Listen to my MLK Jr. Day Special at Jazz901.org

Broadcasting speeches and jazz. Sunday 1/18/09 3-5 pm EST.


"Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America!

O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!"

Langston Hughes

Jah Thomas- Dance Hall Stylee (1982)

I cannot take credit for the original vinyl rip of this fantastic record, nor the bragging rights of having found it in the bargain bin somewhere in the U.K. That honor belongs to a friend on a reggae forum so long ago that I can't even remember which forum it was, let alone which friend. To you: all respect is due. This is a killer and thanks much. You should download this (if for no other reason, of which there are many, [then]) for the great spacey a capella intros to most of the tracks, which come in handy for any DJ set or radio show. Example: "Rub-a-duh uh uh uh ub. You have fi play it at the club: UB! (uub uub ub ub ub ub)" or "Musical selection come to rock the nation. Rock the nation with a this a version," etc. (Can you call something a capella if it features dubbery?)...anyway... Jah Thomas is generally remembered more for his excellent production of other artists, however unlike most producers-cum-chatters (I'm looking at you, Kanye) he has a decent control of the mic and a wonderfully strong, mellow voice.

Jah Thomas is producing and Scientist is on the mix, so you know it's top shelf. This seems to be a second mix on Silver Camel, but there's ongoing debate about whether or not this is in fact the original. Either way, this is some prime rub-a-dub. Enjoy!


=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

Side 1
1. African thing
2. Love pon corner
3. Dance a fi cork
4. Seek & find
5. Love one another

Side 2
1. Part two
2. Gwine a school
3. Jah jah guidance
4. Mr. Barrister
5. Two in the family

Roots Radics Band
Bass: Flabba Holt, Lead: Sowell, Drums: Style Scott, Riddim: Bingy Bunny

Tracks laid at Channel One, mixed by Scientist at King Tubbys Studio, Jamaica
Produced by Jah Thomas
Voice and overdubs at Pathway Studios, London, by Silver Camel
Engineered by Gareth Jones
Arranged, edited and mixed by Silver Camel

Blind Blake- A Second Album Of Bahamian Songs (1952)

In eighteen-hundred and ninety one, before I'd work I'd rather be hung
In eighteen-hundred and ninety two, I bought a sharp axe and cut working too
In eighteen-hundred and ninety three, somebody had a job was looking for me
In eighteen-hundred and ninety four, I swear by God she wouldn't work no more

Couldn't do it boy
You shall be free
I'm too lazy boy
You shall be free
When the Good Lord sets you free

Not to be confused with the American blues guitar virtuoso, Blake Alphonso Higgs of Nassau, Bahamas, was an early folk calypso artist who enjoyed some commercial success selling those LPs to cruise passengers put out by tourist board type organizations that show up in the racks with some frequency. Indeed, Blake may have been the main reason for the launching of ART (American Recording and Transcription) Records, a label based out of a Miami hotel, as the first three records in their discography feature Mr. Blake and his Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypsonians."

Featuring all the hallmarks of great calypso- a dancing beat, bawdy wordplay, jokes about booze, excellent musicianship (tight and loose), this album also has something more. Blake has a charisma that still works- the jokes are still funny and the sadness is still sad. It also features an early version of Sloop John B. There are about 3 skips on the album, but I've edited them out so they only make for minimal unpleasantness on the playback. Please email me if you have any of his other stuff- the 78s or the other version of "Conch Ain't Got No Bone" on King...I would love to hear it.

Hoist up the John Botched Surgery


=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

A Second Album of BAHAMIAN SONGS BY "Blind Blake" AND THE Royal Victoria Hotel "Calypso" Orchestra

Blake (center), and his boys, strum their tunes in the dreamy, near-tropical atmosphere of their native Bahamas. From time to time, they are joined by a pair of drums, cleaver (or "catacoo"), "Music" (a dog), and a pair of itinerant maracas. The result is a blend of folk-song, calypso, and "early" jazz that, combined with a really amazing repertoire of local ballads (if Blake doesn't know it, he'll invent it) has kept the coins jingling in their hats for over twenty years now. Blake's popular first album of records (also on LP) included "J.P. Morgan," "Jones (Oh Jones," "Yes, Yes, Yes," "Pretty Boy," "Run Come See," "Love, Love Alone," "Lord Got Tomatoes," "Pigeon," "Watermelon Spoilin' on the Vine," and "Never Interfere With Man and Wife", and eleven more selections are hereby added to the list. We have included several which, though not Bahamian in origin, have been around Nassau long enough to have acquired a definite Bahamian accent. While our "Gin and Coconut Water" varies but little from the standard Caribbean version, the three tunes in the "West Indian Melody" are heavily embroidered with local references, most of them from the old "bootlegging" days. "My Freckle-Faced Consumptive Sara Jane," and "1891", longtime local favorites, are often recognized as versions of old American folk tunes.

But thoroughly Bahamian is "Peas and Rice" ("Mama don' Wants no Peas, no Rice, no Coconut Oil...") sometimes referred to as the "Bahamian National Anthem," and sure to be familiar to all but the deafest cruise passenger who has spent a day in Nassau. The tune originated here during the first World War, when the scarcity of imported cooking fats forced the substitution of local coconut oil as a culinary medium- to the increasing disgust of its users. By stinting himself on verses (of which there are "several"), Blake has included on the same record another favourite of those guitar-slung, straw-hatted troubadours who peddle their musical wares from Bay Street to Grant's Town and back again. As surely as Mr. and Mrs. Cruise Passenger are greeted at the dock by "Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil"- they climb wearily aboard the tender, that night, clutching their straw bags and their perfume, their two gallons of duty-free liquor, and their heads, to the insistent and now familiar refrain of "Little Nassau, little Nassau- you'll have a won-der-ful time in Nassau-u-u!" It's a real tourist tune, with its obvious origin during the days of "Prohibition", when the tourist trade was still in its barefooted infancy, and Nassau had something more important than sunshine, palm trees, and eternal June, to offer its thirsty American visitors.

One of the oldest and best-loved Bahamian songs is the tragi-comic ballad "The John B. Sail". The "John B." was an old sponger boat whose crew were in the habit of getting notoriously merry, whenever they made port. A popular version of this song has recently become well-known in the U.S., under the title "The Wreck of the John B."...."A Conch Ain't Got Not Bone" drifted into Nassau town, with Blake on an Out-Island sloop, about 20 years back. We hope its references to "mosquito" and "sandfly," some of our less ingratiating local characters, will not offend the Development Board. We hasten to add that the song refers to tame ones, who will not bite! As for "Conch," that talented univalve whose exotic shell adorned Grandma's what-not, makes cameos, buttons- "he" is delicious- stewed, fried, in fritters, chowder, or "en casserole"- no bones either.

Pannalal Ghosh- Raag Yaman / Raag Shri (1960)

"Dr. Raghava Menon narrates a very touching anecdote about Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahib. He fondly remembers that when he once met the Ustad just before his death ; the Ustad had told him “Now my life is reaching towards Yaman." The Ustad intuitively realised that the dusk of his life was near and hence drew this beautiful analogy between his life and Raag Yaman, a raag to be sung after twilight hours."

-Site devoted to this raga; the first students are taught and "King of Ragas"

shri: (Sanskrit) "Auspicious. Holy. Beauty."

-Sanskrit Hinduism Dictionary

Pannalal Ghosh's excellent evening flute ragas were the second release (after an Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar duet) on the Gramophone Company of India label and the first distributed in the U.S. via His Master's Voice.

Peace


=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

PANNALAL GHOSH

INTRODUCTION

Indian music is built on Ragas which are melodic forms and are based on (i) Parent Scales 72 in number and (ii) ascending and descending modal scales known as Arohana and Avarohana respectively. Each Raga has its own character, colour and mood which go to build up an atmosphere appropriate to the time of day or night, season or occasion. It is a matter of common experience that a melody sung or played out of its scheduled time invariably fails to achieve this object.

An Octave in the Indian scale has besides the principle seven notes five semitones which are either flat (Komal) or sharp (Teevra). The seven notes are known as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Of these, Sa and Pa, that is the Tonic and the Dominant notes, are immovable whereas the remaining five are variable.

Indian music is predominantly melodic in character and although harmony in its simplest form may be present, it is inherent rather than deliberate. For the better and finer enjoyment of Indian music Western audiences will do well to keep all though of harmony and counterpoint out of their minds and relax in the rich melody and rhythm as well as the exquisitely subtle inflections through which the atmosphere of a Raga is built up.

Indian classical music is not preconceived or pre-written. Within the framework of the rules governing the Raga and the limitations on use of particular notes either in ascent or descent, an artiste has complete freedom for the play of his imagination and his skill. It is this capacity to improvise and create new patterns at every step that determines the stature of the artiste.

ARTISTE

The magic flute of this celebrated artiste was silenced forever as a result of his untimely death in New Delhi recently. And Indian classical music suffered an irreparable loss as Pannalal Ghosh was one of its finest exponents.

Born on 31st July 1911 in the Barisal District of the former East Bengal, now East Pakistan, he evinced keen interest in music even as a child. Curiously enough it was the humble bamboo flute, which not so long ago was considered worthy only of folk music in India, that took his fancy. In his youth he developed a passion for this simple instrument and his most significant achievement in the realm of music lies in the fact that he more than any one else raised the flute to the status of a full-fledged concert instrument.

There is hardly anything in classical music that Pannalal Ghosh was not able to interpret on the flute and his performances were highlighted by the superb technique of Pure Exposition of the Ragas coupled with the soft, mellow, and soothing tone of his instrument which he specially designed. It is an outsize flute about 32" long and the seven holes on it are so wide apart that no ordinary flute player can play on it with ease and proficiency that this gifted Flutist exhibited in his playing whilst weaving intricate patterns in the course of elaboration of a Raga.

At the time of his demise Pannalal Ghosh was conductor of the National Orchestra of All India Radio at New Delhi in which capacity he distinguished himself with his highly imaginative and delightful compositions based on classical Ragas. Before that for a number of years he was composing music for the films in Bombay, some of which were big musical hits of their time. The changing trends in film music did not however suit his temperament and genius, which were more to the classical side, and he started concentrating more and more on his instrument appearing in concerts and music festivals all over the country before he got his last assignment with All India Radio.

FIRST SIDE - RAAG "YAMAN"
This is a most popular Raga having all the 7 notes both in Ascent (Arohana) and Descent (Avarohana). The usual practice is to expound this Raga in the evening or early part of the night. It creates a very quiet and subdued atmosphere and is very serene in character. The slow moving flow of the exposition unfolding the ever surpassing beauty of the melody in the process of elaboration speaks volumes for the imagination and skill of the artiste. The first part is confined to a Tal (Rhythm) known as "Zoomra". This consists of 14 equal beats divided into two equal parts of 7 each. This is followed by a melody in the same Raga but in a faster tempo and is confined to the Tal (Teental) consisting of 16 beats divided into four groups.

SECOND SIDE - RAAG "SHRI"
This Raga too is an evening melody. Its mood and character are serious and dignified and it is very difficult to expound. As the notes permissible in this Raga are also permissible in some other Ragas, the skill of the artiste lies in weaving such note-combinations alone as would distinguish it from other similar Ragas. The artiste after a short "Alap" or introduction in the beginning plays a melody in Tal Talwada consisting of 16 equal beats (Matras) and gradually develops the mood of the Raga by the combination of the notes peculiar to it. Later he switches over to faster melody in Teen Tal which consists of 16 equal beats divided into four equal groups.

The freedom and ease with which the artiste moves throughout a range of over three octaves in both these expositions provide an experience to the listener as rich as it is rare.

Jandek- One Foot In The North (1991)

The world's first conceptual outsider artist or an eccentric isolate from Texas?

For an artist about whom virtually nothing is known, reams of paper and pixels have been devoted to the mysterious representative from Corwood Industries. Don't believe me? There is a wikipedia entry for each of Jandek's 53 albums; an honor not shared by, say, Eric Clapton. Jandek exists somewhere between the usually separate worlds of outsider art and brand marketing, tirelessly promoting himself through massive mailings of his self-produced albums to college radio stations in the 1980s and 90s while simultaneously constructing a musical and photographic portrait of an artist so singular, so vulnerable, and so odd as to defy description. In doing so he built up a cult following that adheres to the literal meaning of the term (an excerpt from a fan site describing the cover of this album: "[...]In the lower left is the corner of a piece of furniture (a table?) with a cup or candleholder sitting on it. It looks like he’s in dense fog, except he’s indoors. Actually, it might be just his shadow[...]"; it goes on and again there is an entry for each album).

It has been said that Jandek manages to fall within the traditions of "Blues" and American "Folk" or "Primitive," somehow without sounding anything like them, and that's as good a description as I can manage. Leap in with both feet and you won't be disappointed.

One Foot In The North

Mr. X & Mr. Z- Mr. X & Mr. Z Drink Old Gold (1987)

It can be drunk, but only I can drink it, for those that can drink just drink and keep drinkin'.

All right...this song is stupid. And I mean that both in the sense of taking your shirt off and dancing in a threatening way toward group of people you don't know at a club before you throw up on yourself stupid and just plain stupid. But it's the former that we're interested in, and this is one of those songs that as a fan of rap and alcohol you can't really resist. Plus, Mr. X beat The God to it by about 20 years. If you find yourself lost when reading this post and don't recognize the quote above you probably shouldn't download this, because it is stupid, even if it did make fucking Robert Christgau's "Dean's List" for 1987. Sorry to be so cagey but I don't want to ruin the delightful surprise for those of you that have an inkling of what to expect. Enjoy (with acapella)!

Charlie Chaplin- Fire Burn Them Below (1984) and Que Dem (1985)

Until all human
stop thinking corruption
have good meditation
conscious vibration
know that we are one nation
natty dread:
I tell you there shall be war.

Strictly culture, strictly roots. Charlie Chaplin was driven artistically by lifting up the sufferers and smashing down Babylon (much like his namesake, actually), and he paid for his dedication by never having a proper hit in Jamaica. Coming of age in an era of election riots and political turmoil, an overstimulated youth preferred mediocre slackness to superb roots. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy the slackness as much as anyone, but there is no justice in a world where albums like these languish in the out-of-print netherworld. I was actually surprised to find that no one else in the blog world had dropped them already.

These are records you come back to again and again, though they are different. 'Fire' is generally more experimental, with less familiar riddims, more dub fuckery, and a looser, more improvisational style. It also has a great take on Michael Jackson's Thriller. 'Que Dem' is tighter lyrically and production-wise, and runs almost exclusively on classic Studio One riddims (Shank I Shek, Real Rock, Mad Mad, etc.), perhaps two strategies designed to appeal to a broader audience after "Fire" failed to blow up. Both records are great.

George Phang at the Mantrols

Enjoy!


=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

[Fire Burn Them Below: 1984]
PRODUCED & ARRANGED BY GEORGE PHANG

MUSICIANS
ALL TRACKS PLAYED BY BLACK ROOTS
EXCEPT "TALKING PEGEON" WITH SLY DUNBAR & ROBBIE SHAKESPEAR [sic]

ENGINEERS: M. RILEY, SOLJIE & R. THOMAS

RECORDED AT DYNAMIC SOUNDS & CHANNEL 1 STUDIOS

SIDE ONE
1. FIRE BURN THEM BELOW
2. LEARN TO READ
3. YOU GOT TO BE TRUE
4. KILLER

SIDE TWO
1. DANCE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
2. TALKING PEGEON
3. THERE IS A GREEN HILL
4. DROP OFF A SHAPE

[Que Dem: 1985]
PRODUCED & ARRANGED BY GEORGE PHANG

MUSICIANS
SLY DUNBAR, ROBBIE SHAKESPEARE, WILLIE LINDO, ROBERT LYNN & SKULLY

ENGINEERS: RUDDY THOMAS & SOLJIE HAMILTON

RECORDED AT DYNAMIC SOUNDS & CHANNEL ONE

SIDE ONE
1. DJ A DANCE
2. EXPLOITING
3. NOW A DAYS
4. PRETTY GAL
5. COCO DEALA BROWN

SIDE TWO
1. UNFAIR
2. DIET ROCK
3. QUE DEM
4. FOOD MAN ROCK

Back!

Bunking down here for the winter. Many records forthcoming. Propitious moment for commencement of new projects. Peace!

Botched Surgery On Hiatus!

I know what you're thinking. "Hiatus?!? When haven't you been on hiatus?! Post more music!" You found the link recommended on another, more well-managed blog, you downloaded some tunes and dug them, and now you want more of the newest and boldest in old-time soul-purifying music, so you keep checking back and I'm still checked out. But, my friends, I have my reasons, and with patience all things are possible, and will be revealed.

I'm bicycling across the continent this summer, from Nova Scotia to Mexico, via all kinds of strange places, and so for now I have to leave my dear blog to cyberspace to manage. If you haven't downloaded all the albums yet grab a few every month- that way the links stay alive for newcomers. I can and will of course begin anew when I get back in the fall, and repost links that have gone dead (when? I do not know...). I have lots of records I still want to post, rest assured, and I'll have more after this trip (just think of all the thrift stores and garage sales the road will throw in my way!).

Thank you all for making this blog what it is. Record collecting, DJing, reading and all that other stuff can be lonely, and I'm grateful to have you out there to share it with. Feel free to email me with requests and best wishes, and stay cool.

Peace!
Mike

MC Storm and DJs Code II- Girlfriends (1988)

"It's RAW (it's raw it's raw it's raw it's raw it's raw it's raw)."

-MC Storm

Now generally I like to bring you the finest in out-of-print recordings....and though the nature of the beast is sometimes prickly and scratchy, I take fairly painstaking care to make the music as enjoyable to listen to as possible. Who likes to nod into a groove only to be rudely jerked out of it by an earsplitting crack? Nobody. Today's offering, therefore, is presented as more historical in interest than musical.

The cause of this is an incredibly low-quality pressing from a local label here in Rochester, New York. How low-quality? So low-quality that tiny pieces of the vinyl (if it is in fact vinyl) actually scrape off of the record as you play it and adhere to the needle, fucking up the sound as the track progresses. No my needle isn't too heavy, and neither is it black-colored dirt that was not adequately cleaned out of the grooves. This thing was pressed on a graham cracker, and it sounds like it.

That being said, I like to represent Rochester whenever possible, and it's not possible that often. If you've visited you know why. Like many Great Lakes cities its days of glory as the "Young Lion of the West" are long past. In addition, it's the most polluted city in New York State, not generally thought of as the least polluted state in the Union. The local contribution to the world of fine dining is the garbage plate. The local accent is generally described as nasal. Bumper stickers read "Rochester: It's an acquired taste." Like an open 40 of malt liquor finely aged in a car left in the sun.

Nonetheless, we've got some things going for us. There is a long, long history of radical politics. There is a world-class art-house movie theater, and not least of all, several great record stores + richer days behind us = superb digging opportunities.

It is from this environment that I bring you MC Storm and DJs Code II, a hardcore crew bringing it heavy, raw and rough in '88. James Brown cut up in spurts and chirps. Echo tape delay deployed like it was discovered yesterday and that using it as much as possible is the sole requirement for getting into heaven tomorrow. If you only know the Fresh Prince or N.W.A. from this era there's a whole world of strangeness waiting for you below the veneer of commercially successful music. Weird stuff by people with emotions deeper than their talent, experimenting in their basements and garages, having fun and expressing themselves in ways unintelligible and upsetting to their neighbors. Like all eras of music. Dirty, deteriorating, absurd, angry, and sometimes startling, this record doesn't give a fuck. It's everything I like about my hometown.

It's raw.

Mahotella Queens- Izibani Zomgqashiyo (1977)

Hello all! My apologies for ducking out for a while- rest assured I've knocked the icicles off of my beard, climbed out of hibernation and sloughed off most of winter's lingering lethargy. In celebration of the first Spring day up here (it snowed a lot on the true equinox) I've decided to preempt myself and post a tingling thriller of exuberant beauty, Mahotella Queens' 1977 Izibani Zomgqashiyo. Do you remember when you listened to music as a child and spun around until you fell down dizzy with glee? This music will make you remember. It will get you high. Four-part female vocal harmony. Male basso-profundo "groaner" melody. Dueling quicksilver-fingered guitarists. Kinetic bouncing bass. Mgqashiyo: "the indestructible beat." Cut the roof off of your car and listen to this record.



=========================================================

[Original Liner Notes]

It is a known fact that things come and go, but I say MAHOTELLA QUEENS are here to stay. You will agree with me after listening to this album, "IZIBANI ZOMGQASAHIYO" which is their latest.

Izibani Zomgqashiyao means the lights of Mgqashiyo and surely everybody knows that Mgqashiyo is an African kind of beat which will never die. In other words it can be quoted as an indestructible beat.

Mahotella Queens is a group of five girls which was formed in 1964 by Mr. R. Bopape, who was then a then a talent scout. They've cut many LP's and seven singles since then which many have become famous. You all remember "MARKS UMTHAKATHI" LPBS 9 which was one of their greatest albums ever cut. You will also remember that they won the 1975 Radio Bantu Best Group of the Year. These girls are sometimes accompanied by their male groaners Robert Mbazo Mkhize, Potatoes Mazambane or Joseph Mthimkhulu, who have now formed the fast growing Abafana Baseqhudeni, and of course not forgetting their backing, the everlasting Makhona Zonke ["Jack Of All Trades" -ed.] Band.

The girls are back in a big way, their first track in this album, "ZIBUYILE NONYAKA" (They Are Back This Year), confirms everything. Listen to this track and you will agree with me. Every track in this album is great and meaningful as it sends to you true messages. Mahotella Queens fans have been missing their sweet voices on records because they have been out on tour performing shows. So they are back as I already mentioned and this is what they bring you back in SWEET MUSIC.

The Mahotella Queens, Emily Zwane from Brakpan, Thandi Radebe from Dube (Soweto), Beatrice Ngcobo from Durban, Thandi Nkosi from Emdeni (Soweto) and Caroline Kapentar from Bloemfontein are the best Mgqashiyo entertainers in Southern Africa.

You all know Mahotella Queens, the mistresses of Mgqashiyo, so listen to this album and enjoy yourselves with Mahotella Queens and of course let me tip you, this music is for both the young and the old, so make no mistake it is superb.

-MARKS MANKWANE