Author(s): Ansell Gwen

Music

Illustrates the vibrant relationship between jazz and the antiapartheid movement in twentieth-century South Africa. A major new contribution to the study of African music, "Soweto Blues" tells the remarkable story of how jazz became a key part of South Africa's struggle in the 20th century, and provides a fascinating overview of the ongoing links between African and American styles of music. Ansell illustrates how jazz occupies a unique place in South African music. Through interviews with hundreds of musicians, she pieces together a vibrant narrative history, bringing to life the early politics of resistance, the atmosphere of illegal performance spaces, the global anti-apartheid influence of Hugh Masakela and Miriam Makeba, as well as the post-apartheid upheavals in the national broadcasting and recording industries. Featuring an introduction by Abdullah Ibrahim, "Soweto Blues" is a fitting tribute to the power of music to inspire optimism and self-expression in the darkest of times.