Hosted By: Khangula Music in conjunction with TNT Magazine and The South African
When: Thursday August28th, 2008
at 7:30 PM
Where: The Forum
9-17 Highgate Rd., Kentish Town, London, NW5 1JY
London, London and South East|66 NW51JY
United Kingdom
Description:
Johnny Clegg Live at The Forum

www.clegginlondon.com

Click Here To View Event

A friend of mine called Bafazana who works for Johnny Clegg as a driver and dance team co-ordinator came to see me in 2003 with a respectable-looking gentleman called Nkwanyana who plays Zulu guitar and sings his own original songs. I was deeply impressed by his talent and agreed to spend some time working with him in studio.

On and off, for the last few years, I have been working with Nkwanyana on his songs and we recently finished our recordings and finalised the master. Over the recording period, I had some of the musicians who worked with me in Johnny Clegg's band come and do sessions on the tracks. The music has become what I like to call "Maskandi with a low centre of gravity".

"Maskandi" is the name for Zulu traditional music with very high bass lines and straightforward kick and hat drum patterns. I took Nkwanyana's Maskandi music and married it with a lower Marabi / Rock type bass style and more involved drum patterns which lend themselves to mainstream radio formats more than the traditional patterns do. We also reworked one of his songs from an up-tempo shameni trot, to a slow, soulful jazz-influenced ballad.

The end result is this new album called "Thwasa". I started a recording label called Khangula Music and, under that banner, joined the necessary consumer and rights societies to legitimise the label and the product.

Nkwanyana came round to my house today and I showed him his first 1000 cd's in the freighting boxes, fresh from the factory. He got a big lump in his throat and his eyes brimmed over just a little bit at the sight of his dream come true. This is his life's work, after all.

Go and check out the music at www.khangula.co.za or at www.myspace.com/nkwanyana. It's well worth a listen. If you like it, please buy a copy. We've set up a mailing centre here and we personally package and send your disc to you. All transactions are secured and escrowed by Setcom.

A

Every once in a while, just when we start taking things for granted and our everyday existence begins to form a recognisable pattern, life sends us a little nugget of light to brighten our lives - that is if we pop our heads up long enough to recognise it.

We played a show tonight in the elite Parisian suburb of St. Germain-en-Laye. It's a beautiful town, with a large chateau and a lovely theatre called the Alexandre Dumas Theatre, named after the French author that penned, perhaps most famously, The Three Musketeers. This theatre and St. Germain have a very special place in my heart for several reasons, not least amongst these being that my first ever European tour with Johnny Clegg in 1993 contained a show at the "L'estival de St. Germain-en-Laye" at this theatre. Since then we have been back twice, this show tonight being the fourth show here.

I can almost trace my career by the shows we have done here, evolving from a timid short-haired 23 year-old, through my long-haired rock phase to my current late-thirties. There were people who shaped my life that I cared for and lost and friends that later died who came to this place with me.

Every show we have played in this venue has been special in some or other way. Tonight we had a great show and went for drinks afterwards. I didn't really feel like a cocktail night, so I slipped out the back, ready to walk to the hotel, even though it was a reasonably long trip, as the evening weather is wonderful here for this time of year. As I got outside I bumped into Trevor, our bass player, who was having a quick cigarette and chatting to two ladies ("des dames d'un certain age") outside. I joined them and when it became apparent that I speak some French, the ladies launched into Rugby chatter, as it's the world cup being played here at the moment (I actually went to the SA-England game with the guys from the band and it was fantastic! But I digress). Trevor left us and I asked them if they could point me in the direction of the hotel "Ermitage des Loges". They said they would walk part of the way with me, as their car was parked on the way, so we set off, discussing the state of French politics, gang warfare, the rise of French Islam, the cosmopolitan nature of St. Germain and lots of other stuff.

The time passed quickly and we arrived at their car. They offered to give me a ride to the hotel, but I declined, happy to trot down the French country lanes to the hotel. The younger of the two told me that they had been at that first show in '93 and that they had loved it. She went on to explain that they are sisters who live together in the countryside nearby and had not left the house in the last 5 years. Tonight was their birthday - they are respectively 60 and 65 today and they decided, as a birthday treat to themselves, that they would come and watch Johnny Clegg, the artist that they had loved so much all those years ago.

There was something really touching about the two agoraphobic old biddies dressed up to the nines, standing there next to their rusty old Renault, beaming at me in the lamplight, chittering and gesticulating animatedly in Parisian French. I realised that tonight had really been special for them and that in some small way, me walking onstage and playing my guitar had contributed to that. Moments like these make everything worth it. I love my job.

A

Andy at the rugby

Well - the gig in Paris was fantastic. It was a great experience to play in front of a crowd that big (Christian Mousset from our label said they had 100,000 people there). We played at Place de la Bastille for the Bastille day celebrations (French equivalent of 4th of July in the USA) and the City of Paris closed off the streets leading onto the square, so that the whole area was open for the crowds. Have a look at a sample from our performance here: http://www.rfimusique.com/musiquefr/articles/091/article_16932.asp

The event was a free concert held by the Mairie de Paris and RFI (Radio France Internationale) hosting African bands. I met Ismael Lo and Mory Kante. I've always been a big fan, so that was pretty interesting for me.

Post that, our last two shows in Chartres and Pamiers were great. Chartres was in the middle of the "Chartres en Lumieres" festival, which basically means that they light up the whole city. I walked through the old city after the show, and it was a wonderful experience to see all the buildings lit up. There were loads of people still walking around viewing the lights at 12.30 a.m. when I got there. I've attached a pic.

We're back on the road next week, starting on the 3rd at Paimpol in Brittany.

B Back soon

A

In Paris today. Sorry I haven't been writing, but the tour has been hectic and I've been designing for two clients whilst on the road. The shows on this tour have been great - Brussels Couleur Cafe was the pinnacle with 15000 people in attendance. The GOOD news is that I got hold of a high quality copy of that show shot with 4 cameras and I'll be able to put up a few of the better tracks on Youtube. I'll try do it during the next week if I can get my software running on the notebook for it, otherwise I'll have to do it when I get home, but when it's up, I'll link it from here.

Got a chance to hook up with some old friends out here and got Nicolas Fiszman to agree to play bass on some of my original stuff (ur trapped now, Nic).

I'll write more once these jobs are finished. The curse of running an office from a tour bus

Just remember, as Pliny said,  ex Africa semper aliquid novi

A

Went to the Medina today. It was incredible! The Medina of Fes, which is the oldest part of the city was built / inaugurated in 789 by King Idris the 2nd of Morocco. His tomb still lies inside the walls of the Medina. It was a whirlwind trip through small cobbled streets where no vehicles may pass except mule carts.

Our guide, Azideen, who was extremely knowledgeable and fluent in English, French and Arabic stopped at a house and informed us that it was the home of Moshe Maimounit. It took a while for this to sink in - Moses Maimonides! I was stunned to be standing in front of his house - took the wind right out of my sails for a minute. Also worth seeing were the tanneries [bad smell].

Anyone planning a trip to Fes - get in touch with me and I'll give you Azideen's email address. I won't post it here for the spambots. He was full of useful information - for example, I had no idea that after the Battle of the Three Kings, Morocco occupied the southern half of Spain for six centuries (10th to the 16th century) and invaded France. They were eventually halted at Poitiers by Charles Martell - the French crew were very quick to point out that fact.

After the Medina, I took a quick dip in the hotel pool and then we went off to do a performance in the suburbs for the local populace who would generally not be able to attend the Festival des Musiques Sacrees. It was a fun show in a slightly run down small stadium in a neighbourhood of Fes.

I'll be signing off now, but I'll write something again once we're back on the road in late June.

A

Well - we got back to France in one piece, but had to leave two of our number behind in the field. The long version goes like this [skip to next para if this bores you]:

We left our hotel on Marie Galante at a very respectable hour to make our way to the ferry for a 2pm departure. Once we arrived there, it became apparent that, in fact, the ferry captain had decided to postpone the ferry until he had enough passengers to warrant the crossing - tickets be damned. We were immediately shuttled across to the airfield for a light aircraft flight to Guadeloupe. After half an hour, it became apparent that we had two people too many, so Michel and Pierre (our sound engineers from France) volunteered to go back and catch the ferry. Our planes took off shortly thereafter and after a fifteen minute flight, we came in to land at Guadeloupe. The pilot pointed out the ferry that we had snubbed, coming in to dock directly beneath us as we landed, which meant Michel and Pierre had missed the boat. They arrived in Paris two days later, just in time to catch the TGV (Train Grande Vitesse) to Lyon with us. Poor buggers.

Whilst in Paris, as my French friends were drowning their sorrows in the Caribbean, I finally took the plunge, got a 1 haircut in St. Germain-des-pres from a very expensive barber (he thought I was American) and bought the TC Electronic G-system that I've been looking at for the past two years. It's arguably the world's best outboard effects system for guitarists. [Yes I'm still going to incorporate the computer... sometime]

Lyon's show went well with no major hitches and I loved the G-system, but realised I need to spend a lot of time programming it and getting my input and output levels balanced. The catering at Transbordeur (the venue in Lyon) was exceptional, with the homemade quiche and tandoori chicken at lunchtime being the catch of the tour. Normally the crew leave two hours before the band for soundcheck, but I've been leaving with them to get into the venue early and program the system, set up the amp, etc. Have a look at today's pics for pictures of my setup with the G-system. [Or don't - if that kind of thing bores you]

From Lyon, we caught a regular train through to Geneva. The show in Geneva was at Victoria hall - a beautiful old venue. The detail on the roof was incredible (pic attached). Got my starbucks fix across the road from the hotel, which made me very happy. The Geneva show was a full house and the gig went down really well. Johnny seemed to have a really good show. He performed really well and seemed stronger and happier than usual (not to say he's miserable onstage, just that Geneva seemed stronger for him).

The day after Geneva's show, we caught a flight to Casablanca and then connected to Fes, Morocco, which is where I find myself now. Tonights show in Fes was magnificent as far as setting goes. We performed in the grounds of the palace here. This is apparently the King's second residence, but the largest palace in Morocco. See pics for the actual venue. I'm afraid I can't show pictures of the palace side, as the guards informed me that photographing the palace is forbidden. I wasn't about to argue with the impeccably turned out Moroccan gentlemen with the rifles :O)

A gent called Nabil showed me inside a Berber house in the Jewish quarter - it was fascinating. I promised to return after soundcheck for tea, but unfortunately couldn't keep that promise, as we had very little time to change and prep for the show.

During soundcheck, at sunset, the sky above the parapets of the castle became filled with swallows. It was truly breathtaking in more ways than one. I don't know if you ever feel this way, but when I see something really beautiful in the world, sometimes it makes me acutely aware of my own mortality and I realise, almost always with surprise, that I will only have a finite number of these sights laid out before me whilst I still breathe and have the faculties to appreciate them. It's the same feeling I got standing above the cataract at Victoria Falls, seeing the sun reflected off the rice paddies in the Golden Triangle or paragliding off the mountains in Reunion above the Indian Ocean - awe in the face of perpetual beauty - perpetual beauty that transcends description or expression.

My brother, Simon, left his job in Jo'burg and became a game ranger several years ago after recovering from a serious illness and at times like these, I think I understand what inspired him to go there. 'Get busy living'. It reminds me of the replicant's speech from Blade Runner...

Enough emotional drivel - I'm going to watch some bad TV, then go to bed. One more show tomorrow in Morocco after a visit to the Medina, then I wing my way home.

A

Had a long journey from Nimes yesterday – left at 05h00 for Montpellier by Bus, flew from Montpellier to Orly Ouest in Paris, transferred to Orly Sud by Shuttle, flew from Orly to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe (8 hours and six time zones) and then transferred this morning from Guadeloupe to Marie-Galante, which is where I find myself right now.  I say "transferred" rather glibly, for it was actually a ferry ride from Guadaloupe which left our saxophonist, Dan, feeling rather green. He is clearly a bit of a landlubber and the numerous Tiponch that he consumed last night in Gwada proved too much for his sea legs to bear. [see pic for Dan at sea]

Anyway. We're here to do a festival today at the Habitation Murat, which was basically the household and estate governing the largest slave plantation on the island. It has been declared a national heritage site here – I guess old habits die hard.  :O/

 Someone told me that they are celebrating the anniversary of the abolition of slavery on Marie-Galante today, which according to our promoter, happened in 1874 [subsequently discovered the date was 1848]. The house production manager was telling me that his family are only four generations removed from slavery. His great Grandfather was born a slave at Habitation Murat. I find that quite bone-chilling.

All the gear we needed was presented spick and span for the sound check. This island measures roughly 100 km² (10km side-to-side), yet they managed to provide us with everything we required, and in some cases, more than we needed. Shame on Nimes...

I've attached a couple of pics to this post of Habitation Murat, where we play tonight, and a few of the sunsets on Gwada and Marie-Galante, just for reference purposes.

I sat and had a chat with Johnny at the hotel after sound check about the Fibonacci sequence, the golden ratio and music publishing for Zulu traditional artists in South Africa, viz. to home-industry or not to home-industry in the changing face of the music business. After that I went for a swim in the very warm Caribbean Sea and got stung on the foot by a bastard jellyfish.

I miss Desiree, Kerri and the dogs – roll on next week. I'm home for three days after Morocco, before our Cape Town shows, although it looks like Desiree will be in Kenya doing an office installation for a client.

BTW. Our wedding pics are at http://www.icon.co.za/~innax/

I'll B back

A

So, there I was yesterday in the beautiful city of Nimes, with ruins dating back to Roman times and we're doing a gig there at the Ferias de Nimes - a famous festival that happens there once a year and people come from all over Europe because there is, wait for it... bullfighting.

So, Barry (our drummer) draws my attention to a brochure in the hotel reception, as we arrive to check in, that has a list of Toreadors and Matadors that will be fighting in the arena - all decked out in their finery with their sequined outfits and throw-the-bull-off-the-scent-hankies and, slap bang in the middle of them, none other than Johnny Clegg, leg in the air, billed as the evening's entertainment. Quite a funny contrast - renowned human rights activist is the post-gore entertainment at the bullfights and his image pasted in between them all, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Now I'm a bit of a "Corrida - NON Merci!" kind of guy, so I didn't venture any closer to the arena (an ancient Roman amphitheatre from the first century, according to my informants) than the outside to snap a few pix, but what a stunning city and what a fun festival! Everybody seemed to be having a blast and enjoying themselves. I've played festivals in Sao Paolo, Johannesburg, NYC, Berlin, even the Arctic circle (Tromso 46664 Arctic), but the mood in Nimes had to be one of the most vibrant that I've come across.

Anyway - I digress. The point of this:

Our band, like most other bands that do any amount of touring, has a document called the "Rider." The Rider specifies exactly what equipment is required on stage, what is needed at FOH and monitors, what the dressing room requirement is, what we eat or don't, etc.

On my part of the stage it reads "Vocal Mic SM58 on cable, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 3-channel head with footswitch [3-chanels plus fx loop], Mesa Boogie 4x12 Cabinet, California Blonde / Trace Acoustic TA100R Acoustic instrument amplifier," and so it goes on... Suffice to say that I got a Mark IV combo from the early 80's with an overdrive channel that sounded akin to a wet toilet brush being dragged through a soprano saxophone and if the volume knob went past 5, it started whistling like a freight train (probably a tube bias problem). I was livid, but despite that, really enjoyed the show. It just seemed ridiculous that, playing for 20,000 people in Nimes I get this booby prize, but every other small gig we do, companies like Swiss Cheese and Chocolate, Seveneant or BBS always get it right.

As an aside, however, if you're looking for an interesting tourist outing in the South of France and a great cultural/music festival in the European summer circuit and/or you enjoy watching innocent animals get put to death in public by fairies in tight pants, get your ass out to Ferias de Nimes. You won't be disappointed.

Stay in time...

Andy