Friday, May 14, 2004  

Hugh Masekela, "U-Dwi"
Hugh Masekela, "Cantelope Island"
from The Lasting Impressions of Ooga Booga (Verve, 1996)
Busi Mhlongo, "Oxamu"
from Roots & Ancestors 1 (Melt 2000)

Big ups to Soul Sides, Can't Stop Won't Stop, Large-Hearted Boy, Catch Dubs, Never Came Home, Crank Crunk, Moebius Rex, and, yes, the Dylan newsgroup for providing so many ears for the Suburbs over the past few days.

This weekend is going to be tite:

Saturday night is Mission of Burma and Fiery Furnaces with Beau Beau. I just wish I liked those bands more; for me Burma has two good songs (yeah, those two), and I don't get the Furnaces. At least the company will be fab and the beers expensive.

Then on Sunday I'm going to be try and run my fanny from Upper Marlboro for a ska & reggae fest to downtown D.C. for this South African sonic celebration.

I've gone to the venue for the ska & reggae fest twice since I've been in D.C.---and both times it was for ECHL minor-league hockey games for the now-defunct Chesapeake Icebreakers. It's a multifunction arena that is normally an equestrian showplace, but this weekend it's gonna have so much West Indian flava that the concession stands will blow up cayenne styleeee: Beres Hammond, Maxi Priest, Marcia Griffiths, the Mighty Sparrow & Baron, Carl Malcolm & Eric "Monty" Morris. I'll prob see Malcolm (now a Takoma Park resident), Morris, and the Mighty Sparrow & Baron before having to cold bust it over to the Ken Cen to see Hugh Masekela, the breathtaking Vusi Mahlasela, Busi Mhlongo, Jabu Khanyile and the dance group Moving Into Dance-Mophatong.

That's some worldwide jank.

Busi Mhlongo is a Zulu singer, heard here a capella on the traditional tune "Oxamu." The clicks she produces while singing tickle my throat. There's a house mix of "Oxamu" on Global Vibes (Melt 2000), but it's pretty tepid. Anybody wanna make a mash-up using Mhlongo's singing? Maybe something glitchy to play off the clicks?

And Hugh Masekela is, well, Hugh Masekela. Herbie Hancock's "Cantalope Island" is taken at an almost leisurely pace, and "U-Dwi" mixes township jive and soul-jazz. These tunes were recorded in NYC at the Village Gate in 1965---Masekela's pre-"Grazing in the Grass" days---and originally released on The Americanization of Ooga Booga in 1966. The CD version adds another LP, The Lasting Impression of Hugh Masekla, cut at the same live date.

Oh crap. Just found out that I have to interview Miriam Makeba in 10 mins.

Next week is the 10th anniversary of my journey from Michigan to D.C. This is gonna be special for me as I give big ups to my musical peeps. Bring on the weepy white guys.

Posted by CP | Link |

---