Afrika Underground: JazzFunkFusion Under Apartheid

[jahspear]

From dustygroove.com, has anyone heard this (bedward?) and is it worth a punt?

Various -- Afrika Underground -- Jazz, Funk, & Fusion Under Apartheid . . . LP . . . $16.99 (Item: 53254)
Counterpoint (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s (2LP) Condition: New Copy View Cart
Really wonderful stuff -- a collection of totally unique grooves that won't cross over with any of your other African funk compilations! The focus here is on jazz, not funk or soul -- and the set features a wealth of great tracks pulled from obscure South African records of the late 70s and early 80s. Funky fusion is definitely in command here -- and the overall feel of the tracks is similar to some of the best European funky fusion of the 70s, fused with elements of African percussion and instrumentation -- creating a true crossover of styles that crackles with a freshness that will have you coming back to this one again and again! Most tracks are instrumental -- and the grooves here are a lot more complicated than on your average James Brown-inspired African funk tracks, a mix of strident modal modes, and other choppier funkier riff-heavy tunes. Plus, the whole thing's put together with the righteous intelligence of all the other Counterpoint titles -- with incredible sound and an approach that will easily take you to a whole new musical world! Titles include "I Remember You" by Mike Makahalemele, "Half N Half" by Zacks Nkosi, "Chapita" by Dick Khoza, "Lament" by Movement In The City, "Blues For Yusef" by Lionel Pillay, "The Way It Used To Be" by Pacific Express, and "La I La I La" by George Lee Larnyoh.

[Freddy C]

I have this and seem to remember liking it but I must get back to it again for a refresher. Think I bought it at the same time as a lot of others and it just didn't get the playing it should have. Counterpoint is a pretty good label IMO. I've a couple of Fertile Ground albums from them and the three Jazz Bizniz collections which have some excellent stuff on but I've definitely overlooked the Afrika Underground set - must dig it out.

[matt]

Its a great introduction to the fusion sounds of South Africa in the seventies. More jazzy and on the fusion side than funky...but it does reflect what was happening. You should also PM me to get this CD-r:

Township Groovin’ – Afrorock, Soul and Fusion from 70s South Africa

For young South Africans in the early seventies, groovin’ to “soul” or jazz provided access to a “non-tribal” identity at a time when the South African government was seeking to appropriate tribal identity in the furtherance of its apartheid policies. By contrast older musical styles including sax-jive, mbaqanga, and mbube were perceived by many young urbanites to be tribalistic, rural, and un-sophisticated. This rejection of older forms was also a symptom of generational and cultural change. The move to the city from rural areas (a trend necessitated by successive South African governments’ attempts to transform the rural black peasantary into an urban proletariat with roots in “traditional homelands”) weakened traditional bonds and opened up new possibilities for the construction of cultural and political identities.

It would take until the eighties for the older styles to regain currency with urban groovers. In part, this re-evaluation was prompted by the projects of foreign enthusiasts - Malcolm McLaren, Manfred Mann, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, and Paul Simon all worked with indigenous mbaqanga sounds. It was also driven by the ongoing “Africanist” attempt to reclaim and revitalise African identity. Prominent proponents of Africanism included the ANC, exiled musicians, and various internal Black consciousness movements.

The 1970s music served here is drawn from a number of different scenes and places. On the rich and varied menu are exile Afrorock from Jonas Gwangwa and Assegai, afrobeat from Hugh Masekela, jazz from Letta Mbulu, 60s soul from the Flames, mbaqanga soul from the Soul Brothers, cross-over pop-soul and rock from The Beaters, The Movers, Mpharanyana and the Cannibals and Margaret Singana, jazz-fusion from Dick Khoza, homegrown soul fusion from Pacific Express, sax-groove from The Hockers, and a few more obscurities.

While 1970s South African soul borrowed heavily from the Hitsville and Stax-city blueprint, its indigeous re-intepretation and articulation can’t be missed. Moreover, each producer tended to have his own style, and include his own innovations. Producers include Hamilton Nzimande, West Nkosi, Rashid Vally, David Thekwane, Strike Vilikazi, Cuthbert Matumba, and Robert Bopane.

For many the period documented here is best forgotten. Black music production houses were messing with Motown techniques whilst the soul of the nation was being plundered by successive National Party governments. It’s no wonder, perhaps, that some of the more dour political militants of the time had a problem with the soul scene. This compilation is an opportunity for you to decide yourself: what’s wrong with groovin’?

For best results this music should be played.

1. LM Radio excerpt
LM Radio was a non-stop music station, based in Lourenco Marques, Mozambique, where the latest international and local hits could be heard.

2. The Boy’s Doin’ It - Hugh Masekela
(Masekela, Ekemode, Kwesi, Todd, Opoku, Gboyega, Warren)
Original mover and shaker Hugh Masekela struts his stuff whilst backed by the funky Ghanaian outfit Hedzoleh Soundz. Taken from the Casablanca LP of the same name and dedicated to Fela Ransome-Kuti this track was recorded in Lagos, Nigeria in mid 1975.

3. Chapita – Dick Khoza
(Khoza)
Acclaimed jazz drummer Dick Khoza was a regular and in-demand session-man at the many jazz venues in Johannesburg in the early seventies. These included the Pelican in Soweto where he played in the band the Jazz Revellers with bassist Sipho Gumede. The Pelican was a great musical laboratory in the 1970's. On any given night, legendary artists would pop in for a jam or perform as part of the Sunday night cabaret. Gumede was later to form the band Roots, then Spirits Rejoice with Bheki Mseleku, and in the early eighties the visionary band Sakhile. This mighty track from the LP of the same title on Rashid Vally’s Ashrams (Sun) label in 1976 includes Gumede alongside Dick Khoza’s 12 piece band.

4. Switch #2 - Jonas Gwangwa and African Explosion
(Gwangwa)
Jonas Gwangwa recorded his first LP in the USA on Ahmad Jamal’s label in 1969. A colleague of fellow musical exiles Caiphus Semenya, Hugh Masekela, Letta Mbulu, Dudu Pukwana, Abdullah Ibrahim and Johnny Dyani, Gwangwa later became the musical director of Amandla - the cultural ensemble of the African National Congress. He was seriously injured in the bombing attack by the South African Defence Force on Gabarone in 1984.

5. Johannesburg Love Trip – Thembi
(unknown)
Thembi had a top twenty hit in the Netherlands in 1977 with a pop version of Afrikaans folksong “Take Me Back to the Old Transvaal”. On the LP of the same name this track is a travelogue of the urban centres and languages of South Africa.

6. Kinzambi – Assegai
(Duhig)
Assagai was anchored by African musicians Louis Moholo, Mongezi Feza, Fred Coker and Dudu Pukwana. They were signed by British label Vertigo in the label's attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Afro-rock bands such as Osibisa. Taken from a re-issue LP Afro-Rock this track features members of the UK band Jade Warrior.

7. For Your Precious Love – The Flames
(Brooks and Butler)
This “Indian” soul group from Durban featured Blondie Chaplin and the Fataar Brothers. They released two classic albums in the '60's – 'Soulfire' and 'Burning Soul' - and then headed off to work with the Beach Boys. This song, a cover of the Impressions track from 1958, was a No. 1 hit on the Springbok Radio charts in October 1968 and spent 11 weeks in the Top Twenty. The Impressions also featured Curtis Mayfield in their line-up. In the seventies a number of top US soul acts, including Curtis Mayfield, the O Jays, Joe Henderson, Tina Turner, Brook Benton and Percy Sledge all toured South Africa.

8. Harari - The Beaters
(Mabuse, Khaoli, Ntuli)
The Beaters were formed by Selby Ntuli in the late 60s in Soweto and comprised Sipho Mabuse (drums), Alec Khaoli (bass), Monty Ndimande (guitar) and Ntuli (guitar). In March 1969 their first album Soul-A-Go-Go was released. A further two albums Bacon and Eggs (1970) and Mumsy Hips (1971) followed. In 1976 the band headed north for a three-week tour of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), which turned into a three-month success. As a result of this tour the band changed their name to Harari and recorded an album of the same name. This is the title track from that album.

In 1978, Harari was invited to the USA by Hugh Masekela to perform with him. Unfortunately the bands leader Selby died and the tour didn’t take place. Harari did however support and back Percy Sledge, Timmy Thomas, Letta Mbula, Brook Benton and Wilson Pickett on their South African tours. In 1979 they were the first black group to appear on local television and the first black group to have their own show at the Colosseum in Johannesburg in 1980. In the same year the band was featured in a BBC TV documentary. The 1980 album Heatwave was released in the USA and in 1982 the Party 12” single entered the American Disco Hot 100.

9. I Never Loved a Man - Margaret Singana
(Russel)
Margaret Singana started performing with the Symbols in 1972 and had an early radio hit with Good Feelings. In 1973 she was cast as the lead singer in the musical Ipi Ntombi and became famous with white audiences for the song Mama Tembu’s Wedding. The production toured Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. However it was the song featured here that made her the first black artist to be feature on the Radio 5 hit parade. She suffered from bad health but made a comeback of sorts with the theme song from the series Shaka Zulu. Wheelchair bound and penniless Margaret died in 2000 after a long illness.

10. Ngasuka Ekhaya - Stephen Moleleki
(Moleleki)
A Sotho language version of the George Benson track Broadway taken from a David Thekwane various artists LP Hlubane Special from 1980.

11. Katlehong - Mpharanyana and the Cannibals
(Radebe)
In 1975 the Cannibals, featuring young guitarist Ray Phiri, paired up with Jacob “Mpharanyana” Radebe who was considered by many to be the greatest male singer of the whole pre-disco soul era. They recorded together for four years producing a string of hits featuring Radebe’s impassioned vocals and monologues.

12. How Long - The Movers
(Chounyane)
The Movers were producer David Thekwane’s big success in the “soul” market. As with so many other bands playing within this genre they rarely addressed politics directly, but they rejected the ethnic associations used to divide people under apartheid and embraced the international sound purveyed by the likes of Wilson Pickett and Percy Sledge.

13. Get Funky(edit) - The Cannibals
(Ndlovi, Phiri, Shongwe, Hlophe, Mtshali)
From 1979 and produced by Hamilton Nzimande this track in its full form at 15 minutes covers one side of the LP by the same name. The Cannibals recorded this soon after the death of star Mpharanyana and were leter to evolve into the band Stimela. Ray Phiri gained fame (and in some circles notoriety) for working with Paul Simon on the Graceland LP and then having a song banned from airplay by the SABC.

14. Brother - Pacific Express
(Schilder)
The lead track off the 1976 LP Black Fire. Pacific Express originally formed in Cape Town in the late 60s. Following the arrival of pianist Chris Schilder in 1975 the band took on a jazzier sound and built a reputation that spanned the whole of the sub-continent. Members of the band included Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Jonathan Butler, Barney Rachabane, Chris Schilder and others. Chris Schilder had earlier played alongside the seminal Soweto jazz-funk outfit The Drive with Ronnie Madonsela, Bunny Luthuli, Tony Soali, Nelson Magwaza, Lucky Mbatha, Mavis Maseku and the Sithole Brothers Stanley, Danny & Henry. Sadly only one track by The Drive was ever issued commercially (Various Artists – National Jazz Festival, ATC 8001 – 1974) and live recordings made by David Marks still languish in the 3rd Ear Archives.

15. Take Me Home Taximan - Soul Brothers
(Masondo)
This example of mbaqanga soul at its finest is taken from the Soul Brothers 3rd LP from 1977 “I Feel So Lonely Without You”. Previously known as the Groovy Boys and then the Young Brothers they changed their name to the Soul Brothers in 1974. Original members included Zenzele Mchunu, David Masondo, Tuza Mthethwa and Hammond B3 organist Moses Ngwenya. From the moment they recorded their first two singles in 1976 and with the solid backing of legendary producer Hamilton Nzimande behind them, the Soul Brothers were consistent hit makers. With over 30 albums to their credit, the Soul Brothers now operate recording studios, a record company and a publishing business. They stand as one of the great success stories of South African music having survived disco, bubblegum and now kwaito.

16. Fly Me Home(edit) –Hockers
(Thekwane)
Legendary big five producer David Thekwane’s own composition and played by Thomas Pale, Lulu Masilela, unknown studio musicians and himself on a jazz-influenced South African sax jive tune. On the original 2 track LP from 1976 the groove just keeps going ala Fela Kuti for a full 12 minutes.

17. What's Wrong With Groovin - Letta Mbulu
(Masekela)
A big favourite with the jazz dance crowd in the UK, featured on compilations by Gilles Peterson and Comet and also re-issued as a 7” on Jazzman Records this Masekela penned tune was recorded by Mbulu in the mid sixties. It brings us full circle to a question raised by many taking to the dancefloor: what is wrong with grooving?

[jahspear]

Saint, this is very nice indeed, cheers for this. I was rather surprised - more funk and soul than afro. A lot of the tracks could be off funk 45s. Only listened to the first half, but an excellent compilation.

Thanks again.