South African Jive - Any Info?!

[Mbaqanga]

Hi there I have been a possession of a Bandmaster Anglo 20 button for a while now and I've become reasonably good at figuring out how to play it, but, trawling your website I found articles on the use of the concertina in Boer music in South Africa. Having lived in SA for quite a while I was surprised that this aspect of the concertina could possibly be mentioned without reference to its use in mbaqanga jive music from the townships of SA, where the concertina has been manipulated over the last 50 or so years to be used as more of a rock/pop instrument - indeed few bands in the 1980's lacked a concertina player, who provided a very curious, inimitable and delightful backing melody to the Zulu guitar rhythms. As a reference I would probably point you towards the music of Johnny Clegg (especially the songs "Tough Enough", "I Call Your Name", and "Moliva"), though many of his rhythms have been more westernised, and the more accessible "Gumboots" by Paul Simon on the Graceland album. Alternatively, for a much more "traditional" use of the concertina in township jive, I recommend Johnson Mkhalali ("Joyce No. 2", and who played concertina in "Gumboots"), The African Jazz Pioneers ("Jive Township") and Nganezlyamfisa No Khambalomvaleliso ("Sini Lindile"), and the better known West Nkosi ("Ungithatha Kanjani"). I hope this has been of some help. Also, if you know of or have any members who know of where more of this kind of music, and especially how to play it properly can be found I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks a lot.

 

Chris

[Ken_Coles]

If this or any other kind of music is not mentioned here, it is because no one has sent in any info on it. So keep typing, Chris; you may know as much about this as any C.net member.

 

Ken

Asst. bottlewasher

[Sandy Winters]

Find a copy of "Squash Box" CD issued by Silex/Memoire in 1993. It's loaded with great historical recordings of traditional "squash box" music, mostly recorded in the 30's (pre-jive). Wonderful stuff, a lot of it is similar to traditional 'mbira' music, but played on the anglo concertina.

[Stephen Chambers]

Hi there I have been a possession of a Bandmaster Anglo 20 button for a while now and I've become reasonably good at figuring out how to play it ...

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Chris,

 

Do I take it that you are using it to play Zulu style ? If so, I understand it is necessary to invert the G reed plate on the left hand side, and the C reed plate on the right to convert it into a "squashbox". (Though the actual keys preferred by many players in the townships are Eb/Bb, rather than C/G.)

 

I have heard that the Italian Bastari firm made a lot of concertinas specially for this market, so much so that "Bastari" is a name for the concertina in Zulu.

 

Also, if you know of or have any members who know of where more of this kind of music, and especially how to play it properly can be found I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks a lot.

Harry Scurfield knows more than anybody about this style of playing. He wrote a paper on the subject for the Michaelstein Conference in 1999.

 

At the end of which he quoted Johnny Clegg, expressing the Zulu player's philosophy, which reflects something of the adaptation made to the European concertina:

 

"We say, you're holding a life in your hands, because it breathes. It's like a little pulsing being that you're holding when you're playing. You can feel it, it breathes with you."

Edited January 18, 2005 by Stephen Chambers

[stuart estell]

Chris, are the titles you quote LPs/CDs or individual tracks? I'd be really interested in getting hold of some ofthe things you mention.

 

(edited because I hadn't realised Chris had used his real name in his post...)

Edited January 18, 2005 by stuart estell

[Chris Timson]

Harry Scurfield knows more than anybody about this style of playing. He wrote a paper on the subject for the Michaelstein Conference in 1999.

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If you can find it, Harry Scurfield wrote a long article for Concertina and Squeezebox about the squashbox. An excellent read. Also, as far as I recall there is at least one track of a Zulu band on the Planet Squeezebox compilation, though memory fails me at recalling any more detail.

 

Stephen, thanks for the quote about the concertina as a living, breathing being. That thought will stay with me for a long time.

 

Chris

[Mbaqanga]

Stuart, try the albums Cruel Crazy Beautiful World; Heat, Dust and Dreams; and Shadow Man by Johnny Clegg, the "Rough Guide to South African Music" has a lot of the bands I mentioned on it and of course "Graceland" and the "Indestructable Beat of Soweto" (any of the various volumes) albums are pretty good sources as well. West Nkosi has a lot of albums out, but they're difficult to get hold of outside of SA.

Hope this has been of some help

Chris

[Stephen Chambers]

If you can find it, Harry Scurfield wrote a long article for Concertina and Squeezebox about the squashbox. An excellent read.

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That was in Number 25, Autumn 1991.

 

Stephen, thanks for the quote about the concertina as a living, breathing being. That thought will stay with me for a long time.

Wonderful, isn't it !

 

I hope it will stay with me as long as I live & breath.