THERE have always been two aspects to the music of Mozambique-born, Cape Town-based saxophonist Moreira Chonguica. He is a performer and producer, with two albums as leader under his belt, plus many credits as producer and guest artist. But he is also a student of the music of his homeland. His latest release, Khanimambo (morestar), is a showcase for the veteran stars of the Mozambican scene; the musicians who shaped his musical tastes when he was growing up. Much as Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club introduced the Cuban veteran to the world, so Khanimambo interleaves conversations with the artists and new productions of their hits. But it is important for Chonguica that he is steering the work: “It is always an American or a European who comes and ‘rescues’ us or ‘discovers’ the beauty in our music,” he told journalist Kulani Nkuna. “It is time we see it for ourselves and own it.”
Chonguica plays sax on the tracks, but very much as a backing musician. For the rest, the ensemble includes accomplished South African players: drummer Frank Paco; percussionist John Hassan; bassists Shaun Johannes and Lucas Khumalo; guitarists Allou April and Angelo Syster; pianists Mark Goliath and Camillo Lombard; and more. The stars are the vocalists: given space to introduce their songs in a few minutes of documentary sound before each track. Despite the age of the musicians (the oldest is 92) and of many of the songs, Chonguica’s arrangements keep them fresh. Hearing the honeyed swing of Julia Mwitu or the gravel-voiced soul of Wazimbo, it becomes surprising — and sad — that such distinctive artists (there are 16 more) have not yet become world-music stars.
Most striking is perhaps the unearthly falsetto chant of Aly Faque, punctuated by Chonguica’s trip-hop rhythms and the trumpet of Lwanda Gogwana. That track is clearly a hit waiting to happen.
WITS University must be the location of choice for jazz and African music listeners this week. This year’s Wits Art and Literature Experience (WALE 5.0) offers a programme that stretches across the arts spectrum, but its music component is particularly impressive. WALE opens tonight with a free 7pm concert in the Wits Atrium featuring Carlo Mombelli and the Prisoners of Strange. For this outing, the ensemble is joined by guest pianist Malcolm Nay, for a performance of Mombelli’s work, The Mime Artist.
Tomorrow at 6pm, Marie Jorritsma launches her book, Sonic Spaces of the Karoo (Temple University/Wits University Press), in the Wits School of the Arts Room 116. The book is a study of the sacred music of three Graaff-Reinet church communities.
There’s more sacred music later in the evening in the atrium at 7pm as part of WALE’s Composer in Focus event, which presents the compositions of Mokale Koapeng. A large group of musicians includes the Gauteng Choristers, percussionist Magdalena de Vries, the Diamond Quartet and bassist Thembinkosi Mavimbela. They will play 15 of Koapeng’s works.
On Friday, Nedbank ’s Reuel Khoza — recently in the news for entirely different reasons — will present the Khabi Mngoma Memorial Lecture in the Wits Main Theatre at 7pm. Mngoma was a pioneer of music teaching, organisation and research, as well as a composer. After the lecture, Mngoma’s daughter, singer Sibongile Khumalo, will lead a conversation with Khoza.
On Saturday at 7.30pm the Wits Great Hall will host a jazz concert by the Feya Faku Quintet: trumpeter Faku; saxophonist Sydney Mnisi; pianist Andile Yenana; bassist Jimmy Mngwandi; and drummer Clement Benny. Faku now has four albums ’ worth of original compositions and this concert will draw from all of these, as well as new works. Faku’s music is moving and emotional but governed by restraint, recalling the approach of an older generation of Eastern Cape composers such as Tete Mbambisa. For full details of the WALE 5.0 programme, see www.wits.ac.za/wale.
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Article source: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=171337