Nelcy Sedibe

60s Africa Found The Zulu And Sotho Beginning To Incorporate The Influences Of African American R&B Jazz And Blues Into Their Traditional Indigenous Music. New Styles Such As Township Jazz Pennywhistle Street Music Kwela And Marabi Were Formed. Eventually These Myriad Styles Coalesced To Create A New Hybrid Pop Music That Came To Be Known As Mbaqanga. Though Mbaqanga Employs The Traditional Instrumentation Of Western Pop Guitar Bass Drums Keyboards And Vocals The Approach To Song Structure And Rhythmic Melodic And Harmonic Phrasing Is Uniquely African. Recorded Between 1981 And 1984 THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO Is The First And Arguably The Best Of A Slew Of South African Pop Recordings That Soon Followed. Characterized By Insistent Rhythmically Complex Beats Elastic Burbling Basslines Tight Ska-Sounding Guitar Accompaniment And Thick Multi-Part Vocals This Music Is As Intriguing As It Is Appealing. Groups With Such Names As Udokotela Shange Namajaha And Amaswazi Emvelo Serve Up Bright Infectious Melodies And Percussively Insistent Tracks That Are Clearly Intended For Dancing. Though This "pop" May At First Seem Strange To Western Ears Repeated Listens Reveal Its True Nature Rich Individual Joyous And Simply Wonderful Music. read less