The Kinetic Energy of Ladysmith Black Mambazo LIVE on stage at the Stanley February 4, 2009
Date Posted: January 5th, 2009
Utica, NY&..The Stanley Center for the Arts in partnership with The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees present the brilliant physicality and vocal harmonies of the GRAMMY-winning a cappella group LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO 7:30pm Wednesday February 4, 2009 at the Stanley, downtown Utica NY.
This performance merges South African music and dance traditions with Christian messages of compassion, love and global harmony, and the music alone is only half the story. Simply put, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has to be seen to be understood.
This presentation is in conjunction with the new release of their new DVD, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Live, scheduled for worldwide release in January 2009.
The group has also been nominated for a 2008 Grammy for the Best Traditional World Music Album for Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards for albums released between October 2007 and September 2008 will be announced on Sunday February 8, 2009.
The founder, leader and musical director Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo first began gathering talented vocalists and arranging multi-layered and tightly woven harmonies in the early 1960s. After a series of records throughout the '70s and early '80s, the group rocketed to international fame in 1986 with their appearance on Paul Simon's landmark recording, Graceland.
The thematic elements in Mambazo's music that appeal to South Africans, says Shabalala, are the same elements that appeal to a universal audience in all parts of the globe. In that sense, the group has come to be recognized as South Africa's musical ambassadors to the world.
"People love our music because we have a story in this music," says Shabalala. "It's a very deep story about tradition, about taking care of yourself, about reminding people to get together and work very hard for themselves. We are treated like kings because of this music. When the police and the politicians [in South Africa] listen to this sound, they love us. They say, 'This is the African sound. Therefore, let these people go wherever they want to go and spread this music around the world.'"
Tickets, starting as low as $15 each, for this Stanley World Stage event are now on sale at the Stanley, 724-4000 at www.StanleyCenterForTheArts.com, or through Ticketmaster. Discounts of 25% off are available for groups of 20 or more.
"Ladysmith Black Mambazo will never end," says longtime member Abednego Mazibuko, "especially because now we have a young generation that will follow us. We are very grateful for that."
Young or old, in motion or at rest, regionally popular in the '60s or world renowned in the 21st century, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has spent the past thirty-plus years committed to a message that's as simple as it is constant. "Only one thing," says Shabalala. "Only one thing. Love."
Catch Ladysmith Black Mambazo 7:30pm Wednesday February 4, 2009 at the Stanley Center for the Arts. For more information, call the Stanley ticket office at 315 / 724 -4000.
