Tsonga Disco: Maile

We're back with some long overdue Tsonga Disco. Today we bring you someone new to 27 Leggies - Maile and his 1998 album, "Vat En Sit". "Vat En Sit" is an Afrikaans expression used colloquially to mean what the dictionaries would call "cohabitation" (or, as we used to call it in the old days, "living in sin").

I know nothing about Maile beyond what I have been able to work out from the details on the sleeve. His full name appears to be Maile Mokhwati and he is/ was a protege of the late great Peta Teanet. The album was issued by EMI under licence from Mac-Villa Music (Peta's old production company), and includes a cover version of Peta's "Tsontsokile". The final track is called "Teanet", and is presumably a tribute to Peta who had died in 1996. I have no idea whether he made any other records.

Production duties are handled by Lefty Rhikoto, leader of Mordillo, a band that first came to prominence backing Peta's predecessor as the King of Tsonga/ Shangaan Disco, the equally late if not quite equally great Paul Ndlovu. The sound is mostly fairly conventional 1990s Tsonga Disco, although there is a bit of a kwaito influence on a couple of tracks.

Here are my personal favourites from "Vat En Sit". "Damarisa" in particular is a real stomper.

"Damarisa" - Maile

 "Bomba" - Maile

There is no Maile on YouTube. But there is Mai Tai.

Great Danes

Something fairly new to start things off today, with thanks to John at Safety First Records who tipped me off to "Must We Find A Winner", the new album by Klak Tik. Although apparently first released last year, it will only be available on iTunes and all the usual outlets from tomorrow. I would recommend you find time in your busy diaries to wander over there and check it out.

The driving force behind Klak Tik is one Soren Bonke, a Danish singer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist. The band itself appear to be based in East London, as am I and at least one of our regular readers. We will need to keep an eye out for characters carrying chairs around for no good reason, as it might be them.

The band describe their music as "sparse and tender folk tunes expanded to produce multi-layered, pseudo-orchestral pieces of music", which seems a fairly good description to me. For those of you who prefer direct comparisons, there is a definite Midlake/ Fleet Foxes vibe to much of the album, and I would think fans of those bands will like this a lot. For older farts like me, there is also a whiff of Caravan and other bands from the pastoral strain of early English prog-rock, which is no bad thing in moderation. I liked it the first time I listened to it, and I liked it more the second time - on which flimsy basis I am prepared to stick my neck out and call it a grower.

"Kneel To Avoid Beheading" - Klak Tik

"Carpet Swept" - Klak Tik

Also from Denmark, but a lot older, are Bifrost. Active from 1976 to 1987, I picked up their self-titled debut album for a few pounds while in Copenhagen recently. The fact that they are named after the bridge that joins the world to the realm of the Gods in Norse mythology, the copious references to Christiania in the Danish language sleeve notes, and this album cover led me to hope it would be fairly freaky.

I was disappointed. It turned out to be fairly bog standard 1970s rock. But not without its moments. Here are a couple of the highlights.

"Idaho" - Bifrost

"Vandringssangen" - Bifrost

Rather better on the Danish hippy front were The Savage Rose. I picked up a few of their albums while in Copenhagen and will do a post featuring them when I get round to it. As a taster, here they are freaking out the Norwegians in 1973.

Hats Off!

The great Roy Harper turns 70 today. He is playing a special gig at the South Bank in London to mark the occasion, to which I am lucky enough to have tickets, but that isn't happening until November. We can't wait until then. Here is a small selection of his mighty oeuvre to tide us over.

"You Don't Need Money" - Roy Harper (from "Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith", 1967)

"I'll See You Again" - Roy Harper (from "Valentine", 1974)

"Watford Gap" - Roy Harper (from "Bullinamingvase", 1977)

"Cherishing The Lonesome" - Roy Harper (from "Bullingamingvase", 1977)

"The Flycatcher" - Roy Harper (from "The Unknown Soldier", 1980)

I have also learnt that I struck lucky in the great London 2012 Olympics lucky dip and have got two tickets to the semi-final of the womens' handball tournament. Whoopee! But that is even further ahead and I don't know any songs about handball - well, do you? - so instead let's stick with Roy. Here are Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush with a very nice version of one of his standards, "Another Day". The chances of them turning up for a repeat performance in November are probably litle more than nil, but then that was what I thought were the odds of getting handball tickets, so we live in hope.

Oldies But Goodies

I will be away working from tomorrow for the best part of a week. I haven't had time to prepare anything new and interesting to tide you over, so here are some things that are old and interesting.
This is a selection of tracks that were featured way back in the early days of 27 Leggies, when the number of leggies was greater than the number of listeners. They deserve a bigger audience.

There is hopefully something for everyone here. In order: Belgian New Wave, Brazilian soul, South African jazz, Afro Zouk, Scottish folk, Jimmy Webb done reggae style, Richard Strange, groovy Texan sounds, some old punks and a stone cold classic from Curtis Mayfield. Tuck in.

"Do The Standing Still" - The Employees

"Idade" - Tim Maia

"Stokvel Gumba" - Sipho Gumede

"Femme Africaine" - Soule Ngofo Man

"The Birks of Invermay" - Karine Polwart

"Do What You Got To Do" - Pat Rhoden

"International Language" - Richard Strange

"Best Is Yet To Come" - Vince Bell

"Violence Grows" - Fatal Microbes

"Dirty Laundry" - Curtis Mayfield

And here is something that is definitely for everyone.

Look Lively Now

We seem to have been featuring a lot of very good female singer-songwriters here recently. Here is another one.

Austin-based Vanessa Lively is new to me, although she already has three albums to her name. He fourth album, "Uncovering Stones", is released on 21 June. Copies can be pre-ordered from her website now. You ought to give it some serious consideration.

While over at her website, check out the press page where there is lots of photos and interesting information, including three different versions of her biography (long, medium and short). You ought to read the long version, as she and her husband Jason have clearly led quite a life, but here is the short version as a taster:

"For a woman who thrives on jumping into the unknown with both feet, Vanessa Lively took an unusual approach to her new album, Uncovering Stones. She and her producer-husband, Jason, planned nearly every note before recording it – which they did in their Austin home, with co-producer/engineer Keith Gary. The result is a compelling mix of tempos and styles filled with hints of urban, world, Latin, funk and pop that fully captures her compassionate nature and love of community. Uncovering Stones is, in fact, all about connecting. Vanessa even painted the album art beforehand – on 42 canvas squares she sold individually to fund the 12-song disc. Lively describes its themes as “feeling other people’s struggles and joys and being connected with them.” After raking blueberries in Maine as a migrant farm worker and living in South America with her husband to do volunteer work in impoverished areas, she feels those connections deeply – and when you listen, you will, too."

Here are a couple of my favourite tracks from the new album.

"Through The Veil" - Vanessa Lively

"Follow Your Heart" - Vanessa Lively

And here they are performing the old Mercedes Sosa song, "La Maza", on "Good Morning Austin" last year. Not the sort of thing you normally associate with breakfast television, at least not in the UK, but it would definitely help the corn flakes go down smoothly.

Happy Days

We interrupt our normal programming to bring you what is essentially a dedication. Earlier this evening I had an excellent time with a couple of old pals: Steve, who I haven't seen for between three and five years, and Chris, who I haven't seen for a quarter of a century. I know what you are thinking - how can someone who is evidently so young and hip have known anyone for 25 years, let alone not seen them for that length of time. Well, kindergarten can be a formative experience, and the bonds remain strong.

Today's selection is for Chris. He may understand the significance of each track. Then again he may have forgotten. We'll find out.

"Let The World Wash In" - I Luv Wight

"Whips & Furs" - The Vibrators

"Shirley" - John Fred & His Playboys

"Amsterdam" - John Cale

"This Liberal Love" - Microdisney

And in case Steve is feeling overlooked, today's clips are for him.





"

The Man Japan

While I was in South Africa a couple of months back I picked up an album called "Apojorize" by one Japan Mjay. It is a sort of soul/ mbaqanga mix, released in 1999 but sounding like it dates from ten years earlier.

My initial attempts to find out more about Japan Mjay were not very successful. He doesn't turn up on Google, and does not merit a single mention in our old friend Max Thamagana Mojapelo’s seminal work “Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music”. I was about to give up when I looked at the album credits. These suggested a connection with the mighty Soul Brothers, South Africa's leading exponents of the soul/mbaqanga sound since the mid-1970s and still going strong.

After a bit more digging, I can reveal that Japan Mjay was none other that Japan Sidoyi, a former member of  Imitshotshovu, the Soul Brothers backing band who also released a series of albums in their own right. Japan played the Hammond organ and provided backing vocals, and also guested with the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi in his spare time. He sadly passed away in 2002 at the tender age of 46.

This solo effort was produced by the Soul Brothers' Moses Ngwenya, with all songs co-written by those two and Dennis Gumede, of Dennis Gumede & The Teenagers "fame". Here are a couple of the high spots.

"Aporijize" - Japan Mjay

"Mhlekazi" - Japan Mjay

And with a degree of tedious inevitability, we move from a man called Japan to a Japanese Boy.