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RECORDS: MMALO-WE UMKHAYA-LO AFRICA UNITE UMATHIMULA WHAT ABOUT
TOMORROW? THE PRINCE THOBEKILE UMBELE
| Member of: | Bayete |
| Language: | Zulu |
| Genre: | Afrofunk |
| Instrument: | Male vocals |
On the Internet Article Music example under Music/Rainbow Jukebox
Jabu Khanyile has had a checkered past in his homeland of South Africa. It all began in Soweto where he was brought up by his father, after his mother became sick and died. The young Jabu followed his father around to pubs, where they occasionally performed together with the other clients and played "mbube", multi-voiced a capella songs. His brother John played in the band and Jabu was sometimes with him.
In time he got his own guitar. Jabu Khanyile also played drums and sat in with several bands. One of these was the Movers, that made a single hit before the group dissolved. Jabu played with different bands for a decade before one day securing a job as a drummer in the Bayete group.
In 1987 they had a hit with a recording of Miriam Makeba's song, "Mbombela",and went on to make a hit single in 1990. Despite a third best seller - a version of the old "Mbube" - the group disbanded in 1993. Once again Jabu Khanyile began to play drums with a new group, and this time the new Bayete was given a contract with Chris Blackwell and Mango. This resulted in the album "Mmalo-We" and some music prizes in South Africa.
Then another album, "Umkhaya-Lo" followed, where Khanyile married music from West Africa with South African. He took a step closer toward his panAfrican music goal: to create an all-African sound, a common musical multiple for the whole of Africa.
Relevant artists: Angelique Kidjo Lucky Dube
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Last Modified:
22 nov 2009
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The sound on this disk, Jabu Khanyile and Bayete's first big effort outside South Africa, is truly international. The disk is held together by songs from South African groups and was recorded and mixed in both South Africa and England. The whole thing is professionally produced on all levels, the sound is good, as are the arrangements.
The music takes off with a steady drum backing, comprised of percussion mixed with synthesizer and guitar, and on some tracks, balafon and kora. Over all of this sing Jabu Khanyile and his female choir, often as question-answer, in the African fashion. This is something that South African artists really do well, and on the title track the group takes these exchange-songs and makes them the foundation of the whole album. The genre is close to the styles of Sade and Angelique Kidjo, and flirts with reggae here and there. It is catchy from the first, but little by little you discover that this music has no "thorns". It moves too easily and becomes somewhat "world mainstream". But there is potential here, and on several levels. Jabu Khanyile and Bayete could be a group well worth following.
Tracks:
Mmalo-we
Africa unite
Amasoka
Ungayingeni
Mmangwane
Inkinybho
Umkhaya-lo
Umbugwala
Amadlozi
Jabula time
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WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW?
Mango/1999
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KJØP PLATE Editor: Bjørn-Erik Hanssen
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