Batsumi - 1976 - Moving Along

Batsumi 

1976

Moving Along

01. Moving Along

02. Evil Spirits

03. Toi Toi

04. Sister

Bongos – M. Sibiya

Double Bass – Zulu Bidi

Drums – Lekgabe Maleka

Drums, Flute, Jew's Harp – Thabang Masemola

Flute – Sipho Mabuse

Guitar, Vocals – Maswaswe Mothopeng

Organ – Sello Mothopeng

Tenor Saxophone – Themba Koyana

Trumpet – Peter Segona

"From their inception in 1972 Batsumi were in search for new indigenous sounds and in 1974 they cut their first disc BATSUMI, popularly called BATSUMI SOUND by their fans.

MOVING ALONG consists mainly of familiar SOUNDS to prepare the many fans for BATSUMI's third Album which will revel in rapturous indigenous sounds BATSUMI caught in their quest. All the songs in this Album are composed and arranged jointly by the Group.

Buta-Buta is the main vocalist, blind Minesh Sibiya plays bongos and sings Toi-Toi. Abel Maleka, who is the leader of the group, is the percussionist and plays drums. John-Maswaswe Mothopeng, the blind pianist, also plays acoustic guitar. All these are founder members who for the last four years have been engaged in hunting for new sounds.

Also featured in this Album as session men are the three former Batsumi members, Zulu Bidi, Temba Koyana and Sello Mothopeng, and two other musicians Peter Segona, a trumpeter and Sipho Mabuse, a flutist."

Sometimes a vinyl LP arrives in the mail and what an amazing good surprise it is! This week we happened to receive the latest reissue LP from Matt Temple at UK label Matsuli Music, heavy 180g vinyl, thick, non-plastified sleeve, photography and in-depth liner notes, a bonus CDR version of the album… Before having heard a single note of music we already know this is high quality stuff, fully respectful of music lovers who agree that vinyl is good for you. Batsumi is one of the holy grails of South African spiritual jazz. In 2011, Matsuli Music reissued their first, self-titled album from 1974. Sorry, haven't heard it but all reviews were laudatory. So the excitement generated by this second album from 1976 landing at our doorstep was high, and we were right about it: you will need this record in your shopping list. Out of print since its original release in the 1970s, 'Moving Along' has been lovingly restored from the original master-tapes. Lasting just a bit less than 30 minutes, this one you'll play over and over. Recorded during apartheid and banned at the time, this lost album of Sowetan afro-jazz rightfully deserves praise and (re-)discovery!

Batsumi - 1974 - Batsumi

Batsumi

1974

Batsumi

01. Lishonile

02. Emampondweni

03. Mamshanyana

04. Itumeleng

05. Anishilabi

Double Bass, Design, Artwork – Zulu Bidi

Drums – Lekgabe Maleka

Drums, Flute, Jew's Harp, Liner Notes – Thabang Masemola

Organ – Sello Mothopeng

Tenor Saxophone – Themba Koyana

Vocals, Bongos – Buta Buta Zwane

Vocals, Guitar – Maswaswe Mothopeng

Recorded in 1974 in Soweto, this is an intriguing, rousing reminder of the inventive styles that flourished in apartheid-era South Africa, but never came to the notice of the outside world. Batsumi were an Afro-jazz outfit led by a blind guitarist, Johnny Mothopeng, along with his keyboard-playing brother Lancelot and bassist Zulu Bidi. They worked in the sprawling Johannesburg township in the early 70s, and their debut album has been unobtainable for decades. Remastered from the original tapes, and best played very loud, it's a vibrant, energetic workout in which slinky, repeated riffs are matched against wailing, sometimes psychedelic effects, with saxophone and flute solos added. There are five lengthy tracks here, and they range from the opening Lishonile, in which hypnotic, repeated phrases and solos give way after nine minutes to equally furious chanting, and the cool Anishilabi, in which a classy keyboard workout and bass solo ease into a cool, loping riff. An obscure African recording, maybe, but this is still great dance music.

One of the most compelling albums we've heard from the African scene of the 70s – a rare set from a Soweto group, and one that's got a heavy dose of spiritual jazz in the mix! The album almost feels more like the kind of set you'd hear by a Paris group, extrapolating African sounds in the post-colonial era – or an American group, inspired by roots from the homeland – and the group sports some especially great work on tenor, played by Themba Koyana, a player we've never heard before! Rhythms are great, with lots of percussion, and some nice funky undercurrents at times – and other instrumentation includes organ, which often works well with the echoey production. The album does have some occasional vocals, but the main focus is instrumental, which is very jazzy too