SPAZA

Anyone reading this probably doesn’t need to be reminded of the instant global reach of the internet, but listening to the South African SPAZA ensemble on their self-titled debut for Mushroom Hour Half Hour Records really brings the point home.“Spaza,” I learn from the press release, has “come to signify an entrepreneurial spirit,” and spaces with that name have become “the nerve centers of social activity” in their communities. This sextet was recorded in a totally improvised performance in 2015 at the Spaza Art Gallery in Johannesburg, an impressively coherent achievement from what the label’s website describes as a “once-off ensemble of Johannesburg-based avant-garde musicians.” Their range of instrumental and vocal sounds is broad, with a sonic palette that incorporates synthesizers and electronic effects with impromptu lyrics and wordless voices. Percussionist Gontse Makhene is a powerhouse on an array of hand drums, and his rhythmic drive provides a constant pulse in tandem with the earthy sound of acoustic bassist Ariel Zamonsky. Trombonist and vocalist Siya Makuzeni and electric violinist Waldo Alexander make themselves felt with swoops of sound. Synthesist João Orecchia helps shape the overall ambience. Vocals, by Makuzeni, Makhene, and Nosisi Ngakane, blend, dart, and testify in a swirl of hypnotic and other-worldly sounds. The deeply syncretic approach of the group draws on traditions from all over the globe, eschewing genre considerations in favor of forging their own highly personal music. This is fascinating music with a global feel, but still grounded in the specifically local aspects of the Johannesburg scene. SPAZA is well worth a listen. Mushroom Hour Half Hour M3H-004 (LP & digital); Nosisi Ngakane (vcl, FX) Siya Makuzeni (vcl, FX, tbn) João Orecchia (synth, elec) Waldo Alexander (el vln with FX pedal) Ariel Zamonsky (b) Gontse Makhene (perc, vcl); Johannesburg, South Africa, May 17, 2015; Magwinya, Mangola neWhite Liver/ Sunlight, Glycerine, 2 loose draws/ Five Rand Airtime nama-eveready - 4000 degrees/ Tigerbalm nobuhlebakho [interlude]/ Ice Squinchies | Waiting For You/ Invocations [interlude]/ Stametta Spuit - Invocations; 44:02. www.mushroomhour.com