Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Alice
Date: 09 Aug 00 - 10:18 AM

thanks, Bob, I think that may be what my friend is looking for.

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 11:48 PM

G'day Alice,

In a recent thread called (~) "Let's Talk About Accordions", someone mentioned a 3-CD set Planet Squeezebox which is music from all around the world, mostly on accordions. It is generally weak on concertinas, giving none of the excellent English chromatic style, nor the Irish playing on Anglo-chromatic types ... or any other western styles - but it does have several tracks of Zulu (and ?) styles.

These are played on cheap (typically old East German) 20 key German tuning concertinas. (AKA "Chinese Lanterns") The tunes are very much structured around walking rhythms and the chants are those used when walking long distances. It is a very different style from anything I play in Australian traditions, but obviously a part of the musical history of South Africans under European rule.

I bought my CD set from Amazon, after following a link in an accordion site.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Alice
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 07:01 PM

Thanks, Peter.

alice

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 05:55 PM

Here's a couple more references to albums at "http://www.inform.dk/numen/afric1.html"

VARIOUS ARTISTS: 'The Music of South Africa - The Rough Guide'

World Music Network doesn't say so directly in the cover notes, but the compilation 'The Rough Guide' is an historical presentation of South African music.

That is, a selection that starts somewhere in the beginning of the 1960s, with real pennywhistle jive by Spokes Mashiyane, who in those years made kwela known all over the world. From that period you can also hear Miriam Makeba - at that time a member of a pop group called the Skylarks - singing in an an unrecognisable falsetto. Through a number of older recordings, we get to the mbaqanga and bubble gum, soul and jazz of the 1970s and 80s. As time and techniques developed, the recordings become more and more polished, while still clearly displaying a basically "ethnic" sound in what might be called a "neo-traditional" form.

Unfortunately the quite random sequence of the numbers on the CD doesn't work to the benefit of the older recordings. The contrast with the more 3-dimensional sounds of the newer recordings makes the older ones sound unecessarily weak, and uninteresting, and the resulting experience is not as well-rounded as on other collections of South African music.

However, if you're a collector or perhaps a teacher, interested in specific artists and periods, this might be just the thing for you.

Jack Donen - 6/98

RHYTHM OF HEALING: West Nkosi from South Africa plays township jive on the sax and penny whistle. Basic best of South African city sounds, with memories of kwela music from the sixties

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 05:41 PM

Off a South African Web site (slim pickings out there), some of these names may help:

Another musical trend which was to influence mbaqanga, was kwela or pennywhistle jive, which grew in popularity during the 1940's and 1950's. An Alexandria township youth Willard Cele inspired a legion of followers with his unique technique, and the 1951 movie The Magic Garden also publicized theinstrument. By 1954, when one of pennywhistle's main legends Spokes Mashiyane recorded a #1 hit, "Ace Blues", pennwywhistle was a youth rage. (Kwela, "climb up", takes its name from the term many of these youngsters heard shouted at them by police officers herding them into paddywagons). Spokes, and fellow pennywhistle hotshot Lemmy "Special" Moboso (who plays today alongside Thomas Phale with the Soul Brothers), would later turn to saxophone in place of pennywhistle, while retaining the light, jaunty melodic lines which were characeristic of kwela."
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Alice
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 11:26 AM

Thanks, I'm asking this question for someone I know who plays whistle and concertina but doesn't have internet access. He told me he had learned one whistle tune from a recording and was looking for more.

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 11:21 AM

Dale Wisely's wellknown whistle site at: "http://www.chiffandfipple.com/table2.html" is probably the best place to start -- he has a chat site and message board that would get you you plugged in to the experts pretty quick. Lots of other links as well.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 08 Aug 00 - 06:08 AM

There was a vogue for "Township" music in the decade I'm not allowed to mention, following the visit to UK by a black company doing the boxing musical King Kong. One that got into the UK charts was Tom Hark by Elias and his Zig Zag Jive flutes (no kidding). Following Paul Simon's more recent forays into S.Africa with Gracelands there is more awareness of townshop music (thumb pianos are still popular I think) but I can't suggest any bands, I'm more familiar with the jazz players from there (Louis Moholo, Hugh Masekela generation). Miriam Makeba might be a starting point though the Xhosa (?) "Click" music may be too specialised.
Consider this a holding statement till a real expert chips in!
(pointing out my many mistakes and misconceptions is a popular Mudcat sport but reduces my ignorance level somewhat!)
RtS

Subject: Tin whistle, concertina, South Africa
From: Alice
Date: 07 Aug 00 - 07:35 PM

Can anyone refer me to sources of tunes from South Africa that are for tin whistle and for concertina? I was told of one recording that is from the Townships of a tin whistle tune. The concertina tunes I assume were of the settlers.