Ladysmith Black Mambazo at SFJAZZ Summer Session Series at SFJAZZ Center

A South African institution, Lady Black Mambazo sparks a gentle fire to stir passions and lift sunken spirits. The all-male a cappella group began back in the early ‘60s, when Joseph Shabalala infused sacred vocal harmonies with the secular song and dance styles of South African folk traditions. But it wasn’t until 1986 that they broke through to a mass audience, as part of Paul Simon’s era-defining Graceland project. Since then, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has become known as a global ambassador for post-apartheid South Africa. Ladysmith is dedicated to making sure that young South Africans don’t lose sight of isicathamiya, the traditional Zulu style featuring gorgeous voices, mouth percussion and cascading melodies accompanied by graceful choreography...

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A South African institution, Lady Black Mambazo sparks a gentle fire to stir passions and lift sunken spirits. The all-male a cappella group began back in the early ‘60s, when Joseph Shabalala infused sacred vocal harmonies with the secular song and dance styles of South African folk traditions. But it wasn’t until 1986 that they broke through to a mass audience, as part of Paul Simon’s era-defining Graceland project. Since then, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has become known as a global ambassador for post-apartheid South Africa. Ladysmith is dedicated to making sure that young South Africans don’t lose sight of isicathamiya, the traditional Zulu style featuring gorgeous voices, mouth percussion and cascading melodies accompanied by graceful choreography. The group has been nominated for a stunning 13 Grammy Awards and won three, as recently as 2009. Ladysmith is a true phenomenon that has come to be synonymous with “world” music.

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