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Isicathamiya and South African choirs
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre
Isicathamiya and South African choirs · After the First World War, Zulu men moved from the countryside of Natal to the mines and factories, where they lived in men's hostels. There a cappella choirs emerged that competed against one another, with soft, creeping dance steps; isicathamiya comes from a Zulu word for walking carefully, like a cat. In 1939 Solomon Linda and his Evening Birds recorded Mbube, the source of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Ladysmith Black Mambazo later took the style all over the world, partly through Paul Simon's Graceland.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to Mbube for how the low voices keep repeating the same pattern while Solomon Linda improvises high above it. That melody later became The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Mbube · Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds, 1939
Nomathemba · Ladysmith Black Mambazo, 1973
Homeless · Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo, 1986
See also
- Joseph Shabalala
- Solomon Linda's Original Evening Birds
- Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo
- Spirituals and gospel
Categories: Genres