Elements of the Malombo ritual practice and Tabane’s popular music format of Malombo

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Background of the study

“Analysis begins with setting limits, by defining potential areas for study based on an initial hunch. It rejects the context-multiplying ideology that, if followed to the letter, renders analysis “unbeginnable”.” (Agawu, 2003: 183). As Agawu suggests, this research limits itself primarily to the analysis of the historical development of the concept of Dr Philip Tabane’s Malombo Music of South Africa. The research therefore examines the natural biographical life of Philip Tabane; elements of the indigenous ritual malombo musical practice; the development of the popular style of Philip Tabane’s Malombo music; the impact of neo-colonial musical hegemony on indigenous South African music through the biased profiling of jazz in popular music scene and its implications for the development of indigenous music; the development of Tabane’s career path; literature reviews of media write-ups about Tabane and his version of Malombo music; and the extent to which contemporary legal framework that regulates the arts in South Africa covers the protection and development of indigenous musical arts.

Ethnographic research approach

This research follows the ethnographic method as guided by Le Compte and Preissle (1993: 3): ethnographic research is holistic. Ethnographers seek to construct description of total phenomena as they occur within their various contexts and to generate from these descriptions the complex interrelationships of cause and consequences that affect human behaviour toward and belief about the phenomena. … ethnography is multi-modal or eclectic; ethnographic researchers use a variety of research techniques to amass their data. The research uses ethnography because it allows the researcher to gather data from observation, interviews, literature analysis, and media survey. As a research approach that allows for a description of total phenomena, ethnography makes room for the use of a narrative as well as the analytical approach to the study of Philip Tabane and his concept of Malombo music. The research therefore uses the narrative approach in that it presents an historical account on the one hand.

#Biographical history of Philip Tabane

3.1 Introduction The aim of this chapter is to research Philip Tabane’s life as he lived it. To present a narrative study of his biographical background as a human being born and bred in South Africa whose work reflects a South African experience, and how it became significant to the lives of other human beings in the world. Tabane’s biographical study is important in that it introduces him to the reader and thereby presents the backdrop to the social-ecological aspects of his early influences and the factors that define his choice of the music of Malombo. Tabane’s photo gallery and other documented evidence of his life have been included as Appendix 2. In accordance with the ethics of research, the researcher requested written consent from Philip Tabane to be able to carry out the research that covers his biographical aspects of his life. Appendix 1 presents evidence of the consent that Tabane granted to the researcher to conduct this research. The researcher has also verified biographical details, as well as all other aspects of his musical life with Tabane as agreed to in the written consent herewith included as Appendix 1.

Family influence

The influence of Philip Tabane’s brothers and sisters on his musical life makes for an interesting study. This is a classical case of the influence of a musical family on career paths of its members. Tabane’s siblings, in order of seniority, comprised his eldest sister Ntibi who was a singer, his brother Lori who played guitar, his sister Mmaloki who played guitar, his brother Mabitisi who also played guitar, his sister Stephina who was a singer, Philip Nchipi Tabane himself who plays guitar, his sister Stella who was a singer, and finally Anna who was a vocalist. By the time of writing this thesis, of the five sisters and two brothers, all had passed on except for Stella and Philip.

Novelty that remains new

Tabane’s adaptation of the ritual malombo into popular music format was, for most of the time, done through a trio band format: Guitar, malombo drums, voice, and shakers. Tabane often doubled the guitar with a pennywhistle. His drummer often alternated drums with ‘dipela’. The latter is Sepedi name for a thumb piano. The study of the music life of Philip Tabane epitomises the reality that if we harness the true creative spirit of the young and nurture it to blossom fully within its own natural milieu and path, they can still produce novelty that remains timeless. There is no need of encouraging the cloning of fashionable trends and personalities in wanton pursuit of superstardom.

Creating soundscapes ambiances

Besides himself and the drummer, Tabane often uses a third member of the band to create percussive sounds and to recreate sounds of birds, squirrels and other natural sounds. The percussion creates accented, smooth, and coarse sound textures to create different soundscapes and mood in different songs. These range from rain sounds using the rain stick to the sound of school bell. These sounds are created through the use of simple hand and feet rattles, cabasa, bird whistles, kudu horn, chimes, maracas, to name but a few. They are also used to create man made sounds like the sound of a motor car passing by, a hooting train, or a galloping horse. The latter is evidenced in tracks like Pelepele and Mirengo. Percussion is used in Malombo music to heighten the mood of the song carried by Tabane’s guitar and the drummer’s melo-rhythm.

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Third phase: 1958-1959

The third period of the development of the Malombo musical concept which covers the period 1958 to 1959 is marked by two strong features. Tabane’s enhancement of his performances by back-track as well as the formation of his first four-piece-band. The multimedia performance combined the back-track of the music by the Union Artists with his live guitar performance. This phase prepared Tabane to work within the standard four-piece-band. Tabane subsequently set up a four-piece-band. The band, which he led, comprised Gideon Nxumalo on marimba and piano, Dannyboy Sibanyoni on bass, Abel Maleka on drums and Philip Tabane on guitar. Tabane received assistance on co-ordinating his first ever major project from the Dorkay House Staff Member, Ian Barnard. This phase launched Tabane on a road to years of three to four piece band formats. Dorkay House was an alternative institution from normal schooling where most black musicians could learn different arts disciplines because Bantu Education did not offer them any arts education.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

Declaration
Abstract
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter one: Introduction
- 1.1Background of the study
  - 1.1.1 Ethnographic research approach
  - 1.1.2 Scope of historical time
  - 1.1.3 Theoretical approach of the research
  - 1.1.4 Case study research: The qualitative dimension
- 1.2 Conclusion
Chapter two: Literature review
- 2.1 Introduction
  - 2.1.1 Scope of literature survey
  - 2.1.2 Published academic sources
- 2.2 Conclusion
Chapter three: Biographical history of Philip Tabane
- 3.1 Introduction
  - 3.1.1 Biographical background
  - 3.1.2 Family influence
  - 3.1.3 Human contexts of early life
  - 3.1.4 Early childhood music education
  - 3.1.5 Music knowledge background
  - 3.1.6 The early career path of Philip Tabane
- 3.2 Conclusion
Chapter four: Elements of the Malombo ritual practice and Tabane’s popular music format of Malombo
- 4.1 Introduction
  - 4.1.1 Introducing Tabane’s Malombo
  - 4.1.2 Novelty that remains new
  - 4.1.3 Indigenous malombo music
  - 4.1.4 Philip Tabane’s Malombo
    - 4.1.4.1 Short lyrical text
    - 4.1.4.2 Vocal timbre
    - 4.1.4.3 Phoneaesthetics
    - 4.1.4.4 Crepitating scatting and onomatopoeia
    - 4.1.4.5 Guitar carpet motif
    - 4.1.4.6 Talking drumming
    - 4.1.4.7 Use of sudden stops
    - 4.1.4.8 Creating soundscapes ambiances
    - 4.1.4.9 Praise text
  - 4.1.2 Performance format and style
  - 4.1.3 Philip Tabane’s music literacy skills
- 4.2 Conclusion
Chapter five: Twelve phases, faces, paces and traces of Philip Nchipi Tabane
- 5.1 Introduction
  - 5.1.1 First phase:
  - 5.1.2 Second phase:
  - 5.1.3 Third phase:
  - 5.1.4 Fourth phase:
  - 5.1.5 Fifth phase:
  - 5.1.6 Sixth phase:
  - 5.1.7 Seventh phase:
  - 5.1.8 Eighth phase:
  - 5.1.9 Ninth phase:
  - 5.1.10 Tenth phase:
  - 5.1.11 Eleventh phase:
  - 5.1.12 Twelfth phase:
- 5.2 Conclusion: The extended Malombo family
Chapter six: Socio-political context of the development of Malombo
- 6.1 Introduction
  - 6.1.1 The case of Philip Tabane
  - 6.1.2 Challenges of an international breakthrough
  - 6.1.3 Wider repression of artists and the black arts in South Africa
  - 6.1.4 Affecting the fan base
- 6.2 Conclusion
Chapter seven: Historical traces of the biased profiling of jazz in South Africa
- 7.1 Introduction
  - - 7.1.1 The development of popular music in South Africa
    - 7.1.2 John Mehegen records the first two Jazz LPs to South Africa,

- 7.1.3 The advent of jazz obscures indigenous music
- 7.1.4 The jazz-sensed social-milieu of black South Africa in the sixties
- 7.1.5 Early usage of western music instruments in recordings of African music
- 7.1.6 Emergence of Philip Tabane and Malombo music
- 7.1.7 Social behaviour in support of jazz
7.2 Conclusion
Chapter eight: Media perceptions of Philip Tabane’s performance style of
- Malombo music
- 8.1 Introduction
  - 8.1.1 Novelty that sparked critical reviews
  - 8.1.2 Broader principles of the reviews of Tabane’s Malombo music
- 8.2 Conclusion
Chapter nine: Public agitation against the dominance of the Diaspora culture
- over South African music and challenges of the strategy generation of royalty
- 9.1 Introduction
  - 9.1.1 Post 1994: Scenario of protection of South African Arts
  - 9.1.2 The problem of the quota for local content
  - 9.1.3 The legislative framework regarding the protection of South African Music
  - performers, composers, and compositions
  - 9.1.4 The provisions of the quota for local content
  - 9.1.5 Protecting one’s Copyright
- 9.2 Conclusion
Chapter ten: Festival names and sponsorship, the blemish of branding
- 10.1 Introduction
  - 10.1.1 Travesty in naming festivals
  - 10.1.2 Contemporary sponsorship blemish on novel talent
  - 10.1.3 Emerging tenets of how to mainstream a tradition into the realm of
  - popular music
- 10.2 Conclusion
Chapter eleven: Analysis of Tabane’s royalty payout at the zenith of his career
- 11.1 Introduction
  - 11.1.1 Analysis of both record sales and radio play
    - 11.1.1.1 Analysis of Tabane’s sales royalty payout data
    - 11.1.1.2 Analysis of Tabane’s broadcast royalty data
  - 11.1.2 Data Analysis
    - 11.1.2.1 Exploitation of indigenous music and not musicians
    - 11.1.2.2 Status and role
    - 11.1.2.3 Ensuring that deserving beneficiaries benefit
11.3 Conclusion
Chapter twelve: Conclusion
- BibliographyB
- Appendices 1 –
- Appendix 1: Philip Tabane’s research consent
- Appendix 2: A gallery of Philip Tabane’s photos and newspaper cuttings of
- significance
- Appendix 3: Philip Tabane’s discography
- Appendix 4: Tabane’s literary sources
- Appendix 5: Tabane’s drama Script – Ekufeni
- Appendix 6: The international profile of Philip Tabane’s career
- Appendix 7: Tabane’s CD and a DVD