Kwela Fans - Lemmy Mabaso MP3s

Whistle
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I’ve just finally worked out the technology required to digitize an LP cleanly, and to celebrate I’ve MP3ed the two Lemmy Mabaso tracks form an ancient LP sampler from my childhood.

Here’s a pic of Mabaso in the fifties.

Lemmy Mabaso was a south African street kid who found early fame as a kwela pioneer.

http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/culture/922564.htm

The term “kwela” is derived from the Zulu for “get up”, though in township slang it also referred to the police vans, the “kwela-kwela”. Thus it could be an invitation to join the dance as well as a warning. It is said that the young men who played the pennywhistle on street corners also acted as lookouts to warn those enjoying themselves in the illegal drinking dens of the arrival of the cops.

Lemmy Mabaso was one of the famous pennywhistle stars; he began performing in the streets at the age of 10. Talent scouts were sent out by the recording industry to lure pennywhistlers into the studio and have them record their tunes with full band backing. Stars such as Spokes Mashiyane had hits with kwela pennywhistle tunes.

In 1959, the recording “Tom Hark” by Elias Lerole and His Zig-Zag Flutes was a hit around the world, being taken over and reworked by, for instance, the British bandleader Ted Heath.

I’m willing to email out MP3s of this recording, as I greatly suspect that Mabaso isn’t likely to enjoy any royalties, and as far as I know these aren’t available anywhere else. PM me with an address that you can recieve email attachments at. This is a limited time offer.

The two tracks are London Special and Kwela Blues

This is the earliest tin whistle music I ever heard–a south african relative sent this LP to my family some time around 1970. I can remember lying on the carpet and puzzling over the sketch of a tin whistle on the cover–I’d seen a sax before, but the whistle puzzled me. It was plainly an instrument of some sort, but like nothing I’d seen before.

If anyone has any other Kwela music of a similar vintage they’d be willing to trade, I’d love to hear it. I also have the Spokes Mashiyone LP, King of Kwela, but I’m not going to offer that, because I think it’s been reissued within the past few years.

However, I love to hear a copy of the Tom Hark recording referenced in the article above.

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Probably true, as most of the early kwela artists got a fixed price (a few pounds) for their work and never received any royalties. Also, the ownership of the tunes themselves (who wrote them) has been in dispute pretty much since they were recorded, as far as I can see.

Me, too. I don’t have a recording, but I just wrote a long post about Big Voice Jack, the man who probably composed it.

The BBC apparently used this tune as a theme song to a TV show in the 50s, so there might actually still be recordings in their archive.

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Emails have gone out. If I’ve missed anyone, let me know.

By the way, I’ve been recording some more stuff, and I’m starting to suspect the belt that drives my turntable. It’s not unlikely that the recording I’ve made is both slow and low by some indeterminate amount. You’ll have to be your own judges.

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S1m0n,
I received the MP3s. Thanks! I love them!
Mike

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In the blues clip it sounds like he is playing a reeded instrument. Is that the effect of the record player or his playing style for that song?

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I know nothing about the tracks but artist and title. Some early kwela stars doubled on sax, so it’s conceivable that Maboso did so.

It’s also possible that I screwed up the labelling of the tracks–the same LP also had Spokes Mashiyone playing a track called “kwela Kong” which IS on sax (Mashiyone was one of the early kwela stars to make the switch). I might have sent out the wrong file.

I’ll check when I get home this evening.

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Howdy,

Thanks for turning me on to Kwela. It really is amazingly uplifting music! I’m going to see if I can go rustle up some Kwela CDs now. And decide on a Bb whistle, you know, just in case…

Best,

Dave

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Howdy,

I found this link to Tom Hark in a list of ring tones, of all things.

Interestingly, the name is a mistake by the record company. It should have been Tomahawk, refering to the axes the musicians kept around to protect themselves from gangs.

Best,

Dave

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Hey, thanks! That’s pretty cool. Does anyone else know of links?

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Howdy,

Sternsmusic.com has a bunch of streaming sound samples you can listen to.

Search for:

The Positively Testcard
Big Voice Jack Lerole
Spokes Masheyane

I haven’t found much else.

Best,

Dave

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Thanks for sending the mp3s! :smiley:

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Howdy,

Alright, now here’s a question for all you whistle heads out there - what modern whistle has the Tom Hark sound?

Apparently kwela songs were all done on B flat Honer whistles.

Best,

Dave

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Thanks for the mp3s. There’s nothing like Kwela. I think the reeded instrument in there is probably a whistle. I’ve tried blowing into my whistles in the subscribed Kwela fashion, and some whistles really produce sounds close to those you’re hearing on the mp3. Somewhere on the website there’s a description of the way you’re supposed to use a whistle to produce Kwela sounds. It’s somewhat painful, actually. I’d much rather hear it than produce it.

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A thread in which to consolidate and post Kwela links:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=35545