Ladysmith Black Mambazo


[This is the best shot my little camera could manage after dark.]
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (or this), New Haven Green, International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

There were 2-3000 people on the lawn for one in a series of free concerts. It was hard to see, so really you just had to listen. This was quite pleasant to do, since the sound was nice. Nevertheless, I think the crowd was more interested in the Sunday evening picnic than in the acapella vocalizing largely in Zulu (and sometimes in English). The lack of engagement is more or less inevitable with the general consumption of 'world music'. Hard-core fans might take the time to learn the songs and assemble meanings, but the rest of us are listening a little vacantly.