Louis Mhlanga
One of the first to blend Earth, Wind & Fire-like funk and R&B with the traditional dance rhythms of Zimbabwe, Louis Mhlanga continues to be one of Africa's most in-demand session musicians. His melodic guitar plucking has been featured on albums by such African musicians as King Sunny Ade, Hugh Masakela, Ray Phiri, Busi Mhlongo, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, Caiphus Semenya, Letta Mbuli, Vusi Mahlasala, and the Soweto String Quartet. During a brief period in the mid-'80s when he temporarily resided in London, Mhlanga worked with Paul Weller and Afro-Caribbean artists including Dennis Brown and Julian Bahula. Recent collaborators include jazz-pop vocalist Al Jarreau and steel pan player Andy Narrell. Accepting an invitation to work at King Sunny Ade's recording studio in Lagos, Mhlanga learned the craft of record producing. Among the many albums that he's overseen are several by Thomas Mapfumo.
In addition to performing with his band, Musik Ye Africa, featuring drummer Jethro Shasha and bassist Jimi Indi, Mhlanga has increasingly worked with Vusi Mahlasala, a Dylanesque singer/songwriter that he met while working on a show, The Devil and the Saint, with poet Lesego Rampolokeng. Their first album together, Crush the Corn, released in 1997, was followed by Live at the Bassline, recorded during a concert in Johannesburg in 1999. Mhlanga has based his operations in South Africa since the late 1980s. He serves as administrative manager of the Ethnomusicology Trust.
© Craig Harris /TiVo
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Discography
8 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Live at the Bassline
Jazz - Released by Giant Steps on 10 Jul 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keeping The Dream
Louis Mhlanga, Eric van der Westen
World - Released by EWM-Music on 21 Dec 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Greatest Moments Of
Ambient/New Age - Released by Sheer Sound on 6 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tiri Vaviri
Louis Mhlanga, Eric van der Westen
Africa - Released by EWM Music on 11 Nov 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shamwari
Ambient/New Age - Released by Sheer Sound on 3 Aug 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo