Trains to Taung is the debut album by South African jazz pianist Paul Hanmer. The album combines jazz with African music.
| Trains to Taung | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 109:45 | |||
| Label | Sheer Sound | |||
| Producer | Andrew Smith | |||
| Paul Hanmer chronology | ||||
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History edit
A native of Cape Town, Hanmer said thoughts of identity influenced the creation of the album. He used marabi chords because "they are very simple, age-old blocks...a basic format for so much music that has come out of this country...in a way that, say, twelve-bar blues has become a format for so much music that comes out of America...the 12/8 groove—how slow it was—reminded me of a train. I thought of a train going back in time, to that place that marks how ancient is the African human heritage: Taung...the place where the Khoisan made the ancient elements of music, and the place where marabi came about is probably one and the same...it's an imagined space and time."[1] He recorded the album with Louis Mhlanga and Jethro Shasha, both from Zimbabwe.[2]
Track listing edit
- "Meeting of the Women" – 5:07
- "Consciencelessness" – 7:12
- "Prop Hat" – 9:00
- "Umhlangano" – 5:31
- "Chef's Groove" – 9:20
- "Trains to Taung" – 11:25
- "Tempo Di Bhutto" – 4:55
- "Slow Samba" – 8:07
- "Meeting of the Women" (Reprise) – 9:04
Personnel edit
- Paul Hanmer – piano
- Louis Mhlanga – electric guitar
- Denis Lalouette – bass guitar
- André Abrahamse – fretless bass
- Jethro Shasha – drums
- Neill Ettridge – drums
- Basi Mahlasela – percussion
References edit
- ^ Gwen Ansell (28 September 2005). Soweto Blues: Jazz, Popular Music, and Politics in South Africa. A&C Black. pp. 272–. ISBN 978-0-8264-1753-4. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ^ "South African Jazz". World Music Network. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2020.