Spokes Mashiyane - King of Kwela - Penny Whistle Jive from Johannesburg 1958-1959

"Born twenty-six years ago, at Vlakfontein, Northern Transvaal, Spokes' days were very similar to those of every country-born African. As a toddler, he spent his days tending his father's cattle, and to while away the long hours, he tried his hand at the primitive African reed flute. This soon became his constant companion and his prowess made him popular with his young friends. The time came when rural life began to pall and Spokes made for the " big city "-Johannesburg.
It was as a domestic servant that Spokes became wise to city ways, and one of his first acquisitions was a genuine " Penny Whistle "-costing 4s. 6d.! Still much of a novelty, Africans in various parts of the country were experimenting with this new musical toy, and Spokes immediately became a popular guest at parties because he was able to produce a " new sound."
The design of the South African penny whistle is the same as that throughout the world, but, by placing the mouthpiece vertically against the inside of his left cheek and by introducing an entirely new fingering system, he was able to produce a roundness of tone hitherto unknown with this limited musical instrument.
It was while playing at an impromptu street-corner musical session, that Spokes was spotted by African talent scout Strike Vilakazi. Vilakazi, who has been responsible for the discovery of numerous African musicians, rushed Spokes to the studio for a test recording.

Since those early days, Spokes and the penny whistle have grown in stature. Mashiyane is appearing on the world's hit parades with numbers like "Jika Spokes," "French Fried" and "The Boys from Jo'burg." A far cry from the days of cattle herding and the reed flute!
This long-player carries a varied selection of Spokes' work-showing clearly why Mashiyane with his versatile and highly individualistic approach, has been crowned"

"King Kwela."
C.H.W.

from the notes of King Kwela via flatinternational

Spokes Mashiyane the man who found the inspiration for his tunes in his dreams
the true

King of Kwela

Queen Oladunni Decency - African Mummy Juju

for today  an Ijebu Queen 

Oladunni 'Decency' Oduguwa or Mummy Juju to her fans

first female guitarist and Juju band leader

of  her Decency & Unity Orchestra at the high tide of juju in the early 70's 

died very young,only 28-but-she will be remembered as a queen .

queen's juju 

Princess Fatou Gayflor-the golden voice of Liberia

after the king is the turn of a princess to reappear
and there will be more kings and queens and princes from this blog  in the future
- in reality everyone is a king or a queen ,but you know that already....
.........................................................................................................
here comes Liberia's brightest songbird lovely Princess Fatou  Gayflor
A singer and dancer from  young age, she performed often in community
contexts, including the ritual Moonlight Dance, in her home village of Kakata.
Later, as a member of Liberia’s National Cultural Troupe, which is   
was based in the national artists’ village of Kendeja, she was given the title
“Princess” in recognition of her exquisite renditions of songs in most
of the languages of Liberia’s sixteen  ethnic groups.
(She herself is of mixed Vai and Lorma ethnicities.)
As a young adult, she went out on her own,
founding the successful Daughters of King N’Jola dance and music ensemble
in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.

in wiki


artist profile and interview in pdf

from 84 and studio 99

 a golden voice 

from the  happy prewar days of  Monrovia

Elias diá Kimuezo,king of Angolan music

Elias Diá Kimuezo ou “Elias das barbas” pseudónimo atribuído enquanto jovem, pelo facto de ter usado uma enorme barba. Mas após o regresso dos “Manos Cambutas” que eram os guerrilheiros dos Maquis, Elias foi obrigado a cortá-la devido as várias perseguições dos portugueses, na era colonial.........

Na altura, o país passava por um momento conturbado (a luta pela independência nacional) que movimentava parte dos musseques de Luanda. E em bairros como o Rangel, Marçal, Sambizanga e Bairro Operário (BO) surgiram pequenos movimentos que faziam por preservar as músicas e tradições angolanas, marginalizadas pela dominação colonialista, na época.
Elias Diá Kimuezo fazia parte dos músicos nacionalistas que transmitiam esse tipo de mensagens na necessidade da conquista da independência. Pese embora as perseguições e represálias dos colonos.
Motivados pela luta da resistência, criaram um estilo musical, que de forma interventiva era passada em locais de reuniões e as músicas eram cantadas em línguas nacionais. A divulgação dos usos e costumes da linguagem e cultura angolana prevaleciam. Uma luta, sem armas nas mãos.

...............
A frequência da zona do Bungo, em Luanda, área dominada por operários do Porto e dos Caminhos-de-Ferro que tocavam e dançavam o Kinganje foi outro factor de influência na vida de Elias, quando aos 15 anos desperta para a vocação artística.
“Sempre que pudesse, aos fim de semana ia assistir o Kinganje que era as serenatas dos “sulanos”, na zona do Samba kimúngua”, explicou.
E integrou-se na Turma do Margoso, como vocalista principal e tocador de bate-bate. Neste grupo faziam parte entre outros os profissionais Tony Cubanga, Paizinho, André eo Capetróleo.
Três anos depois fundou Os Makezos e anos mais tarde, muda-se para o agrupamento Os Kizombas, onde na altura, tocava nas farras do Salão Malanjinho, no Sambizanga.Aos 22 anos, Elias Diá Kimuezo integra-se no Grupo Ginásio e junta-se a quem viria a ser importantes nomes do nacionalismo e da política angolana: José Eduardo dos Santos, guitarrista, compositor, Pedro de Castro Van-Dúnem (Loy), Brito Sozinho, Mário Santiago, Faísca e Buanga. Os ensaios eram feitos em casa do Mário Santiago.
Logo depois, Elias juntase aos Dikindus formação musical de operários da fábrica Textang I, onde entre outros canta com os colegas Caissara e Citróleo.
Mas o rei lembra-se de uma das actividades musicais do grupo, no Maxinde, sem o seu consentimento foi substituído pelo primo de um dos integrantes do grupo.
“Eles não permitiram que eu subisse ao palco”, disse.....
source and more to read

Resurrection

Instrumental Music of the Kalahari San

San instrumental music is not generally performed before an audience with all the tension that isolation of the performer implies.
Instead the people play for themselves, when the mood strikes them. Others nearby may go on with what they are doing, stop and listen,or join in .

The instrumental music presented here, from both periods, is performed on traditional instruments-ones which rely on materials found in the natural environment-and on innovative instruments-ones which use materials, such as metal wire and cans, which can only be obtained through trade. The traditional
instruments include the hunting bow (a wooden bow and gut string), the pluriarc (a wooden, guitar-like body with 5 gut strings), and the te bow (a vertical wooden post and gut string). In its "modernized" form, the base of the pluriarc is made of an empty gallon oil can while the strings are changed from gut to hair from the tail of a giraffe . The hunting bow is transformed by a metal wire in place of the gut string, and in another form, it has a tin can as a resonator . Another instrument found only relatively recently among the !Kung (30 years at most) is the sitengena, or "tumb piano" (wooden base and metal keys) . Probably borrowed from neighboring peoples, it was one of the most highly favored and most often heard instruments among young people (1969-76).
the notes



 recordings by Nicholas England 1951-55 in Namibia
and  from 1969-1972 and Marjorie Shostak in Botswana

newlink
stop and listen or join in 

Kalahari 1

Abdullah Ibrahim's

Kalahari 

from Underground in Africa 1973 

Ibrahim Hamma Dicko-Gao

revisited

plus