An exceptional blend of traditional Zulu and Sotho songs (the two major black ethnic groups in South Africa), jazz, blues, and rhythm-and-blues from the U.S.A. gives the music of the "townships" a unique sound and energy in Africa.
Mahlathini, the lion of Soweto, together with his orchestra, the Magkona Tshole band, and the Mahotella Queens, an extraordinary vocal group, is the creator of "mbaquanga" music, the purest and most rhythmic expression of this South African sound that is taking the world by storm.
Created in the late 1960s, this ensemble has managed to achieve an admirable synthesis of Zulu vocal music and guitar, street rhythms, and dances.
Mahlathini, a true idol of the ghettos of the South African black community, draws inspiration from traditional Zulu songs related to weddings and baptisms. His deep and powerful voice harmonizes perfectly with the Mahotella Queens' harmonies. Trained in the school of religious choirs that thrive in South Africa, both soloists and choristers at times, they have been making the townships dance and move to the swing rhythm for two generations.
