The Sound Of Africa (3cd set)

Miriam attended Kilnerton Training Institute, a Methodist school for African children in the South African administrative capital of Pretoria, a short distance from Johannesburg. She sang in the school choir, where her vocal talents were encouraged and where she was given the opportunity to perform in public. Even before this, she had picked up the traditional songs in the Xhosa and Zulu dialects, characterised by clicks unknown in any other language. She also discovered other music, listening to the radio and to records. She loved American jazz singers, especially Ella Fitzgerald.

She sang in many languages, introducing to the West a number of Xhosa, Zulu and Swahili songs. Her two biggest hits – ‘The Click Song’, which starts off this 3CD set, and ‘Pata Pata’, which starts CD2 – are in the South African language Xhosa. Her first, self-titled US album in 1960 contained a mixture of traditional African-language songs featured here such as ‘Olilili’ and ‘Mbube’, as well as her interpretations of Western songs such as ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ and ‘One More Dance’. Her next album in 1962 was a return to her roots and is showcased on these CDs in its entirety. Many of the sub-titled songs are from that era, including ‘Liwa Wechi (A Congolese Lament Where The Wife Bids Farewell As He Leaves For The Mines)’; ‘Kilimanjaro (Hunting Song And Boot Dance)’ and ‘Ntjilo Ntjilo (Lullaby To A Child About A Little Canary)’.

Makeba had previously recorded with the Skylarks in South Africa, and we also feature here tracks like ‘Kutheni Sithandwa’, ‘Vula Amasango’ and ‘Yini Madoda’ from the late Fifties. Often referred to as ‘Mama Africa’, Miriam Makeba was globally-minded, spreading the story of apartheid and South African culture throughout the world. By the time of her death in 2008, at the age of 76, she had issued 30 original albums and 19 compilations, as well as collaborating with other musicians. This collection provides a fine illustration of her early singing years – a great introduction to a great personality.