The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 31 Dec 2011 10:55 PM PST IT is nothing short of a miracle that I spent this morning listening to Zambian rock bands. You know the ones I'm talking about ... W.I.T.C.H. (short for We Intend To Cause Havoc), The Peace, Question Mark and Amanaz. Yes, I'm being facetious. I barely heard of these groups a year ago. Of late, though, there have been more and more gems resurfacing from the distant past, giving me an opportunity to discover a whole range of sights and sounds. The selection of African music available on the market has certainly grown a lot beyond Youssou N'Dour, Osibisa, Fela Kuti and the string of Congolese guitarists I wrote about last year (Congo's vibrant beat, March 20, 2011). This time around, I'm focusing on a time-warp of a music scene. It's hard to imagine now, but up until the 1980s, trends could often take two to three years to register in the countries of the developing world. One of the more curious examples of this is the string of awesome records made by Zambian bands in the 1973-1975 period, which sound like they were influenced strongly by the garage rockers of the American mid-1960s. Apparently, the reason for this was that local entrepreneurs like Edward Khuzwayo had imported some funky psychedelic instruments into the Northern Zambian towns of Kitwe and Ndola, the largest towns in the Copperbelt region. The region was directly opposite the volatile Congolese region of Katanga, and although Zambia was a far more peaceful state, one-party rule under Kenneth Kaunda did have its restrictions. Years earlier, the region had produced some of Zambia's best-known and traditionalist singer- guitarists – Stephen Tsotsi Kasumali, John Lushi and William Mapulanga. It was in this cowboy town environment that a new, rockier group formed around a nucleus of singer Emanyeo 'Jagari' Chanda, lead guitarist Chris Mbewe, rhythm guitarist John Muma, bass player Gedeon Mulenga, and drummer Boidi Sinkala. Calling itself W.I.T.C.H, the group became a focal point of hippie-like hedonism, driving a Zambian counter-cultural movement with its music and troupe of afro and flared stoner followers. It helped that the music, dubbed Zam-rock, was stunning. Definitive W.I.T.C.H. albums Introduction (1973) and Lazy Bones!! (1975) veer from amateurish garage sounds to melodic, trippy anthems, all drenched with heavy wah-wah and fuzz effects. On Introduction, songs like You Better Know, Feeling High and the hilarious Like A Chicken, betray Chanda's Rolling Stones obsession. In fact, he was dubbed Jagari because of his admiration for Mick Jagger! Later on, the anthemic Black Tears was evidence of a growing political awareness, Strange Dream a surreal folk tale and Mbewe's guitar leads reached new heights on expressive, inventive freak-outs like Havoc. Elsewhere, The Peace had a more soulful funky vibe, which really hit the spot on the Black Power album, with its slow-burning Get On The Way and infectious I Have Got No Money. 5 Revolutions, Cool Knights, Keith Kabwe's Amanaz and Must-O-Tunya, which contained Rikki Ililonga and Paul Ngozi, were among the other bands that burst through at this time. Amanaz's album, Africa, is another real favourite. Half of it in English, and half in the native Zambian language Bemba, the album has biting guitar leads powering tunes like History Of Man and the awesome opening instrumental simply called Amanaz. Still, Zam-rock flourished all too briefly, and met an untimely death at the hands of political repression, piracy and disco. Ililonga, who also made some solo records, is probably the key reason I've discovered this phase at all. After moving out of Zambia, he eventually settled in Denmark. In the last few years, he leased the rights to these rare albums and brought out some of the truly unique curiosities that might otherwise have been lost to time. Martin Vengadesan, a music lover and history buff, combines his two passions in his fortnightly column. If you have any interesting stories you want him to research, do drop him a line. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Singer Etta James breathing on her own again Posted: 31 Dec 2011 03:47 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Soul singer Etta James, who is terminally ill with leukemia, has been taken off a respirator and is breathing on her own again, her friend and manager said on Friday. Lupe De Leon said the "At Last" singer, 73, is soon expected to leave the intensive care unit of a hospital near her home in Riverside, east of Los Angeles. "The hospital is preparing Etta for release from ICU to a step down unit. She is stable and breathing on her own. Her blood pressure is normal," De Leon said. James was admitted to the hospital last week because she was struggling to breathe. She has been in failing health for several years and suffers from leukemia, kidney disease and dementia but had previously been cared for at her Southern California home. Her live-in doctor said earlier in December that James was considered terminally ill, and that she communicates mostly with nods and simple words. The three-time Grammy Award singer earlier battled obesity and was addicted to heroin for many years. James was a key figure in the early days of R&B music with hit songs like "The Wallflower" and "Good Rockin' Daddy". But it was her 1961 recording of the ballad "At Last" that put her on the map. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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