Last night, my wife and I went to hear Ladysmith Black Mombazo. I heard them ten years or so ago at an unforgettable Paul Simon concert where he also had most of the musicians from the Graceland AND the Rhythm of the Saints albums, PLUS Art Garfunkel. That pretty much covered it for me. It's taken this long for me to have a chance to hear Ladysmith Black Mombazo again, but the wait was well worth it. I think I appreciated them even more, having sung in groups and male choruses these last ten years. Sitting there totally mesmerized, the singing washed over me in waves, and resonated to my core. Part of that is the make-up of the group. They have 7 basses, ONE tenor and ONE alto, and Joseph Shambalala singing the leads. No wonder my teeth vibrated at all of those low notes! Every once in awhile, the tenor would sing harmony with Jospeh Shambabala and their voices would float over the rest of the singers. What a sound!

My love for African music dates back to Wimoweh and especially, Skokiaan by the Bulawayo Sweet Rhythms Band. This morning, I've been pulling out CDs to make a compilation of my favorite tracks. There will be too many for one CD. I have a double CD of African Jazz, which is amazing (and includes the only re-issue of Skokiann I've ever seen.) I'll mix Ladysmith Black Mombazo, several African gospel choruses, a wealth of African Reggae and ska, throw in Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masakela...

So, who else is swept away by this music?

And THANK YOU London records for recording Skokiann. I will always associate that recording (which I still have on 45 r.p.m.,) with Lonnie Donegan and Rock Island Line (Which I also have on 45 r.p.m.) To me, that was the original British Invasion and it opened my ears to both folk and African music.

By the bye.. Was Skokiann as massive a hit in England as it was here?

Jerry