New Sounds Of Africa - Miriam Makeba, Spokes Mshiyane and Leo de Lyon

 

Ndidliwe Zintaba

Six And Six

Lenyalo Le Thata

New Sounds Of Africa

Featuring Miriam Makeba, Spokes Mashiyane and Leo de Lyon

Recored in Africa 

Fiesta Records Company FLP 1358

1962

From the back cover: During the last few years there has been born in the native townships of the big South African cities a "New Sound". With its roots deeply set in the old rhythmic patterns of tribal Africa, this music has absorbed the modern overtones of contemporary American jazz, and it is significant that many of the new African dance idioms, such as the "Kwela" and "Phartha Phatha" have originated on the concrete corners of city pavements far away from the country "kraal". But still, even in these modern forms, there is a nostalgic hankering after the old world left far behind beyond the horizon, and so we find a composition dedicated to Morija, the famous college for non-Europeans set among the picturesque mountains of Basutoland, and another bearing the name of Mafeteng, the little Basutoland town, A third song, Ndidliwe Zintaba, has the poetic theme, "the mountains have swallowed me up", the story of a wanderer finding refuge in the mountains of his homeland.

African songs have always served to record current events, and this custom persists in the modern songs recorded on this disc. In the song "Lenyalo Le That a" the singers explain that "marriage is hard these days" a better complaint about the many domestic break-ups in city families.

Jill Mahula is a tribute to the joys of the Hula Hoop!

Miriam Makeba, now heading cabaret bills in the U.S., is the first African singer to make a name in the outside world. The saxophonist Spokes Mashiyane, who stars on this record, is one of the most famous of African musicians.

Uile Ngoan'a Batho - Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks with Spokes Mashiyane

Kwela Du Du - Spokes Mashiyane and Leo de Lyon

Phatha Phatha - Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone

Mafeteng - Spokes Mashiyane and His Big Five

Lenyalo Le Thata - Lenyalo Le Thata - Spokes Mashiyane and the Melody Sisters

Phatha Phatha No. 2 - Spoke Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone

Ndidliwe Zintaba - Spokes Mashiyane, Miriam Makeba and The Skylarks

Six And Six - Spokes Mashiyane and Leo de Lyon

Big Five - Spokes Mashiyane and His Big Five

Hula Mahula - Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone

Morija Special - Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone

Kwela Zulu - Spokes Mashiyane and his Golden Saxophone