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Description:
South African singing ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo wasn't a global sensation until their life-changing appearance on Paul Simon's Graceland album, but as this Academy Award®-nominated documentary reveals, the group's history stretches both farther and wider. Joseph Shabalala, the onomatopoeically named leader of the group, traces the formation of Mambazo back to 1964, when as he says, this style of singing came to him "like dreaming at night." He combined the musical and dance traditions of the Zulu people with an amazing range of outside influences (courtesy of the spread of American pop music via radio), including ragtime, doo-wop, jazz, blues, and even cowboy yodeling. Perhaps the most fascinating scenes feature a South African singing competition that has occurred every Saturday night for almost a century. This is where Mambazo got their start, competing all night long against other male enembles. While they're no longer allowed to compete, Mambazo still attends and holds the weekly event close to their hearts. It's unclear why the DVD includes another version in addition to the Oscar-nominated version (the latter of which is better edited, yet relegated to the Extras section). In fact, viewers are encouraged to view the extras rather than the main event on this DVD--the interview with director Eric Simonson and the extended footage of the singing competitions are both lively and well worth a look (and more importantly, a listen). --Brangien Davis
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