Vusi Mahlasela - Face To Face - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Vusi is simply known as InchThe VoiceInch in his home-country, South Africa, cel, ebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics. Raised in the Mamelodi Town, ship, where he still resides, Vusi has been a leading singer-songwriter and poet-activist in his home country and internationally. Vusi has released two albums to date in North America on Dave Matthews ATO Records and has performed on stages worldwide alongside Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Josh Groban, Hugh Masekela, Bela Fleck and more. SAY AFRICA, recorded at Dave Matthews Bands studio in Charlottesville, VA, is a collection of songs with a strong message of hope not only for South Africa, but for the entire continent. While hosting a benefit concert in San Francisco for 46664, Nelson Mandela's HIV/AIDS initiative, Vusi met legend, ary bluesman Taj Mahal. (Vusi is an ambassador for 46664.) Two years later, Mahal came on as producer after hearing demos of some of Vusis new songs. Taj Mahal lends vocals and banjo and Angelique Kidjo shares her voice and energy on InchNakupenda Africa, Inch which the two artists performed together at the World Cup Kick Off Concert.

In 1972, my friend Freddie Herrera opened a small nightclub in San Francisco. It was a hip joint where I met and worked with Elvin Bishop, the Pointer Sisters and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks. We were the third or fourth band in there, we had a ball, got in a lot of trouble, rocked out, etc., etc., etc. The place was cool and became wildly successful and soon, Freddie opened Keystone Palo Alto and later Keystone Berkeley, buying up a large dump up on University right near campus where Creedance began their career and the owner of that joint didn't like my band very much. Things changed after Freddie bought the place; it turned out to be a major Berkeley dive, right up there with Mandrakes and the Longbranch/Babylon hellhole. Needless to say we fit right in, enjoying many rocking nights there in the middle seventies- in fact I lived about a mile away from there (vertically). We were practicing our double live album for Warner Brothers and had a decent recording company (Wally Heider) and we used the Keystone Berkeley as out trial balloon before heading out to London and Hammersmith early the next year. This was John Tichy's last gig and he went off to R.I.P. to become a famous 'perfesser' while we worked Ernie Hagar in on steel guitar. The end was near for the Lost Planet Airmen but we went down swinging. George Frayne InchCommander CodyInch Nov. 13, 2017

2019 . Vusi Mahlasela is simply known as The Voice in his home country, South Africa, celebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics. Recorded in his hometown of Mamelodi, South Africa, this album is a tribute to township music in honor of his grandmother Ida, The Shebeen Queen.