{"id":176455191,"date":"2015-05-30T01:52:33","date_gmt":"2015-05-30T06:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/?p=176455191"},"modified":"2015-05-30T01:52:33","modified_gmt":"2015-05-30T06:52:33","slug":"audio-kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/2015\/05\/30\/audio-kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk\/","title":{"rendered":"AUDIO: Kassav, and Jozi\u2019s love for zouk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/africa-is-a-country1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-176454511\" src=\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/africa-is-a-country1.png\" alt=\"africa is a country\" width=\"135\" height=\"126\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>May 27, 2015<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 36pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Kassav, and <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 36pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jozi\u2019s love for zouk<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>By\u00a0Tseliso Monaheng<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"922\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?visual=true&#038;url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F99742077&#038;show_artwork=true&#038;maxwidth=922&#038;maxheight=1000\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/\" target=\"_self\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"post-img\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_006.jpg?resize=1200%2C794\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-caption-wrapper\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 10pt;\"><strong><span class=\"img-caption-desc\">All photos by\u00a0Tseliso Monaheng<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">Kassav are a band formed in Paris in \u201979. They were in Johannesburg recently, where they played to\u00a0a capacity audience at the Bassline in Newtown. I attended the show without having heard their\u00a0music prior. Neither was I familiar with how they looked, save for the posters which started going up on lamp posts some two weeks before their show. It was exactly how I preferred it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_000.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-90863\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_000.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"The set list\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">The band had just finished their first set when I arrived, and had taken a break. This\u00a0presented an<a class=\"fauhczsbgi\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"#92411342\"> opportunity<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a> to ask a few people their impressions on first set. The\u00a0people I spoke to stuck to\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#44027695\">SHORT<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0and punchy, ecstatically-delivered phrases, possibly because they were still trying to digest what they\u2019d just experienced.\u00a0The feedback was affirmative overall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_001.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-90866\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_001.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"The minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba,\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">It was the weekend following the week of attacks against black people from other African countries. Mainstream media outlets had had a productive week, ceasing every passing moment and using it to broadcast their pornography of violence. The protagonist in this saga: A black man, portrayed this time around as an angry, panga-wielding, war-ready overlord, capable of bringing terror to big cities, mid-size ghettoes and small towns. The minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba,\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#72933437\">OPENED<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0the second half of Kassav\u2019s set with\u00a0a\u00a0message assuring Africans from elsewhere on the continent and those based in the diaspora that \u201cSouth Africa is<a class=\"fauhczsbgi\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"#72066134\"> your<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a> home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_002.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"  wp-image-90868 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_002.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"Kassav Live @ Bassline\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">The audience listened intently to the minister, cheering him on with every punchline in his speech. \u201c[The government says] so because [it] knows the role that African played toward the liberation of this country,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#73147597\">CONTINUED<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0the minister to more cheers. \u201cAnd so we say away with xenophobia! Away with Afrophobia! South Africa is<a class=\"fauhczsbgi\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"#594056\"> your<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a> home, enjoy it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_003.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-90869\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_003.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"Kassav Live @ Bassline\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">The first few beats into the second set threw me back to my radio-obsessed childhood in Maseru where our national broadcaster had a show dedicated to the finest Zouk tunes around. It was capably-hosted by Treaty Makoae-Mosese, the late, larger-than-life empress of Lesotho\u2019s entertainment scene. She was cool as a bird\u2019s wings when they flap.\u00a0She made listening to Radio Lesotho on a Saturday at 12pm while waiting for lunch to get served fun as hell! She was rocking print fabric and schooling an entire nation about different African music scenes before it was stylish to do so.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">As flag-bearers of\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Compas\" target=\"_blank\">Compas\/Kompa<\/a>\u00a0and grand innovators\u00a0of Zouk, Kassav provided a live and direct passageway for me to\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#81466707\">CONNECT TO<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0that time. It wasn\u2019t only visceral, it transcended. The music, it was powerful!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_004.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"  wp-image-90870 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_004.jpg?resize=678%2C1024\" alt=\"Kassav Live @ Bassline\" width=\"600\" height=\"905\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">The band have roots in Lesser Antilles\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#64105416\">REGIONS<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0of Guadeloupe and Martinique, and its members have lived in Senegal, France and elsewhere. Their music is just as unbounded; founding members experimented with genres ranging from rock to disco before settling for Kassav\u2019s Zouk sound and releasing their first album, Love and Kadance. Pictured above is Jacob Desvarieux. He was working as a studio musician when Pierre-Edouard D\u00e9cimus approached him with the vision for Kassav.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_005.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-90872\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_005.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"Jocelyne B\u00e9roard\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">Though founded in Paris, Kassav are very much a Carribean group. Jocelyne B\u00e9roard and Jean-Philippe Marth\u00e9ly shared main vocal duties during the night, each playing off of each other\u2019s strengths\u00a0like friends who\u2019ve spent enough time bouncing ideas around and getting to appreciate each others\u2019 qualities; and are gracious enough to let the other shine at any given moment. Jean-Philippe\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#38658260\">JOINED<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0Kassav in 1981 on Kassav n\u00b03; he is known, through his solo work, and the \u201c<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.rfimusique.com\/actu-musique\/musique-antillaise\/album\/20150304-jean-philippe-marthely-pipol\" target=\"_blank\">inventor of Zouk love<\/a>\u00a0(<em>links to\u00a0French website<\/em>).\u201d Other members in the band have solo projects on the side.\u00a0Jocelyne, for instance, is regarded as the first Carribean woman to release a gold-certified album.\u00a0Kassav seems to be the mothership of sorts; a\u00a0launchpad for alternative worlds and imaginations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_007.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"  wp-image-90874 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/africasacountry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/kassav_bassline_007.jpg?resize=770%2C510\" alt=\"Kassav Live @ Bassline\" width=\"600\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 14pt;\">It was\u00a0<a class=\"nixujqtd\" style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Click to Continue &gt; by FlashMall\" href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/#72530977\">OPEN<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdncache-a.akamaihd.net\/items\/it\/img\/arrow-10x10.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0groove season from the moment the band got on stage.\u00a0No one really stopped dancing, save for a brief moment to take a selfie or three with friends. The message was love, overall; it was enacted through gyrating hips, endless sing-along\u2019s, and clapping of hands, and shouts and screams for more. More. More!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&gt;via:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/africasacountry.com\/kassav-and-jozis-love-for-zouk-a-photo-essay\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; May 27, 2015 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kassav, and Jozi\u2019s love for zouk &nbsp; By\u00a0Tseliso Monaheng &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; All photos by\u00a0Tseliso Monaheng Kassav are a band formed in Paris in \u201979. They were in Johannesburg recently, where they played to\u00a0a capacity audience at the Bassline in Newtown. I attended the show without having [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[6],"tags":[4,12,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176455191"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176455191"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176455191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176455195,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176455191\/revisions\/176455195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176455191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176455191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176455191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}