Crocodile Male Voice Choir - Sasingaxabene (No Argument, 1939)

We sometimes hear that music is a universal language, and Sasingaxabene (No Argument?) by Isaac Mzobe's Crocodile Male Voice Choir, is proving that old saying again. The song features a concertina as lead instrument played in a manner close to that of boeremusiek (traditional Afrikaner dance music). But the Crocodile Male Voice Choir one of the very early isicathamiya (a cappella) groups performing in Natal, so despite the artificial separation of people in South Africa during this time, here the roots of maskanda (a kind of Zulu folk music) is already mixed up with the roots of the dancing music of the Afrikaners -- which in 1939 when this recording was made was not even called boeremusiek yet.

Later on this trend would reverse with the absorption of various African styles into boeremusiek. For example, Fred Woodridge's "Penniefluitjie-Kwela" popularized the use of the pennywhistle and kwela music amongst Afrikaners, while Nico Carstens and Dirkie Smit even went so far as to play Strike Vilakazi's "Meadowlands" (lamenting the forced removals of Sophiatown's residents to the newly created township of Meadowlands).

Anyway, this little gem appears on Electric Jive's free compilation album Maskanda Roots. I have previously voiced my admiration for the work Electric Jive is doing, and again I am heavily indebted to their labor of love.
http://electricjive.blogspot.com/2011/11/maskanda-roots-1927-1964.html

More about this particular recording can be found at FlatInternational

http://www.flatinternational.org/template_volume.php?volume_id=145#

Explanation of terms:
Maskanda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maskanda
Isicathamiya: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isicathamiya

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Music
• Africa
• South Africa
• Maskanda
• Isicathamiya
• Zulu Folk Music
• Boeremusiek
• Sasingaxabene
• Isaac Mzobe
• Crocodile Male Voice Choir
• historic
• shellac
• test pressing
• concertina
• Electric Jive

[Jantak]

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