Tutu Puoane’s new album wraps South African poet Lebo Mashile’s words in rhythm.
Where does this deep-seated urge to compare come from? It is Sunday morning, and as I write, I listen again to Tutu Puoane’s new album, Wrapped In Rhythm, Vol. 1. Billie Holiday springs to mind. Nina Simone. Sade. But far more than the sum of voices, Puoane is still, above all, Puoane. What you hear is a rare, flawless musical flexibility combined with an ability to tell a story in ever-changing keys, in a completely unique way. The “stories” of her new album are written by compatriot Lebo Mashile, a South African poet and spoken word artist. Political sloganism is nowhere to be found in these works, but poignant engagement with this struggling country resounds throughout.
From Latitude:
Give me a new set of eyes
To help me see
The new state of mind that freedom brings to be
The phrase is a fitting example of the “elusiveness of the rainbow nation” that Puoane reads in Mashile’s work, as well as feminist fervour and a lyrical disgust of the violence against women still endemic in South Africa.
Video | Tutu Puoane sings “Together”
Mashile’s poems are “wrapped in rhythm” by Tutu Puoane and her Flemish husband Ewout Pierreux, though the singer attributes these poignant compositions mainly to Mashile. In an interview with The Conversation, she says: “The poems were already flowing with so much melody, lyricism and, of course, rhythm. I imagined vocalists like Joni Mitchell, Sade, Laura Mvula singing Lebo’s words. So I started recording melodies with the poems on my phone, just rough sketches of what I was hearing in my head.” As a result, the album is “a mix of artistic minds.”
But with this modesty, Puoane sells herself short. Just as the musician cannot deliver without the rhythm that presents itself, the poet cannot do without the talent that gives her lyrics so much eloquence. Wrapped in Rhythm, Vol. 1 is overwhelming precisely because of the meeting of the two.
Puoane grew up in the township of Mamelodi in Tshwane (Pretoria) and studied at the artistic FUBA college in Johannesburg and the University of Cape Town. In 2002, she crossed over to Europe and continued her studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. After moving to Antwerp, she released several albums. With Quiet Now (2010) and Mama Africa (2011), a collaboration with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra in honour of South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba, she won awards in South Africa. She also performed with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra in a series of concerts celebrating the 100th birthday of Belgian harmonica virtuoso Toets Thielemans. From 2020, she performed many times in Dear Winnie, a Dutch-Flemish tribute to Winnie Mandela with lyrics by Fikry El Azzouzi and directed by Junior Mthombeni.
Tutu Puoane’s ability to break so many boundaries of musical genres shows great courage. Or, in the words of Lebo Mashile:
The Triumph of Courage
Somewhere in the annals of time
There is a record
Of the instant
When the imprint was left
On your life's shoes
Too big to fill
Too small to hold me with certainty
But for one waif-thin moment
We held the black sky of morning together
Riding radio waves to unexpected beach
Where fear takes leave
And we are left
With the triumph of courage...
Listen to Tutu Puoane in concert in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Ostend. Check out the concert agenda here.
Read the Dutch version here
Waar komt toch die onuitroeibare vergelijkingsdrang vandaan? Het is zondagochtend en terwijl ik schrijf luister ik opnieuw naar het nieuwe album van Tutu Puoane, Wrapped in rythm, Vol. 1. Billy Holliday springs to mind. Nina Simone. Gregory Porter. Maar veel meer dan de optelsom van stemmen is Puoane toch vooral Puoane. Wat je hoort is een zeldzame, loepzuivere muzikale flexibiliteit in combinatie met een vermogen om op geheel eigen wijze een verhaal in telkens wisselende toonsoorten te vertellen. Die ‘verhalen’ op het nieuwe album zijn van de hand van landgenoot Lebo Mashile, een Zuid-Afrikaanse dichten en spoken word artist. Politiek sloganism is hierin nowhere to be found, maar verwijzingen naar dit worstelende land klinken telkens door.
Uit Latitude:
Give me a new set of eyes
To help me see
The new state of mind that freedom brings to be
De phrase is een passend voorbeeld van de ‘elusiveness of the rainbow nation’ die Puoane in Mashile’s werk leest, evenals de feministische geestdrift en een lyrisch verweer tegen het in Zuid-Afrika nog endemische geweld tegen vrouwen.
Video | Tutu Puoane sings "Together"
Mashile’s gedichten zijn door Tutu Puoane en haar Vlaamse Ewout Pierreux echtgenoot wrapped in rythm, al schrijft de zangeres de indringende composities vooral aan Mashile toe. In een interview met The Conversation zegt ze: “The poems were already flowing with so much melody, lyricsm and, of course, rythm. I imagined vocalists like Joni Mitchell, Sade, Laura Mvula singing Lebo’s words. So I started recording melodies with the poems on my phone, just rough sketches of what I was hearing in my head.” Het album is daardoor ‘een mix van artistieke geesten.’
Maar met deze bescheidenheid doet Puoane zichzelf tekort. Zoals de muzikant niet kan leveren zonder het zich aandienende ritme, zo kan de dichter niet zonder het talent dat haar teksten nog zoveel meer zeggingskracht geven.
Wrapped in Rythm, Vol. 1 is juist door de ontmoeting van beiden overweldigend.
Puoane groeide op in het township Mamelodi in Tshwane (Pretoria) en studeerde aan het artistieke FUBA college in Johannesburg en de Universiteit van Kaapstad. In 2002 maakte ze de oversteek naar Europa en vervolgde haar studie aan Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag. Na haar verhuizing naar Antwerpen bracht ze verschillende albums uit. Quiet Now (2010), Mama Africa, een collaboration with the Brussels Jazz orchestra in honour of South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba (2011) viel ze in Zuid-Afrika in de prijzen. Ook trad ze op met het Nederlandse Metropole Orkest in een serie concerten ter gelegenheid van de 100ste geboortedag van de Belgian harmonica virtuoso Toets Thielemans. Vanaf 2020 trad ze vele malen op in Dear Winnie, een Nederlands-Vlaams eerbetoon aan Winnie Mandela op tekst van Fikry El Azzouzi en onder regie van Junior Mthombeni.
Tutu Puoane’s vermogen om zoveel grenzen van muzikale genres te doorbreken getuigen van grote moed. In de woorden van Lebo Mashile:
The Triumph of Courage
Somewhere in the annals of time
There is a record
Of the instant
When the imprint was left
On your life’s shoes
Too big to fill
Too small to hold me with certainty
But for one waif-thin moment
We held the black sky of morning together
Riding radio waves to unexpected beach
Where fear takes leave
And we are left
With the triumph of courage…
Luister naar Tutu Poane in concert in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Antwerpen, Oostende. Kijk hier.
