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Language
English
Description
From Cape Town to Kinshasa to Abidjan on the Ivory Coast, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, daughter of an African gospel singer, is Africa's undisputed disco queen. This program traces her career and details her meteoric rise to fame. Live performance footage highlights the influence of gospel music and the traditional African rhythms she weaves into her work.
2) Mango Groove
Language
English
Description
The sound of the group Mango Groove and its multiracial members is the sound of the new South Africa. Punchy, vibrant, bursting with life and color, it is an infectious jive, a melodious fusion of the traditional three-chord structure of marabi rhythms, pop, and jazz - all built around the piercing sound of the pennywhistle. Mango Groove's founder, John Leyden, traces the group's fascinating history from its roots in Sophia Town, the legendary freehold...
Language
English
Description
The pop music of South Africa's hottest township drummer bridges the gap between urban sophistication and the tribal roots of Mbaqanga-the pop-style music of the outlying townships. In this program, Sipho Mabuse discusses how mainstream South African contemporary music moved from American jazz influences to other genres, including pop. The performance highlights Mabuse with his original pop group, the Beaters, and with his newly formed cross-cultural...
Language
English
Description
The music in this program is a detonating blend of soul, disco, and Mbaqanga-a blend of pop and traditional rhythms-from music legend Brenda Fassie, niece of Nelson Mandela. Fassie talks about her childhood days as a singer with the Tiny Tots-a street-corner group with whom she often did imitations of American folk singer Roberta Flack. Later music, which she describes as "bubble-gum," made her a star. But it was her song written and dedicated to...
Language
English
Description
In the shadow of Table Mountain, the city of Cape Town moves to a different beat. In its restless confluence of cultures, music mixes and remixes to shape the sounds that reflect the vibrance and volatility of the community. Today's sound is called African Hip Hop, and the group playing it, the Prophets of the City, is the subject of this program. Their leader, Deon Daniels, discusses the music's inspiration: hard-core American street rap. The lyrics,...