NGIWU SHWABADA (vinyl)

Description

The long tracks with their hypnotic musical patterns lead the listener into a gentle, contemplative trance. A singular figure, South African guitarist, singer, and composer Sibusile Xaba carries within him a unique music. Between the evocation of ethereal landscapes and the invocation of ancestral spirits, the vocal style of the KwaZulu-Natal native is more akin to divination than simple singing. Add to that a very expressive guitar playing and improvisation work of unparalleled intensity, and you get music that pushes the boundaries of genres (jazz, folk, maskandi), drawing from the fundamentals passed down by his mentors Madala Kunene and the iconic Dr. Philip Tabane. "INCANTATORY JAZZ CONNECTED TO THE SPIRITS OF THE ANCIENTS." --- TÉLÉRAMA ---