Origin: South Africa/U.S. fusion
Title: Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Performers: Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chikapa "Ray" Phiri, Bagithi Khumalo
Orchestration: Vocals, guitars, fretless electric bass, drum kit, basket rattle, shaker, organ, triangle, horn section (trumpet, sax, trombone), djembes
As I am writing this on the date of Nelson Mandela's birthday, it seemed appropriate to go to some music strongly influenced by South African styles. This is a live performance of a song originally released in 1986 as part of Paul Simon's Graceland album. Much of the album was recorded in South Africa and featured many South African musicians, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This particular song makes use of a South African style called mbaqanga - which is a Zulu influenced music which developed in the early 1960s.
Merriam Webster Online defines it as "a South African dance music that combines traditional elements (such as chanting and drumming) with elements of modern music (such as jazz)"
Simon was strongly criticized by many at the time because, in going to South Africa, he was violating the United Nations' cultural boycott of the country in its effort to force an end to apartheid. However, Simon was ultimately vindicated when the huge commercial success of the album also brought many of the previously unknown South African artists into a world wide prominence that they had never had before. In addition, by spending an extended amount of time in country and working extensively with musicians who would meet Koop's description of "culture bearers" (p.26), Simon imbibed many of the indigenous influences and it showed in his songwriting for this project.
Simon learned to write differently by homing in on the ways guitarist Chikapa "Ray" Phiri varied his playing from verse to verse, and by grounding his vocal melodies on the basslines of Bagithi Khumalo. Khumalo's playing has such fluency and personality that, at least on the five songs he's a part of, this is nearly as much his record as anyone else's. (Pitchfork.com)In the particular performance in this video, the presence of Ladysmith Black Mambazo as well as Ray Phiri and Bagithi Khumalo really strengthens the sense of authenticity. Paul Simon may not have been raised on mbqanga, but he certainly had top notch tutors who were and he appears to have been an excellent student.
Sources:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mbaqanga
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16843-graceland-25th-anniversary-edition/
Koops, Lisa. "Can't We Just Change the Words?": The Role of Authenticity in Culturally Informed Music Education. Music Educators Journal 2010 97: 23 DOI: 10.1177/0027432110376892
Wow - GREAT blog, Stephen! I love the background of the recording. I remember the boycott of South Africa - those were dark days indeed. I didn't realize that Paul Simon had violated the boycott!! Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favorite albums BECAUSE of the African influences!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this, I enjoyed this piece. I really like that this piece can blend western song structure with African influences, and still be "authentic". The fact that you set the historical setting for when this piece was written enriched my enjoyment of the piece. It is apparent that Paul Simon listened to mbaqanga, learned cultural pieces, played along, and then made it his own, as suggested at the very end of Koops' article.
ReplyDeleteGreat piece! And it was definitely an excellent choice in lieu of the Nelson Mandela's birthday. I agree with Tiffany that the authenticity of this piece is interesting: it is an extremely interesting mix of Western Music and South African traditional music. This mixture would (in some minds) call into question the authenticity of the piece, but I consider it to be authentic in that there are two kinds of authentic music that are mixed together. And, again, I agree with Tiffany that the Koops article corroborates this idea. Good job and have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteGood choice Steve, and I agree a really nice tribute to Nelson Mandela for his birthday. I think Paul Simon does a great job of dispelling the notion that the value of a cultural lies in its adherence to an authentic reproduction. Simon demonstrates a very real understanding and appreciation of the Mbaqanga tradition and demonstrates that through a musical performance in the manner of which he is proficient. It doesn't take away from the value (either cultural or aesthetic) of the piece that he added non-traditional musical elements to his arrangement. It was the evolution of the music that allowed it to speak to a larger and more modern audience than it would have otherwise and in turn did much to demonstrate the unique value of the native South Africans and their culture to the world. Well done.
ReplyDeleteA favorite of mine as well, Steve. Graceland is an excellent example of fusion where the intent isn't to reproduce a particular music culture, but to create something new and interesting from the blending of traditions. "Homeless" is another fantastic example from the album that showcases this bringing together of musical ideas.
ReplyDelete