The Market Precinct is a-jive with an electric fusion of Southern African sounds. Ramotena Mabote tunes in to Mahube
`A new dawn” and new band that’s living up to it’s epic name. That’s Mahube: a whole new musical movement born out of a collaboration of sounds, cultures and beats. It came to life right here in South Africa and is geared up to be on the road for many years to come.
>From the criss-cross rhythms of Malawi and the rumba guitars of Zimbabwe to the Marabi dance and horns of South Africa, Mahube is a uniquely Southern African exploration of rhythms and chants that brings different cultural themes together to build a new sound.
The impetus to form Mahube into a close- knit group came when saxophonist and musical director Steve Dyer was approached by a German friend, who extended an invitation for him and friends to come out and perform at the annual Out of Africa festival in Munich. Dyer thought about getting musicians who, together, could provide a combination of different sounds from the continent.
“With 12 people it’s hard to get something off the ground,” Dyer says. But he was determined to go through with it. Having spent many years in Zimbabwe and Botswana, he has come to appreciate the sounds of those countries.
However the cultural exchange was always one way, with South African music being played fervently there but nothing from Zimbabwe and Botswana being heard here.
When the final line-up came together it looked like The Big Band. Dyer on sax, flute and vocals; Oliver Mtukudzi, the man known as “the voice of Zimbabwe”, on guitar and vocals; much-loved Malawian George Phiri on guitar; award-winning South African singer and actress Suthukazi Arosi on vocals together with top session musician and vocalist Phinda Mtya. And then there’s KwaZulu-Natal guitarist Bheki Khoza, trumpeter Feya Faku, pianist Andile Yenana, drummer Barry van Zyl, percussionist Tlale Makhene, bassist Herbie Tsoaeli and Scorpion Madondo on flute. It’s almost too good to be true.
Such collaborations are rare. In the Sixties, three of South Africa’s best ever musicians – Caiphus Semenya, Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekela – teamed up to form what they called The Union of South Africa. This was a full-length marriage of brass-powered jazz, with Masekela and Gwangwa blowing up a storm with trumpet and trombone while “Katse”, as Semenya is affectionately known, provided a carpet with his smooth piano. The Union of South Africa was one of the best collaborations by compatriots, although, ironically, it was done in exile.
Internationally, there have been other great collaborations. Take the 1950s drumming jazz bond of Art Blakey and master African drummers Guy Warren from Ghana and Chief Bey, which produced an aptly named album, The African Beat. This association produced a groundbreaking fusion of mainstream American jazz with African drum beats.
Another outstanding project was Weather Report. Although many believed Weather Report was a group, it was more a partnership between master saxophonist and composer, Wayne Shorter, and the charismatic Joe Zawinul, world-renowned for making music that bridges cultures and influences. Weather Report was responsible for bringing some of the best musicians together to play and produce great albums like Heavy Weather, which sold over 500 000 copies worldwide – an astonishing figure in jazz circles.
Even beyond Weather Report, Joe Zawinul attracted a stellar cast of musicians – 32 in all – who appear on his popular album My People. Some of the luminaries featured on this album include respected Malian vocalist Salif Keita, Venezuelan percussionist Thania Sanchez and United States bassist Matthew Garrison.
No doubt the coup for Mahube was getting Mtukudzi to join the party. With no less than 35 albums to his name, his voice is known all over the world. Dyer himself brings a rich and varied background.
After leaving South Africa in 1982 he got involved with Shakawe, a band formed by Jonas Gwangwa in Botswana. In Zimbabwe he hooked up with the late Jethro Shasha and the Jazz Survivors. He formed a band called Southern Freeway, named after his debut album, released in 1989. Since his return to South Africa in 1992, his name has been linked to many prestigious projects here and abroad.
Mahube’s chemistry comes from the musicians listening to each other. A lot of work is done off stage and long before recording, with every musician getting a chance to add their part to the project. “It’s like scrambling an egg – you do not do it in the pan but outside,” Dyer explains.
After their trip to Munich, Mahube went to Grahamstown last year and also performed in Holland and Belgium. Working from Dyer’s backyard studio at his house in Yeoville, Mahube finally recorded their music and handed the demo to Sheer Sound.
Their first CD, Music from Southern Africa, was launched in October last year. The music of Mahube is a soulful fusion of saxophone-led jazz la John Coltrane, and marabi sounds. Mtukudzi, Mtya and Arosi, who all boast sweet, strong and distinct voices, lead the vocals in most songs. The guitars – excluding Mtukudzi’s – provide a Zulu mbaqanga beat while the percussion adds a pinch of Zimbabwean rumba to complete the fusion. This music is all about dance and rhythm. It is fast-paced, with an all- African groove that could be traced to the songs of Dorothy Masuku, Letta Mbulu and Mahlatini and the Mahotella Queens.
Take Ndiwe Muroyi, a track composed on the rocks of Zimbabwe and led by Mtukudzi in Shona. Mtya manages to inject some Xhosa lyrics into this fairytale tune while the Malawian, Phiri, adds his folkloric guitar to complete a perfect song.
Since its launch, Mahube has been in great demand all over the country and it came as no surprise that the band was chosen to make an appearance at the first-ever Womad festival to be held in Benoni next month.
The group is currently performing at the Market Theatre. Unlike a simple concert of song after song, the performances lend themselves to theatre with a bit of poetry. The lighting and costumes also add to the consciously engendered Mahube atmosphere.
The group’s final show at the Market (February 6) will also be the launch of the 1999 Standard Bank National Arts Festival.
Dyer does not want to call Mahube a form of African renaissance. “African renaissance is fashionable. Mahube is reality. It was not created for the market but for real and meaningful interaction. Our music is reflective of the societal changes at large,” he says.
No doubt the strength of Mahube lies in the relationship between Mtukudzi and Dyer. These two are the nucleus of the band, bringing to the group their exceptional experience and ability to write, play and direct some great music. A fall-out between the two, like the one between Zawinul and Shorter that killed Weather Report, would certainly bury Mahube.
But I’m confident that nothing can stop a concept when its time has come. Mahube is transcendent, and if you don’t believe me, hop on over to the Market to see for yourself.