Long Walk to Freedom is an album to celebrate Ladysmith Black Mambazo's 45th anniversary (as well as 20 years since Paul Simon's Graceland), it came out in 2006. It features the core group along with a whole bunch of guest artists. These include Zap Mama, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Joe McBride, Natalie Merchant, Emmylou Harris,Taj Mahal, Lucky Dube, Phuzekhemisi, Bhekumuzi Luthuli, Nokukhanya, Thandiswa, Vusi Mahlasela and Hugh Masekela (nope Paul Simon did not perform on the album, Joe McBride singings the lead in Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes on this one) . The album was nominated for two Grammy awards just last year (I personally think it is deserving of a win).

I don't even know where to begin with how great this album is. If you've never listened to Isicathamiya music before then you probably are unaware of the pure gold that comes ringing in your ears whilst listening to these men sing. Maybe its the gorgeous timber of their voices, or just how natural it sounds, but it's really quite something. I can only imagine what it would be like to see these men perform live, breathtaking is a word I can imagine using. I play a lot of music when I work, and this album got the largest amount of people asking "who are these guy's they're wonderful?" The addition of the guest artists also makes this album fun to listen to. I especially liked the song Mbube that featured Taj Mahal and Homeless which Sarah McLachlan sings in. Zap Mama also has a beautiful voice that reminds me vaguely of another artist I can't quite place. This album makes me not only want to go out and get their other works, but delve a little deeper into the music of South Africa.

I just found a nice performance by Vusi Mahlasela on the ted.com site. I went to a Vusi concert earlier this year, and have a signed CD. Vusi is a leading South African singer/songwriter, who was part of the struggle against apartheid. If you haven't seen or heard Vusi before, play this video. (I had a few goes at posting this. As a Firefox 3 user I have to use VodPod to post video to WordPress. The quality of the TED videos is good - don't be misled by this image.)

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I remember one summer at camp that a friend of mine had The Joshua Tree playing non-stop in our cabin. It was as though I was hearing music for the first time. When I returned from summer camp, I headed to the record store and purchased every single U2 album available. I was up to Zooropa by that point and excitedly awaited the arrival of Pop.

A fan for life, I’ve gone to U2 concerts faithfully and purchased each album, single and B-side (there must be a song I haven’t heard yet!) from the incredibly unreachable Unforgettable Fire singles to the astonishing singles from Achtung Baby (“Salome” may well be one of their best B-sides).

Bono and the boys always stood for just a little more than the music. Albums like War clearly had a political slant and the band was always pointed in that direction. Bono became a celebrity all over again for his work with Africa and One.org.

Because of the band’s work with Africa and the global AIDS crisis, it’s no wonder that Africa would celebrate U2. So In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is a more than fitting tribute to a band that always looked beyond their own borders at the broader.

We are closer than we think to each other. To problems. To solutions.

The jacket of the compilation begins with those words and a note from Shawn Amos about the impact U2 has had and how U2’s songs “belong to Africa.” Hearing the traditional tunes reworked by a set of marvellous African artists, I can’t help but agree with his assessment.

The album’s jacket also contains information about each artist on the album. There is also a fact sheet pertaining to the artist’s country of origin, breaking down the nation’s population, languages, main exports, major issues (i.e. child trafficking, malaria, etc.), and success stories. Each entry also has a website the reader can consult for more information.

Beginning with a remarkable version of “Mysterious Ways” by Benin’s Angelique Kidjo, In the Name of Love leads the listener on a breathtaking journey of U2’s music. The second son of Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka Touré of Mali, takes on “Bullet the Blue Sky” and turns it into a funky masterpiece. Guinea’s Ba Cissoko’s take on “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is touching and gives the song new meaning.

“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” never ceases to bring up strong emotions for me, but Vusi Mahlasela’s interpretation of the tune made it all the more powerful and I had to fight back the tears. Known as “The Voice,” South Africa’s Mahlasela is known for his strong song-writing talents which often highlight the politics of the region.

The classic introduction of “Where the Streets Have No Name” is freshened up by drummer Tony Allen of Nigeria, transforming it with tribal rhythms and stellar vocals from Sandra Nkake. The backing vocals on this one are affecting and fill out the song superbly. The communication of joyfulness through music is never more evident than with Allen’s version of this one.

Cheikh Lo’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” takes the original and turns it upside down, using Senegalese and Afro-funk to rework U2’s original tune. Keziah Jones’ take of “One” successfully plays with the pace of the song and speeds things up, doubling up on the tempo.

When Les Nubians gets a hold of “With Or Without You,” the sister duo of Helene and Celia Faussart from Cameroon give the song a slinky sort of feel and use programming to infuse it with African pop and hip hop music. The Soweto Gospel Choir’s rendition of “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is a natural fit, as is Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars’ take on “Seconds.”

The African Underground All-Stars give “Desire” the hip hop treatment, infusing it with rap and African guitar. The beat is addictive and the bass line plays with the original to come up with an alluring new sound. The compilation’s last track, “Love is Blindness,” is handled gracefully by Angola’s unforgettable Waldemar Bastos.

In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is an incredible collection of songs that serves as the perfect window to some of Africa’s finest artists. As the album played, I found myself learning more about Africa through the jubilation and celebration in the songs. Africa can often seem a very dark place, but there is hope in the land and the people feel it. This compilation is a demonstration of that hope from the continent’s finest artists.

A portion of the proceeds from this CD release will benefit the global fund. For more information visit www.theglobalfund.org or www.data.org.

9/10

Non conoscevo Vusi Mahlasela, musicista e cantautore sudafricano, importante attivista nella lotta contro l'apartheid. L'ho trovato su TED.

Vusi dà alla sua chitarra una voce umana, mentre lui gorgheggia versi multilingue, ulula, balla, suda, tambureggia. Se non lo conosci, comincia da "Woza" (lo spot finale è dello sponsor di TED: se chiudi il video dopo la standing ovation del pubblico, te lo risparmi).

For my sins I now babysit and entertain middle class Christians in Brisbane's sprawling suburbia and Vusi travels the world as a singing troubadour promoting justice, equality and reconciliation. Last night I paid to see him. The irony was not lost on me. The suffering he endured was perpetrated in the name of Christ. The benificence I enjoyed was also in the name of Christ.

I would never have imagined that I would pay to go and see a musician of Vusi Mahlasela's ilk. After all, he is an African and I was raised in a country where because of the colour of my skin I was a ‘European'. It took me to eventually live in Europe before I realized that I was an African. Yes a white man can be an African. The revelation hit me like a sledgehammer. It happened whenI was a reading a book by that great author Alan Paton [Cry the Beloved Country] called ‘To Late the Phalarope'. At one point in the book as I was reading a vivid description of the landscape I began to weep. I wept with a deep longing to be connected to the land once again. To feel the red earth beneath me, to smell the rains and behold the vast open skies and plains. I realized that all the finery and history of Europe meant nothing to me. I felt a deep sense of anger that my ‘African-ness' had been stolen from me by the false dichotomy based on the colour of my skin.

I no longer have that book but the opening words of Cry The Beloved Country [Alan Paton, 1948] capture the same vivid imagery of the landscape and people. For an Southern African in exile there can be few words more emotional to read than these:

There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa. About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld. Below you is the valley of the Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after great hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.

The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil. It holds the rain and the mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof. It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil. Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator. Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil. But the rich green hills break down. They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature. For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs. Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it. Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and the stones cut under the feet. It is not kept, or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men. The titihoya does not cry here any more.
The great red hills stand desolate, and the earth has torn away like flesh. The lightning flashes over them, the clouds pour down upon them, the dead streams come to life, full of the red blood of the earth. Down in the valleys women scratch the soil that is left, and the maize hardly reaches the height of a man. They are valleys of old men and old women, of mothers and children. The men are away, the young men and the girls are away. The soil cannot keep them any more.

Although my daughters were born outside of Africa, and their musical tastes do not include traditional African rythms, I took them along to expose them that which had been denied me.

Dave Eggers wrote What is the What, the story of boys who walked out of Sudan.

Neil Turok who is Professor of Mathematical Physics at Cambridge and who founded the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences.

There is also music by South African musician, Vusi Mahlasela.
The third winner is Karen Armstrong talking about religion. Though not about Africa, this is a subject dear to our hearts.

That lead me to some articles on the World AIDS Day Concert which will be held today in Johannesburg, South Africa and other articles on singles released by Queen and Annie Lennox to commemorate the day.

46664 World AIDS Day - The Mandela AIDS Concert

More than forty of South Africa’s biggest artists and musicians will join Nelson Mandela’s call today, Monday October 29, when the former president makes a public appearance at Ellis Park Stadium Johannesburg, SA, for a further announcement of the performance line up for the forthcoming 46664 World Aids Day concert to be hosted at Ellis Park on December 1.

The concert is the fifth 46664 event staged at points across the world since the founding in 2002 of the HIV AIDs charity which carries Nelson Mandela’s prison number and has been made possible through the support of Joburg City.

Special single releases:

Queen release track for Aids day

The first studio recording by Queen in 10 years will be available to download for free to promote World Aids Day.

Annie Lennox launches single for World Aids Day

Scottish singer and one-time Eurythmics member Annie Lennox is launching a new charity single titled Sing on Saturday, World Aids Day.

So when I opened the bulletin message from Xavier Rudd I instantly assumed his promotion of a new song (Choices) on his page would have a song playing in the bulletin. It didn't happen.

Now that I'm on Xavier Rudd's page though I'll start my mySpace music trail here.

Artist - Xavier Rudd

The song (Choices) is the first song on his playlist. It has the melodic delivery and smooth voice of a classic Xavier Rudd tune. As usual there's a message within the poetic lyrics, although he doesn't come across as preachy. I love the fact that Xavier is a hugely successful artist in Australia and he's still rooted with good intentions for this world. He hasn't lost his soul to the industry.

The second song is (Messages). It starts of with soft, slowly sung lyrics. Don't be fooled away by this. When the Weissenborn slide guitar and foot powered stomp box start up you can't help but remember the first time you saw Xavier play live. When the song's tempo picks up the whole crowd starts nodding their head to both the beat and lyrics as they sing along. "You know some people they just won't understand these things. Thank you for your message but I don't understand these things." When I saw him play in Byron Bay a year ago this song left an impression on me. Xavier sings of the troubles facing the indigenous, Aboriginal people of Australia. It's as if the world has a second chance to protect the Native Americans as we screwed it up the first time around.

The third song is (Fortune Teller). Immediately you get to hear Xavier's didgeridoo skills. He's a one man band playing didgeridoo rather than kazoo. The lap guitar and foot drum (stomp box) drive the music further into intensity. Imagine Ben Harper back in the day when he played live shows with real intensity. Mix that with Jack Johnson's voice and that's Xavier Rudd live! This recorded version has the same feel as a studio version of a Ben Harper song. The comparisons run strong.

The fourth song right now is (Energy Song). It starts with a quick snare drum pacing the guitar melody. Xavier's voice comes through and later the digiridoo again. I think this song is about environmental consciousness wrapped up with a beautiful tune that's easy on the ears and keeps moving briskly along.

Go to Xavier Rudd's bio page. It's well worth the read. Also check the tour dates. He's coming to The Attic in Santa Cruz on June 27. I will be there if I can make it!

From Xavier Rudd's top friends I chose Vusi Mahlasela. It turns out he's from South Africa. Neat. A quick Yahoo! Search (a Yearch!) suggests that Vusi Mahlasela is more than just a random musician. He won the "Best Male Artist of the Year" award in the South African Music Awards. His most recent album was just released in March and has guest appearances by Xavier Rudd, Dave Matthews, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo...all names you should know, or get to know.

Artist - Vusi Mahlasela

The first song is (Jabula). It starts out with guitars singing in a round. Then a whistle joins the round. Later the singing starts and it's in another language. It doesn't sound like Afrikaans. The song is easy to listen to and has a quick pace. I recommend checking it out.

The second song from Vusi is (Heaven in My Heart). It's an English language song that starts out sounding like an old Irish tale with an almost Caribbean feel, a new sound for me. The song is beautifully arranged and upbeat. I'm not sure it's my taste but for those who dig it I'm sure it's great. You know, even I dig it.

The third song is (Thula Mama). I love this song! It's blunt, filled with skatting, and wonderful lyric delivery. Not to mention it has a good message. "Tomorrow is gonna be better. Thula Mama. My hero mama." I'm not sure if some of the skatting might actually be lyrics in another language. Either way I like it.

The fourth song is (Everytime). Vusi's folk/world/blues/soul style comes through on this track. I would consider this song both radio and cafe friendly. This is the kind of song that comes on and people perk up their ears and wonder who it is. "It sounds like someone but I can't put my finger on it," they'll say. Enjoy the song for what it is, I say.

From Vusi Mahlasela's top friends I chose to click on Jem. She is one of the guest performers on one of Vusi's tracks. I've never heard of her so let's check her out. Her profile info has a funny line on it. "Sounds Like: me!"

Artist - Jem

The first track (Come On Closer) sounds cool from the start. It's got a beat Jay-Z could write. Jem's lines are a beat shorter than the measure, so each line is separate from the next. It works. This song seems like it would be a good fit at a house party. Stack it between two songs while you're looking for the next record. The room keeps moving while you do your thing.

The second track (They) is something I'm familiar with. I recognize the beat. Who produced this track? It's got to be someone famous, or famous now. "I'm sorry. So sorry. It's like this. I'm sorry. So sorry. They do this." Those lines are the chorus. You've probably heard the song before but never new it was Jem. Or maybe that's just me. I love the choir-esque background loop.

The third track is (Just A Ride). It's like a folk song with an electronica background. This is a song you'd listen to at work to make the day keep moving. "It's just a ride, just a ride." There's nothing too spectacular about the song except that it's cool in a subtle way. Check it out, at work, to make the day go by. : P

The fourth, and final, track is (24). I love the orchestrated loop in the background. The singing is spot on. This song is radio friendly. I'm not sure I've listened to any of the lyrics. Oh wait, I'm tuning in for a second. The song has meaning. I like it for other reasons though.

Today's mySpace music trail started with the Australian superstar Xavier Rudd. Then I checked out Vusi Mahlasela. It turned out Xavier Rudd appeared on Vusi's latest release. And by curiosity alone I checked out Jem. She too performed on Vusi's latest CD release.

All three artists are worth listening to, each of them in their own style.

The Queen may have gone home, but this is actually the big "America 400th" weekend in Virginia. The actual anniversary date of the Jamestown landing is Monday, May 14th. On-point editorial ("From Jamestown's Swamp") in today's WaPo:

Americans love tidy success stories. Jamestown -- Pocahontas notwithstanding -- was anything but. Many of the original settlers were well-born men of leisure who supposed they would lead a life of ease in Virginia, provisioned by London, fed by docile natives and enriched by vast stores of easily accessed gold. They were misled...

The RoeDeo has been following the Jamestown saga for some time now, both for its historical thread and modern-day musical expressions. The "disovery of America" theme permeates the programming of this year's running of the excellent Virginia Arts Festival, (a/k/a the "Tidewater Tanglewood." Check out what's happening this weekend:

Sure, it's all a little gimmicky -- Sunday, a 400-piece orchestra and a 1607-voices choir will perfom the Grand Finale program that may or may not be televised. But what an impressive line-up of first-rate American composers! (The Arts Festival also runs a John Duffy Composers Institute - this year's faculty also includes Anthony Davis and Lee Hoiby.) In between, check out this lineup for "400 minutes of Music" Local hero Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs, and Chaka Khan, headline "an afternoon-long program featuring contemporary rock infused with native American musical traditions from Brule, a mix of folk, world, blues and soul music from South African artist Vusi Mahlasela, folk roots music from Michael Seeger, poetic urban folk from Jen Chapin, and alternative country from Scott Miller & The Commonwealth."

Wow - that's a helluva music mix. Mahlasela (former member of the African National Congress!) was just interviewed on Morning Edition, Mike Seeger (Pete's brother) is an authentic roots-music hero - I can't believe I first saw him perform - gulp - 40 years ago, with the New Lost City Ramblers. Jen Chapin (daughter of the late Harry) is a promising singer-songwriter whose debut CD Linger I thought was quite good if a tad overproduced. And Scott Miller? He's been tagged "The Virginia version of John Mellencamp," which I suppose is as good a description as any.

So, Unusual for most pop musicians, but utterly Hornsby, who's one of the most interesting musicians around. (Yes, I'm in the tank for the other Bruuuuuce. I had a hand in bringing him to NPR last year. Check out his performance on Talk of The Nation, and/or his solo show at the Gilmore Festival.

You're liable to hear Bach, Bebop, or bluegrass in the midst of his solo-piano shows, and over the years his collaborators have included (according to Bruce's website - I can't keep track of them all: The Grateful Dead, Shawn Colvin, members of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, Ricky Skaggs, Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans, Robbie Robertson, Branford Marsalis, the aforementioned Chaka Khan, Roger Waters, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Gregory Hines, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.) Oh, and forward-thinking enough that you can download some of his live shows. For a price, to be sure, but they'll even make CD copies for you.

On the subject of concert audio, and getting back to where we started, you'll be able to hear some select Virginia Arts Festival concerts on Performance Today, including the appearance in Portsmouth, VA. by the Academy of Ancient Music. No word yet on if/when the May. 11 concert featuring Duffy, Hailstork, Higdon et al will appear...

Sheesh. Meant this to be short now turned into another novelette of a post...