| features in: (B-list) Album Chart of 1957 ● (B-list) Album Chart of the 1950s |
A compilation of Kwela (pennywhistle jive) recordings featuring five black groups, all naturally gifted with a sense of rhythm and an ear for a tune. Solven Whistlers, one of the most popular pennywhistle groups of the day, are well represented with six tunes, mostly operating in a jazzier spectrum. Although they don't hit the spot for my tastes quite so often, “Golden City Kwela” and the rather unimaginatively titled “Penny Whistler’s Kwela” sound pretty good to me. Basement Boys and Romantic Boys take my top honours, both outfits stirring some spoken word banter into the mix, breaking up the predominently instrumental LP. “Kwela Bafana” and “Upstairs Jump” are best from the former, with “Pilani Kwela” and “Timitoy Baby” from D. Pilane's Romantic Boys standing tallest. Notably, Pilane's group are furthest away from the Jazz and closest to creating something which sounds, to my ears anyway, uniquely South African.
The Jukebox Rebel
02–Mar–2012
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [02:40]  Solven Whistlers with Tony Scott - Something New In Africa (Peter Mokonotela) Jazz |
| A2 | [02:16]  Alexandra Junior Bright Boys with Lemmy Special - Lemmy Special Kwela (Lemmy Special) Jazz |
| A3 | [02:28]  Basement Boys - Kwela Bafana (Albert Tshitereke) Jazz |
| A4 | [02:29]  The Six Lads - Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy (Harry Stone, Jack Stapp) Jazz |
| A5 | [02:33]  Solven Whistlers - Golden City Kwela (Peter Mokonotela) Jazz |
| A6 | [02:41]  Romantic Boys - Pilani Kwela (D. Pilane) Africana |
| A7 | [02:21] Solven Whistlers - Hamba Kwela (Peter Mokonotela) Jazz |
| B1 | [02:28]  Alexandra Junior Bright Boys with Lemmy Special - Joburg Kwela (Alexandra Junior Bright Boys) Jazz |
| B2 | [02:23]  Basement Boys - Upstairs Jump (Albert Tshitereke) Big Band / Jive / Swing |
| B3 | [02:44]  The Six Lads - Tennessee Kwela (Julius Kuczynski, Henry Stewart) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B4 | [02:30]  Solven Whistlers - Orlando Jump (Solven Whistlers) Jazz |
| B5 | [02:50]  Romantic Boys - Timitoy Baby (D. Pilane) Africana |
| B6 | [02:28] Solven Whistlers - Penny Whistler’s Kwela (Solven Whistlers) Jazz |
| B7 | [02:33]  Solven Whistlers - Ulova Kwela (Peter Mokonotela) Jazz |
