'Stimela'

It means coal-train. But for most South Africans, it is also a grim reminder of how apartheid broke the back of a nation which — when it came to know who it really was — later found the strength to exorcise the demons of segregation and bigotry. Trumpeter Hugh Masekela in his widely acclaimed song Stimela tells of a people forced to work in the rich gold mines of this nation under squalid conditions. They are forced to board the coal train that traverses this vast African region onto the gold and diamond mines, digging ‘til death without remuneration. Masekela wails, his voice drawn from the very depth of a tormented spirit.

Stimela could very well be a ghostly echo of a battered OFW or any exploited worker who is trapped in the dungeons of inequality, resentment and unbearable privation. Haunting yet sonically pleasing, Stimela is one of the tracks of the recently re-mastered 45 rpm album “Hope” (Analogue Productions re-mastered by AcousTech). 

Stimela has been Masekela’s most desired song since it was first recorded in 1974 on the album “I Am Not Afraid”. Fans and Masekela himself have never had enough of the song such that it underwent five or six versions. The best for me is still the 10-minute-long rendition recorded live in 2006 at the Live At The Market Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa, which the album “Hope” features along with Abangoma (The Healers), Languta, Grazin’ In The Grass, Nomali, Marketplace and Ntyilo Ntyilo (The Love Bird).

I thought I’d heard the best of it when I first listened to Stimela on my car’s CD player when I was still active in car audio competitions. It was superbly recorded, with its wide dynamic range that could give any system a good workout. It has both the slam and the warmth, with those heart-pounding kick drums, and the poignant yet commanding voice of Masekela and his masterful playing of the flugelhorn. But, oh boy, the LP version is far more marvelous. Trust me: The analog version would hands down make the CD version sound amateur. An LP this good comes only in trickles, and it would be foolish for any true-blooded audiophile to let it pass. 

All the tracks are to-die-for. Grazin’ In the Grass, for one, could literally lure your feet into a dance. But the politically powerful Stimela is obviously not only the icing, but the cake itself. Masekela’s vocal narration is totally outstanding as it lays down the song’s significance. While he tells of the tribulations of abused migrant mine workers of South Africa, it is easy for the listeners to think of their own country’s (especially those who rely on foreign remittances to keep their economy afloat) own workers and their thankless sacrifice.

I believe that even without the band, Masekela’s vocal narration could stand on its own. Fortunately, the band members also play their hearts out like there’s no tomorrow. They are more than just Masekela’s backup; they come forward when solos are needed without overshadowing Masekela, the star. When their respective geniuses are showcased, they do so with such bravado that one can imagine the clenched fists of the exploited workers ready to charge their way to freedom. Yes, Masekela and the band genuinely express their solidarity with the oppressed workers. They want to prove through their music that there’s no stopping the steam-roller of a nation thirsty for liberty; and such passion rubs off on whoever listens to their music. I get goose bumps each time I play this record.

According the Masekela’s own website, the artist was born on April 4, 1939, in Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing the piano as a child. At age 14, after seeing the film Young Man With A Horn, where Kirk Douglas portrays American Jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke, he took up the trumpet. It was the trumpet given to the young Hugh by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, the anti-apartheid chaplain at St. Peter’s Secondary School.

Masekela had been greatly moved by the music he heard on the 78 rpm gramophone records of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Sy Oliver, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Jordan, The Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, Billie Holiday and Charlie Christian. 

Says Masekela: “I think the greatest thing about Louis Armstrong was that he never became an adult. He remained playful. He remained a child, and that child personality made him very appealing to everybody. That and the fact that he knew where his roots were. Like I said, he couldn’t talk for a paragraph without mentioning New Orleans. He always spoke like he owed a debt to New Orleans…

“I think that was the greatest inspiration for me, because I don’t think I would be what I am if I didn’t come from South Africa. I owe an endless debt to the people of South Africa and all those other African communities all over the world that I have accessed, and lived with and learned their music. Because we’re all born naked. We don’t come here with anything.”

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The analog seminar is slated on Sept. 19 at the Dusit Thani Hotel. Those who wish to join can simply send me an e-mail with the ‘analog seminar’ as subject to avoid being filtered as spam. We’ll keep you updated on other details.

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For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.wiredstate.com or http://bikini-bottom.proboards80.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.