Byham Theatre Celebrates Black History Month with Ladysmith Black Mambazo 2/28

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust culminates Black History Month with its regular Showcase Noir: African American Artist and Designer Exhibit and Sale and the special presentation of Grammy-award-winning South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Showcase Noir opens at 11am on Sunday, February 28, in the Byham Theater lobby. Ladysmith Black Mambazo performance closes the evening with their 7 p.m. performance in the theater. Cohen & Grigsby is the season sponsor of the 2009-2010 Trust Presents series.

Admission to Showcase Noir is free until 6pm. After 6pm, tickets for the Ladysmith Black Mambazo performance are required. Tickets ($20 - $37) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930. For more information on both programs, visit pgharts.org.

ABOUT Ladysmith Black Mambazo
For more than forty years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts over the past four decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry and have solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with. The group borrows heavily from a traditional music called isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya). Isicathamiya singing style originated from the South African Zulus. In Europe this singing style is known as a capella. The word itself does not have a literal translation; it is derived from the Zulu verb -cathama, which means walking softly, or tread carefully.

Assembled in the early 1960s, in South Africa, by Joseph Shabalala - then a young farmboy turned factory worker - the group took the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Ladysmith being the name of Shabalala's rural hometown; Black being a reference to oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo being the Zulu word for axe, a symbol of the group's vocal ability to "chop down" all things in their path. Their collective voices were so tight and their harmonies so polished that they were eventually banned from competitions - although they were welcome to participate strictly as entertainers.

A radio broadcast in 1970 opened the door to their first record contract - the beginning of an ambitious discography that currently includes more than forty recordings that have garnered three Grammy Awards and fifteen nominations, including one for their most recent recording "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu". Their philosophy in the studio was - and continues to be - just as much about preservation of musical heritage as it is about entertainment.

In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon visited South Africa and incorporated Ladysmith Black Mambazo's rich tenor/alto/bass harmonies into his Graceland album - a landmark 1986 recording that won the Grammy Award for Best Album and is considered seminal in introducing world music to mainstream audiences. In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have recorded with numerous artists from around the world, including Stevie Wonder, Josh Groban, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLaughlin, Emmylou Harris, Natalie Merchant, Mavis Staples, Ry Cooder and Ben Harper.

The ensemble is regarded as South Africa's cultural emissaries at home and around the world. Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been invited to perform at many special events including events for the Queen of England and the Royal Family, two Nobel Peace Prize Ceremonies, a concert for Pope John Paul II in Rome, and the South African Presidential inaugurations.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Department of Education and Community Engagement presents the fifth Showcase Noir: African American Artist & Designer Showcase, on Sunday, February 28. An event that celebrates and provides exposure to the many talented artists and designers of African descent in our region, Showcase Noir has developed a reputation for presenting exceptional pottery, jewelry design, watercolor painting, sculpture, and art of various media. Works will be available for sale; all proceeds will benefit the artists. This free event is complimented with live jazz music featuring Dwayne Dolphin and acid jazz and rare funk grooves spun by DJ SMI.

Showcase Noir opens at 11am and remains open to the public until 6pm. After 6pm, a ticket to Ladysmith Black Mambazo is required.

Participating artists include Firdausi Bey, Roberta Ellis, Kendrah Foster, Rita Gregory, Joseph Holtz, Charlotte Ka, Laverne Kemp, Mary Martin, Harriette Merriweather, Saihou Njie, Errol Reynolds, Charles Smith, Solomon SteelPan Company, Susan Tankersley/Ethnic Designs, Ken Thomas and Richelle Wilson.

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