This group from South Africa's Eastern Cape started twenty years back playing Xhosa traditional music, mostly percussion and vocals. Now it has blossomed into one of the most interesting and experimental groups in the country. Amampondo has opened its doors to let in the breezy jazz of Cape Town, as well as a variety of other African traditional elements, and the result is a remarkable blend of marimbas, drums, horns, piano, and layers of male and female vocals. The first track begins like one of those happy-go-lucky African marimba ensembles out of the Pacific Northwest, but more persuasive authenticity soon kicks in with shouts and cries of possessed celebrants and rich, layered, male and female vocals. "African Pride" revs into exhilarating roots jazz with hard-hitting tenor sax riffs. On "Ndiyakhala," an energized marimba cranks against swinging, sizzling trap drum backing while a smooth female chorus answers Fancy Galada's scratchy, old man vocal. "Ihobe" adds piano and a horn section to the mix and merges percussion roots with the cool melancholy of Cape Town jazz. Amampondo is on tour in the US in December, 2000. By all accounts their theatrical live show outdoes anything on record.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre