Stimela is a South African Afro-fusion band, founded during the 1970s by Ray Phiri a self-taught guitarist. the band was formed when Phiri got together with drummer Isaac Mtshali, Thabo Lloyd Lelosa and Jabu Sibumbe and they initially call themselves the Cannibals. The band started out as instrumentalists, but it later evolved to Afro-fusion when they joined forces with vocalist Jacob Mparanyana Radebe in 1975, continuing to work together for four years. and the band still kept going on after Radebe died in 1978. They then changed their name to Stimela after a life changing experience in Mozambique when they were stranded in Maputo for three months. At this time, they had to sell all their belongings to take a train back home. this trip was a watershed moment to them as this was where they conceived the new name for the band, as train is translated as Stimela in Nguni languages. Besides the change in name, the band also expanded with new members Charlie Sam Ndlovu, Nana Coyote, Thapelo Kgomo and Ntokozo Zungu who joined the band. With soulful tunes and gripping lyrics, the band has recorded platinum-winning albums like Fire, Passion and Ecstasy, Listen, Look and Decide as well as the controversial People Dont talk, So Lets Talk. One of their most memorable tracks Whispers in the Deep was restricted. The mid ‘80s heralded a moment in the band’s history that will forever be a contentious point of debate, the era of Paul Simon and the album Graceland. Simon met Stimela through Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse after hearing one of their tracks at a Soweto Shebeen. In his quest to revive his flagging career, Simon was in search of salvation in Southern Africa and picked Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela for the Graceland tour to Zimbabwe. The resultant collaborative album fused his western folk sensibilities with authentic African sounds with Phiri as arranger and guitarist, and Mtshali working extensively on the album in New York. This historic album afforded an opportunity for these musicians to shine a light on the atrocities committed on a daily basis back home. The album went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year and the title track garnered the Record of the Year Award. This project was not without its controversy with Simon accused of ignoring the cultural boycott and Phiri’s song “Crazy Love” not credited to him. Despite this, Phiri – who was philosophical about Simon’s betrayal - and Mtshali toured internationally with Graceland between 1987 and 1990, returning periodically to record with the Stimela. In Phiri’s absence, Coyote took on the lead vocals and Ntokozo Zungu took on the mantle of guitarist in 1987. This era gave birth to the album the Unfinished Story, a phrase which till this day is a rallying cry for Stimela. The album featured “Singa jindi Majita” a rallying song in the vein of the struggle cry of Aluta Continua, at a time when the situation in the country seemed desperate. Resilience took on a new meaning that year, when a tragic accident on the way from Kimberly claimed the lives of seven of the band’s travelling party. Phiri was the sole survivor. It was never to be the same after that. While Mtshali concluded his tenure with the Graceland project and rejoined Stimela on a full time basis, Phiri committed to Simon for another album (Rhythm of the Saints) and left the band in 1991. The members which remained recorded Don’t ask Why their last album in 1994 on the eve of a new era in our country’s history, a work similarly laden with promise and caution. That album, however significant, could not serve as the necessary glue to keep them intact as a unit, and they were only to regroup in 2002 - touring the length and breadth of South Africa - when it became clear that what they had represented over the years was much bigger than them and the differences that had torn them apart for all those years. Eight years after reclaiming their considerable space on the performance circuit and after much cajoling and significant investment from Tumi Mokwena, a young professional with a musical heart and a colossal space in it for the iconic band, they reunited in Polokwane to record a new album, A Lifetime. This is their first offering since the dawn of democracy and features some illustrious guests in the shape of New York-based South African bassist Bakiti Khumalo, Thandiswa Mazwai, Puff Johnson and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Says Phiri of the project: “The songs chose who was going to play them, if there was a guitar player that was going to play it better than me then why not get them to play? So we called in other musicians.” The haunting, searing, tantalizingly gruff voice of Coyote on this album is a special blessing given his recent passing and complements a sound at once so familiar yet teeming with all that is raw and fresh about the young spirits which have lent their considerable talents to a project worthy of the legendary South African treasure that is Stimel
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 16:37:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015