performance by the Buskaid Soweto String Project, which you can still listen to online, resulted in a number of visits that had been referred from Google.

About a week ago, someone arrived at the Kwela Project as a result of typing ‘learn kwela‘ into Google. It has always been my intention that the project help aspiring kwelaleses (made up group noun) with music and technical tips, but it’s taken this long to listen to enough music, and read around the subject enough to feel that I’ve something worth saying.

Dolos is a catchy tune by Spokes Mashiyane that is the seventh track on King Kwela CD (or first track on side two if you’ve got vinyl). There are four main themes that Spokes varies and elaborates upon – these are transcribed below. Although they’re written in the key of D major, play them on a B flat whistle to be in the same key as the recording. Most kwela is played on a B flat whistle.

Dolos by Spokes Mashiyane

By chris | Posted in Playing | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Gadzooks! It’s Sophiatown’s Phalanzani Scots Band!

July 2, 2007 – 9:31 pm

Africultures, cultures africaines

If you’ve ever wondered how “35 pennywhistlers and two drummers, dressed in Scout hats, kilts, tartan sashes, and neckerchiefs” could possibly be connected to the 1956 Alexandra bus boycott, then David B. Coplan’s essay Sophiatown and South African Jazz: Re-appropriating a Cultural Identity is for you. Telling the story of life, and music in particular, during Sophiatown’s brief 60-year lifespan, Mr Coplan provides a compelling account of the quest for genuine new-urban cultural expression in a time of both increased opportunity and oppression. Budding kwelaleses (what is the collective noun for kwela-players???) might be particularly interested in the substantial section that describes the birth of kwela (as recognised as an urban phenomenon, as opposed to a continuation of herder-flute traditions) to its demise, and how it relates to the melting pot of freehold-Sophiatown.

When you walk down Louis Botha [Avenue], you see wonders.
Shoes are worn out.
People are taking their jackets off.
It is hot, and people are walking on foot to work.
There are no busses, no motor cars.
We shall not ride! They [busses] are not ridden!
They [busses] are not ridden! We shall not ride!

The Alex Casbahs – Azikhwelwa (‘We Shall Not Ride’)

By chris | Posted in Bands and Musicians, History | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Buskaid to play at BBC Proms

June 23, 2007 – 4:26 pm

Buskaid musicians with dancersThe City of Johannesburg website reports that the Buskaid Orchestra of Soweto will be performing as part of the BBC Proms in London on Sunday 15 July.

Buskaid plays mainly classical music, with a fusion of classic pop and kwela.

You can find out more about Buskaid in the Kwela Project’s post “Unite with the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble“.

By chris | Posted in Bands and Musicians, Broadcast, Performance | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Saturday Morning at Essenwood Flea Market

June 8, 2007 – 9:05 am

Flickr user “ethekwinigirl” is a writer/journalist and photoblogger in Durban, South Africa. Her photoset Street Musicians shows that kwela is still performed live in open, public spaces; maybe by the same musicians who, as youngsters, performed on the streets and heard “Kwela, kwela!” as the police vans tried to round them up!

Band at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in DurbanBand at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in DurbanBand at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in DurbanBand at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in DurbanBand at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in DurbanBand at the Essenwood Flea Market on Saturday Morning in Durban

It would be so cool to hear what these guys are playing! I wonder if anyone was dancing Phata-phata for them :-)

By chris | Posted in Images | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Take Cover! Zimbabwe Hits

May 21, 2007 – 11:07 pm

Take Cover! cover
Every now and again I find something really interesting as a result of the kwela project. It’s not always about kwela either, but in this case I’d say there’s quite a strong connection. ýlowek scavel-cronek is a blog that presents music that can’t be found in the shops any more. The first track on Take Cover! Zimbabwe Hits is by the Jairos Jiri Sunrise Kwela Band; not a whistle to be heard in this guitar-led song, but the three-chord-trick used in kwela is clear. But it’s the hugely reverberated guitar-percussion impressions of machine guns that the listener remembers.. it is a very disconcerting juxtaposition!

By chris | Posted in Recording | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Kwela on the BBC

April 30, 2007 – 8:50 pm

Andy KershawTen Real Audio :-( tracks spanning some fifty years of South African music from 50s kwela to 90s bubblegum. Presented by Andy Kershaw, the flippin’ hypocrite fades each track after only about 30s – in much the same way that Kirsty Young curtailed Andy’s Desert Island Discs – much to his annoyance! Still, there’s some good stuff that might be new to you, and it’s free! So check it out..

By chris | Posted in Recording | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Unite with the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble

April 22, 2007 – 5:00 pm

It’s always interesting to hear contemporary interpretations of kwela and to learn more about those who are bringing these sounds to our ears some fifty years after kwela’s heyday. I stumbled upon Buskaid whilst undertaking some search-engine led investigation regarding a long-forgotten question, and what a fortunate turn of events this has been.

Buskaid LogoBuskaid is a charity that is registered in both South Africa and in the United Kingdom. It was started, and continues to be directed, by British viola player, Rosemary Nalden. When the problems that a string project in Diepkloof, Soweto, were highlighted in a BBC program, Rosemary felt a call to respond, and (no doubt with the hard work and vision of many others behind the scenes – then again, maybe not!) Buskaid was born. The result of the amazing work of this organisation has been the changing of many young Sowetan lives through their exposure, participation and learning within the Buskaid Soweto String Project (BSSP).

Rosemary Nalden and Buskaid studentsThe Project has achieved many milestones – one of their senior students, Samson Diamond, has graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester; their performing ensemble has toured many countries of the World and has made a number of professional recordings that are available via the charity’s web site.

One of these recordings – Tshwaranang (Unite) – is the product of the students’ “kwela sessions”, in which they were given free reign and encouragement to work on their own compositions. I bought the CD online (proceeds to the charity) and although it is in quite some contrast to the period recordings of Mashiyane and Lerole, the spirit of kwela clearly lives on :-) The recording features flute and percussion as well as violins, violas, cellos, double basses. However, the whole recording is lifted by some great vocals – a bit like how ‘Big Voice’ Jack Lerole changed the course of kwela through the introduction of vocals. In addition, the CD comes with comprehensive track notes and quotes from the students, which really brings it alive:

Kwela became an “anthem” to every string player in Soweto and to those who followed kwela music. Samson’s Special is one of the developing tunes and was transmitted aurally to the youngsters. It has since progressed with more direction and clarity from being played repeatedly with spontaneous changes of ideas…

Samson

By chris | Posted in Recording | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Positively Testcard sign deal with Murdoch!

April 14, 2007 – 10:17 pm

… by accepting the MySpace Terms and Conditions.

Let’s do the Kwela - the Positively TestcardPostively Testcard, “South-East London’s premier whistle-driven afroskankabilly instrumental beat combo” emailed me with this scintillating fact (which is, indeed, more news-worthy than today’s other headline story) today. Their follow-up email included the relevant URL too :-) When I looked, there were two, complete tunes for our enjoyment – “Lemmy be The One” and “Twist with the Mum”

By chris | Posted in Bands and Musicians | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)