Available
Bra Sello
The Battle Of Disco
With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful
crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning "brother" and
used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of
the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the
injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello's first releases on vinyl on
the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound. Joining
the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the
hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group
the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African
elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, 'Butterfly' (1975) and The Battle Of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of
urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with
jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of 'The Battle Of Disco' was an
ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent's output is incomplete without
South Africa's pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for
the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources
from the As-Shams/The Sun collection.
SIDE 1:
1. Call And Go
SIDE 2:
1. Washa
Price
€ 25.95
Genre
Format
LP - 1 disk
Release
01-09-2023
Label
Item-nr
536547
EAN
8055323521901
Availability
In stock