| Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert | | Date Created: Nov 10, 2004, 11:26 PM |
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| The concert on Monday was great. You should go and see these folks if you get a chance. Their harmonies are like finely blended pipe tobacco -- there's a richness to it and the deep brown earthiness isn't inappropriate either -- blended coffee or whiskey or even Drambuie. |
| And the harmonies are virtually effortless. When the singers go into their patter of talking and mock at mocking each other, it seems to the audience that that is when they have to work. The harmonies are just what happens whenever they open their mouths normally. |
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| My wife found the songs too repetitive to be truly compelling. But hey, I'm a Steve Reich-brand minimalism fan, so repetition is my middle name middle name. I can get into the repetition of rhythm and slight variations from the lead singer or the backers. And they were also doing something that I don't get from Steve Reich. Sometimes they accent the rhythmic pattern with dance, and often individuals will insert a random motion into the pattern. |
| And, if you needed any other reason, these guys and their warm-up acts are guys who lived through Apartheid and are now deeply involved in forgiving and living alongside their oppressors. They've earned some time on stage, that's for sure. |
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