SAM TSHABALALA
Paris, Île-de-France, France | INDIE
Music
Press
1985. Après avoir sillonné liEurope et les USA, le groupe sud-africain des Malopoets rentre au pays. dans l'avion, un siège est vide, celui du chanteur guitariste Sam Tshabalala n'est pas du voyage. Refusant l'Apartheid, l'homme au nom qui chante a décidé de rester en France. Vingt ans oplus tard, s'il vit toujours à Paris, Sam Tshabalala n'a pas oublié sa contrée natale. ce second album solo, après Communication, en 2001, raconte le sida, les déplacements forcés de population, la mort de son neveu abattu dans un ghetto...Des sujets difficiles, chantés en zoulou, shangaan, tswana et anglais, paradoxalement portés par des mélodies douces et joyeuses. - Mondomix
Discography
2013 : Tanana / Manana (Tropical Music) - to be released
2007 : Meadowlands (Tropical Music)
2001 : Communication (Tropical Music)
Photos
Bio
Sam Tshabalala counts as one of the most important South
African composers. Born and grown near Pretoria, his career
began at the end of the 70s with the Malopoets, whose
performances aroused enthusiasm both in their homeland and in France and America. During a European tour in 1989, Sam Tshabalala decided to stay in exile in Paris, where in 1993, together with other top musicians from the African music scene, he founded his band Sabeka.
In its first year, the band was invited to perform in Paris to welcome Nelson Mandela. There followed many appearances and tours. In 1997, the first performance in Germany proved a success : one of their concerts at Nuremberg was broadcasted by Bavarian Radio (BR). In
1998, WDR Television broadcasted Tshabalala's musical contribution live from a matinee at the Cologne Philharmonic. He featured in several TV shows and performed several concerts on the Expo 2000 in Hanover and "Africa at the Opera" in Dresden. Peter Gabriel invited
Sam and fellow musician Patrick Bebey to launch the new venue; they performed before Billy Cobham's speech.
From 2005, Sam started working on a more acoustic project, with voices, guitars, percussions and piano: the album Meadowlands was born (May 2007). The quartet
performed at several Womad festivals in 2006 and 2007.
A NEW ALBUM IN 2013 TANANA/MANANA
Sam Tshabalalas repertoire is inspired by the South African mosaic of cultures. He writes his lyrics in Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Shangaan and in English. South Africans different rhythms, languages and traditions arise from his music. As a lover of meetings and featurings, he as invited Paco Sery, Alain Debiossat and Portia Solani Manyike to share some tracks. Sams songs deal with todays South Africa and about life in the townships.
Links
