Music SA Jazz Article

The Music of The People: Africans in South Africa and their Musical Sound Systems The indestructible sounds of Soweto Mbaqanga Mbube groups doing their Step( Abdulah Ibrahim, a South African Jazz pianist Dark City Sisters' Mahotella Queens; Dark City Sisters; Mthembu Queens Ladysmith Black Mambazo Brenda Fasie; Rebecca Malope; Yvonne Chaka Chaka; Mahotella Queens Mbube Group in full action. some other groups were Mtwalume Young Ages, Mkhizwane Home Stars and Jabula Home Defenders Sibongile Khumalo; Brenda Fassie; Letta Mbulu; Mirriam Makeba Dollar Brand released one of the greatest hits called Mannenberg Letta Mbulu's "Free Soul" produced in 1968 whilst she was in exile overseas Mirriam Makeba in concert Caiphus Semenya; Winston Manunku Ngozi; Jonas Gwangwa; Phillip Tabane Dollar Brand(Abdul Ibrahim); Hugh Cape Colored getting ready for the Minstrel Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa and Caiphus Carnival and Brass Band Semenya in The Union of South Africa; Mike Makhalemele; Phillip Tabane A Short History Of Townships Bands, Artists and Music The music of the Townships as a genre was originated in the 1900s and is characterized by its musicians, who were often urban Township residents during the the Apartheid era in south Africa. The music of the Townships was created because of the presence of segregation during the time of segregation, and the musicians in the Townships created the music in response to the environment. The music of the Townships in South Africa began with the migrant laborers, who lived in area which were labor reserve and dormitories. These poorly built houses which the African occupants had to rent, were built by Apartheid for its lower classes Africans. In the 1950s the Apartheid regime passed legislation to further consolidate the Apartheid state, and violent methods of implementation also assisted this along. One of the most serious legislation that was passed for urban African music was the Group Areas Act of 1950, which separated all racially mixed neighborhoods by removing African communities and relocating them on the peripheries and into townships. From these ghettoes we are able to see emotions and creativity of musicians within the Townships due to a lack of power, resulted in the musicians' need to explore alternative musical paths. The Apartheid regime suppressed the music of jazz because it was music aspiring to musical and social equality. The aim of the Apartheid rulers was to form an ideology and program for separating and turning African South Africans against each other. But, African people, who were a musical community, found many ways around the system and created music even when they were facing draconian laws and many African music lovers bought their music and gave them some serious form of support. Music amongst African South Africans is like breathing is to human beings, and they proved it by creating new genres of music where none existed. South Africa's polyrhythmic and soulful songs are some of the best in the world. Sifiso Ntuli put it this way: "Song is something that we communicate to the people who otherwise would not have understood where we are coming from. You could give the long political speech and they would still not understand, but I tell you, when you finnish that song, people be like I know where you guys are coming from.' South Africa is distinguished by the most complex musical history, and the greatest profusion of styles and the most intensely developed recording industry anywhere in Africa. Despite many regional and stylistic variations, its music - vocal based and long and deeply influenced by America and Europe, it is different from what one would hear anywhere else on the continent, or from nearby parts of central, for that matter, anywhere in the world. This is a country where you have twelve year-old children break out in complex harmonies whose time signatures defy the rigid regiment of the metronome, classic scoring is a foreign concept. For Africans in South Africa, everyday is a new song or two or three. Throughout South Africa, there is a song for every event. In fact, South African African music is one of the most influential countries in the world of music, and it is also the homeland of some of the greatest and most popular artists in the world. Although from the 1900s, American Jazz music came into South Africa, and the Africans took to it and tried to imitate it, there has always been African folk music by all the 9 clans that comprise the Maguni/Bakone folk music which illustrates the the diverse and attractive use of instrumentation by these different ethnic groups, as well as different vocal styles, whilst maintaing a distinctly and uniquely African South African sound in texture and musical sounds. This type of music and other types of music have large audiences and followers right throughout the country of South Africa and the continent of Africa. The singers of these folk songs sing about the day- to-day issues of the common man and they sing in styles that are appealing to their community and the world. African Traditional, Spiritual, Church, Popular Music in South Africa African Spiritual and Church and Mbube Music Music for African people is for everyone and it also goes hand in hand with some form of dance and as background, and adn everyone participating as singers in the song. African people sang in school choirs, church choirs, in the many vocal groups that were all over the shanty towns, the reserves and the Townships. There are a lot of funeral dirges, wedding songs, songs for the ancestors, community vocal a cappella and songs for the struggle, Jazz and so on. There are many different influences that have influence and affected African music in South Africa. The missionaries provided the first organized musical training into the country and this brought to light many of the African musicians like Enoch Santonga, who wrote the African National Anthem " "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika". Around the end of the 19th century, South Africa elites in cities like Cape Town, Natal and Johannesburg were influenced by foreign musicians and sounds like the 'Ragtime', which gave rise to the music of the Colored by the 'Coons' and other new genre of African music. And in 1890s, Orpheus McAdoo's Jubilee Singers popularized American Spirituals by the 1890s and this influence was made even more popular by singers like Mahalia Jackson. This led to the emergence of Gospel Music in the early twentieth century. Before Christianity came to South Africa, people believed that the spirits of their ancestors controlled their daily lives, and they still do today. There was a central God, who was called "Umvelinqange" or "Moholomoholo" ("The Great, Great One" or "The "Old, Old one"). All this has more than historical interest because millions of African South Africans still worship their ancestors the old way. "Izigubhu" or "Meropa"(Drums) to call upon and communicate with their ancestors; they also use drums to sing and dance to the ancestors on special celebratory activities. Many more Africans, especially the poor and poorly educated, merely gave up the "White Man's religion. They instead turned to other forms of worship which they have found more gratifying. There are three categories of these: The Ethiopians Movement (Inspired by Garveyism; The Zionists and The return to Ancestors Worship. These new, all-African, independent Christian churches were greatly influenced by mission churches from which they sprang. But they refused allegiance to any European source of authority. Instead, they espoused the Ethiopian line which, at its simplest. From these, years later came a new and colorful offshoot of Christianity , called Zionism. As orthodox Christian influence has slipped, these independent and Zionist churches(they have nothing in common with Israel's Zionism), have multiplied. Today there are several thousands of them with a total membership in the millions. The Zion Christian Church(ZCC) is the largest African Initiated Church in Southern Africa, with 10-15 million member belonging to the ZCC, and 3 to 5 million members belonging to the saint Engenas ZCC. ZCC, began in 1910, and have heir headquarters in Moria, in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Engenas Lekganyane, a former member of the Free Church of Scotland, apostolic FAith Mission and Zion Apostolic. One of the most important missions of ZCC is to heal people and they have a very strong male contingent of singers in khaki jacket and trousers, with their made-from-tires-boots they use to stump on the ground as they sing in formation and according to age. Though their songs are sung in different South African languages, and they are more a cappella and soulful in their singing. The African Zion churches have also their peculiar singing style which in most times is accompanied by drum(Isgubhu), bells and some percussion along with hand-clapping. Then there are the European Anglican churches, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventists(who have affected music too amongst) Methodists and so forth. There are also Africans believe in their ancestors who sing being accompanied by "Isgubhu"(Drums) and some other percussion, dancing and singing. The "Isgubhu" used to rouse the ancestors are smeared with red ochre mixed with animal blood on the drum skin, and heated next to fires for the best part of the early night. In the deep of the night, when payed, these sacred drums have a haunting and eerie sound accompanied by singing and hand clapping. Mbube, Iscathamiya, Ngomabusuku, Isishameni, Umzansi and Ummqongo Styles Music is everywhere and anytime amongst the Africans in South Africa. There is music sung by children in the street, the youth in several places and occasions like weddings and other community celebrations.

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