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Send us your review:
Describe the atmosphere and live music at a local pub, restaurant, festival, church or temple, club night.... inspire other people to check it out!
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Musician: Dave Woodhead
Location: London
Instruments: penny-whistle / trumpet / coronet
Music: South African / kwela
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HOW I CAME TO THIS MUSICÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýWHERE I PLAYÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýA FAVOURITE SONG |
  
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 ÌýÌýListen (2'49) to ‘47 Zone 4’, performed by Dave Woodhead and The Positively Testcard, from the album, The Indestructible Beat of South Norwood, (House of Kwela, 1996)
ÌýÌýListen (3'12) to ‘Lemmy Be the One’, performed by Dave Woodhead and The Positively Testcard in session for the Andy Kershaw programme on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3, with Dave on penny-whistle, Adam Keelan on guitar, Chris Morgan on string bass and Mario Rey on drums.
ÌýÌýListen (2'40) to Dave Woodhead talk about his music
'It’s the feeling and groove of storming through a kwela tune that makes this music the most joyful sunny sound imaginable'
How I came to this music:
Back in 1995, I started playing kwela music while gigging around pubs in London and the South East. I’ve been playing trumpet and coronet since I was 11. I started out playing in school bands and then while at university in Leeds, I played in brass bands. I went on to play in session with Billy Bragg, Robin Hitchcock and Sid Griffin but eventually formed my own band, The Positively Testcard. It was a great outlet to be able to get up there and play a set for a whole 45 minutes.
By way of giving the lips a break from the trumpet, I’d play a few Spokes Mashiyane tunes on penny-whistle. Gradually our set switched to playing nearly all the tunes on penny whistle with just one or 2 on the trumpet. It’s the feeling and groove of storming through a kwela tune that makes this music the most joyful sunny sound imaginable.
Kwela is South African penny whistle jive music. I’d heard a Lemmy Mabaso tune once and was so enthralled by the imaginative brightness of the music, that I really wanted to try it myself. It’s infectious lively music which came into being in the South African street corners of the late 1940’s and 1950’s. You’d get a few kids playing whistle and maybe a guitar - a very mobile operation, ideal for busking. Once the record companies caught on, they added string bass and percussion which in turn fed back onto the street via the tea chest bass and basic drum kit.
This penny-whistle jive was the first black commercial music of South Africa and one that the white community picked up on with their Teddy Boys following. It’s an old man’s music now, akin to trad. Jazz yet at the time it was incredibly hip and popular.
Lemmy was one of the main stars of the style along with Spokes Mashiyane yet sadly it’s almost impossible to find any of their recordings. There’s one Spokes Mashiyane album available and lots of single tunes on compilations but nothing comprehensive even though these guys recorded hundreds of tracks during their heyday. One of my passions is trying to unearth old 78’s of Kwela and over the years I’ve managed to find a few.
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