Pata Pata

Recently, a part of my listening interest has gravitated towards African music and intersections between traditional African music and European music. There is something sublime about the natural ease and communicative power of African musics. The confluence of western and African music is some of the richest material, full of familiar forms rendered with a tradition of pulse and vocalization that is honest, compelling, and communal in its nature.

Amongst the most famous African musicians to an international audience is Miriam Makeba, a grammy winning South African artist whose international career was spearhead by none other than Harry Belefonte (note: gathering restraint from inexplicable desire to sing The Banana Boat Song). Aside from her career as a popular singer, Miriam Makeba was an energetic activist and her 1963 testimony before the United Nations Committee on Apartheid led to a ban on the sale of her records in South Africa and exile from the country. In 1968 she married Stokely Carmichael, a prominent leader of the Black Panther movement and more controversy ensued. Below are two excellent videos of her performing in 1966 with a backing band hailing from various parts of the world. Most of the concert is available on youtube. Scrolling through the backlog on What’s in My Ipod (one of my favorite music blogs) will also turn up a link to download a mp3 version of an excellent “best of” collection of Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks. Enjoy!