This video of Vusi Mahlasela is well executed as a live concert experience, but that’s not why i’m sharing it. Vusi is just an amazing artist people should listen to. I was fortunate to stay at Vusi’s home in Mamelodi, South Africa, as he was the main character in a documentary I was making about life post-apartheid. He created for himself a successful music career that has taken him around the world, and on stage at events like the one in this video. But he didn’t leave Mamelodi, he kept his family and his home there. His voice gives me chills to this day, most of all the words. They are so deeply rooted in Vusi’s personal truth. They are real, when in today’s music so often they are written. And you can see it in his face. Enjoy this. I heard him sing these songs in a small room, just Vusi and me and a video camera. I will never forget that sound, and I love seeing thousands share that. Years later, Vusi was playing at a music festival in Canada…I showed up to the side of the stage and waited for him to turn…he was shocked to see I had found him again, and I hope to again in Mamelodi someday.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Here are Vusi’s tourdates:
http://www.vusimahlasela.com/?sid=4