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Ladysmith Black Mambazos Concert in March 2020
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the worldwide famous African male choral group with more than fifty years of performance history. In 2020, the singers were forced to cancel their tour due to the pandemic and death of the groups founder, Joseph Shabalala (Ladysmith Black Mambazo). However, Ladysmith Black Mambazo gave one concert at UCLA in March 2020 by singing at an empty hall in front of cameras. This paper aims to reflect the authors reaction after watching the choral groups performance.
The video was prepared by KCRW Los Angeles-based radio station that streamed the concert live via YouTube. The KCRW Presents: Ladysmith Black Mambazo at CAP UCLA is the recorded live concert saved on KCRWs channel on March 27, 2020. The event took place at Royce Hall in Los Angeles on March 16, 2020, and reached more than 40 000 views (KCRW). Although live concert streams are now common, the choral group was one of the first artists to try it.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group that made South Africas native musical traditions famous and valued worldwide. It was established in 1960 by Joseph Shabalala, a farmworker from Ladysmith town of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, who passed away in 2020 (Ladysmith Black Mambazo). The current members are Thamsanqa Shabalala, Thulani Shabalala, Msizi Shabalala, Sibongiseni Shabalala, Albert and Abednego Mazibuko, Pius Shezi, Mfanafuthi Dlamini, and Sabelo Mthembu. Their choral roles are equal as each singer performed both solely and as a back vocalist, thus all group was on the stage during the whole concert.
Ladysmith Black Mambazos performance had no musical accompaniment, and the instruments were only their voices and bodies. There was no need for music as vocalists created a joyful and fulfilling atmosphere by making noises and changing their rhythms. The concert was streamed, therefore the acoustics were set to provide the best sound quality for camera recording (KCRW). The absence of an audience eliminated odd sounds, and the stages microphones amplified a soloists voice.
It was comfortable to watch the Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert because the group interacted with the audience despite their inability to know who sees the performance. Thamsanqa Shabalala presented his brothers, shared personal memories and anecdotes, joked about life, and offered the listeners to join them in singing. Moreover, Ladysmith Black Mambazo members gave wise advice, such as to tell women they are beautiful, and spoke about South African traditions in food, leisure, and relationships (KCRW). Each act included the introduction story about an upcoming song, a brief translation if its text was in African, and vocalists dances accompanied to singing.
The choral group performance sheds a bright light on South African peoples values, daily life, struggles, and dreams. That knowledge was gained through the stories and memories vocalists shared and their songs narratives. Ladysmith Black Mambazo included their most famous creatures like Wafika Nobani, Tough Times Never Last, Homeless, to the UCLA concert and shared new ones, such as their Tribute to Our Father, Joseph Shabalala (KCRW). The most enjoyable part was the Thalaza song full of dancing and sounded accommodation, as it made a listener feel happy despite the lack of understanding of its narrative.
The Royce Hall where Ladysmith Black Mambazo gave their latest concert was empty due to the pandemic, therefore it is difficult to assess the audience. However, there were more than 40 000 views on KCRWs YouTube, and people shared their emotions in the comments during the live stream. They wrote how deeply the songs and stories touch their hearts, called the group national treasure, and thanked the vocalists for spreading South African culture worldwide (KCRW). Although the group could not read the audiences reaction during the performance, they were thankful to each person who joined.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo gave an amazingly fulfilling concert at UCLA streamed live and provided everyone with an opportunity to become happier. Moreover, the willingness to study more about South African culture appears after watching the video. The choral groups performance is an excellent example of how people can create songs without musical instruments. Moreover, the members used their stories and plots to reveal the importance of family values, keeping the traditions, and sharing native cultures worldwide.
Works Cited
KCRW Presents: Ladysmith Black Mambazo at CAP UCLA. YouTube, uploaded by KCRW, 2020, Web.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo: About. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, 2020, Web.
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