Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012

Ladysmith Black Mambazo coming to Clayton Center

For more than 40 years, the voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo have married the rhythms and harmonies of their native South Africa to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual blend that has touched a worldwide audience.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo will bring its harmonies to The Clayton Center for an 8 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Best known for defining the sound on Paul Simon's "Graceland" album, Ladysmith Black Mambazo's musical efforts have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry. Led by founder Joseph Shabalala, this group of vocalists delivers the polyrhythmic, complex and harmonious songs that grew out of the African Isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-ya) tradition.

Isicathamiya developed in the mines of South Africa, where black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and their families. Poorly housed and paid worse, the mine workers would entertain themselves after a six-day week by singing songs into the wee hours on Sunday morning. When the miners returned to the homelands, this musical tradition went with them.

In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon visited South Africa and incorporated Ladysmith Black Mambazo's rich tenor, alto and bass harmonies into his "Graceland" album - a landmark 1986 recording that helped introduce world music to mainstream audiences. "Graceland" won many awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year. A year later, Simon produced Ladysmith Black Mambazo's first U.S. release, "Shaka Zulu," which won the Grammy Award in 1988 for Best Traditional Folk Album. Since then, the group has received 15 Grammy Award nominations and three Grammy Award wins, including one in 2009.

In addition to its work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has recorded with numerous international artists, including Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Dolly Parton and Ben Harper. The group's 2006 CD, "Long Walk to Freedom," featured guest singers Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris and Taj Mahal, among others.

The group's soundtrack work includes songs for Disney's "The Lion King, Part II," Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," Clint Eastwood's "Invictus," Marlon Brando's "A Dry White Season," Sean Connery's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and James Earl Jones' "Cry the Beloved Country."

Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $29 online at theclaytoncenter.com and through The Clayton Center Box Office at 553-1737. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.