Tag Archives: Leon Lazarus

S06E20 – The Fusion Show

In this episode, Leon & Brett explore some of the interesting fusions of different music explored by South African musicians, so if you’re keen to discover some marabi-infused pop, or some mbaqanga-infused reggae, or – dare we say – some boeremusiek-infused kwela, with some jazz, heavy metal, and more thrown into the various mixes, then this is the show for you!

In this episode we feature:

  • Errol Dyers
  • Freshlyground
  • Tananas
  • Hoh Hoggidy Hog
  • Assagai
  • Jack Parow
  • Reeburth
  • Qadasi
  • Mango Groove
  • Boerekwela
  • Juluka
  • Cape Town Tango Ensemble

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E19 – A South African Tribute to Aretha Franklin

Like a lot of South Africans, we’re big fans of the music of Aretha Franklin who, when she was not singing, lent her voice to the civil rights movement both in her native United States but also in South Africa. She was a great supporter of Nelson Mandela. So – considering we’re a show that only really plays South African music – we came up with our own way of honouring Ms Franklin who died yesterday. Today’s show features a great many of the songs she had hits with or made famous as interpreted by a wide range of South African artists, from hard rockers to a cappella choirs. We hope you’ll join us in paying tribute to this music legend.

This episode features:

  • The Flames
  • Margaret Singana
  • The Soweto Gospel Chior
  • Dan Patlansky
  • Freedom’s Children
  • Underground Press
  • Township Soul Inc.
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo

If you’d like to hear the Aretha Franklin originals, we’ve compiled a YouTube playlist as a companion to this episode of Tune Me What?.

Also check out: Trevor Noah remembers the life and music of Aretha Franklin.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E18 – A Women’s Day Celebration

‘Tune Me What?’ was thrilled to receive an invitation to celebrate South African Women’s day at the South African consulate in Los Angeles and Leon was doubly honoured to be asked to provide a playlist for the Consul, Mrs. Danielle DeBruyn Grady and her guests. Obviously we’re incredibly chuffed that our work in promoting South African music has not gone unnoticed. To share something of the occasion, here is just a sample of the playlist Leon took along with him featuring the voices of some truly exceptional South African women.

In today’s show we feature

  • Mzwakhe Mbuli
  • Godessa
  • Dolly Rathebe
  • Durban City Queens
  • Miriam Makeba
  • Toya Delazy
  • Lira
  • Ella Mental
  • Little Sister
  • Jennifer Ferguson

And introducing PRAVDA in our ‘Tune Me Something New‘ spot.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E17 – Poetry In Motion

In today’s show Leon and Brett talk about South African poems and poets that have have contributed to some great music. From poets who have decided to turn their poems into music, to songwriters and composers who have turned to the words of some of the country’s greatest poets for lyrical inspiration, we investigate this fruitful cross-pollination of art forms, and as usual, bring you some of the best in South African music.

In today’s show, we feature poets and musicians, including:

  • The Sighs of Monsters
  • Ingrid Jonker
  • Chris Chameleon
  • Eugene Marais
  • Laurinda Hofmeyr
  • Lesego Rampolokeng
  • The Kalahari Surfers
  • Larry Strelitz
  • Robert Berold
  • David Chislett
  • Shannon Hope
  • Matthew van der Want
  • Gert Vlok Nel
  • Paul Mealor
  • Breyton Breytenbach
  • Guy Buttery

Check out the English translation of Gert Vlok Nel’s poem “Beautiful in Beaufort Wes” and also David Chislett’s poetry project.

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E16 – From Graceland To Gazankulu

Everyone knows Paul Simon’s Graceland album, but not many know another album was made by an American artist shortly afterwards using the same winning formula of blending American songwriting with South African music – collaborating with local South African artists in the studio and in the composition of new music. That artist was Harry Belafonte and the album was ‘Paradise In Gazankulu’. In today’s show we feature some of the artists who worked with Belafonte and his songwriter, Jake Holmes, to produce this gem of an album.

We feature:

  • Alistair Coakley (with Hotline)
  • The Soul Brothers
  • Bakithi Kumalo
  • Vusi Khumalo
  • West Nkosi
  • Marks Mankwane and Makgona TsohleBand
  • Hilton Rosenthal and Bobby Summerfield (with Savuka)
  • Morris Goldberg
  • Brenda Fassie

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E15 – South Africans Sing Dylan

Few doubt that Bob Dylan was one of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters, but to many his voice is an acquired taste, hence the many, many covers of his songs are frequently preferred to his originals, and for those who hate his voice, luckily there are no shortage of these. South African artists were as enthusiastic as any to cover his music and to make his songs their own in almost every popular South African genre. In this episode, ‘Tune Me What?’explores some of these. The great Miriam Makeba said of Dylan the he was “someone who wrote very profound and interesting songs.” We think this is absolutely true, so we hope you enjoy with us an hour of the words of Bob Dylan through the voices of South African artists.

This episode features:

  • David Kramer
  • Miriam Makeba
  • The Third Eye
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo
  • The Dream Merchants
  • The Soweto Gospel Choir
  • Koos van der Merwe
  • John E Sharp & The Squires
  • Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
  • Tribe After Tribe
  • The Darius Brubeck Quartet

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E13 – The SatNav Show

In today’s show, Leon & Brett go where their musical SatNav takes them, down the streets, roads, avenues and boulevards of song. The show features the usual selection of great South African music from different genres and styles, and across the eras. So join us on a great musical road trip through South Africa. We’ve has packed the ‘padkos’. Buckle up!

In this episode we feature:

  • Tony Cox
  • Simphiwe Dana
  • Jennifer Ferguson
  • The Jo’burg City Stars
  • Jonathan Butler
  • Roger Lucey
  • Lucas Maree
  • Baxtop
  • Cindy Alter
  • Felix Laband

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

S06E11 – A Show About Nothing

It’s a show about nothing! Well, to be fair, Brett & Leon manage to play 60 minutes of fantastic South African music while making gratuitous references to Seinfeld… but hey, any excuse to fill an hour with some great tunes by South African artists.

In this show, we feature:

  • The Jonny Cooper Orchestra
  • George Mathiba
  • David Kramer
  • Mean Mr Mustard
  • Kalahari Surfers
  • The Cherryfaced Lurchers
  • Prime Circle
  • Sugardrive
  • Shortstraw
  • Hugh Masekela
  • Peto

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S06E10 – The Western Cape

After the enthusiastic response we got when we shared a video of some ous dancing to a kief groove in the Western Cape, we decided to do a whole programme featuring artists from the Western Cape. We hardly scratched the surface! But we hope you enjoy an hour of real South African music with us featuring some great artists from this part of the world.

This week’s show features:

  • Ringo Madlingozi
  • Koos Kombuis & Valiant Swart
  • David Kramer & Jack Parow
  • Simon Van Geld Band
  • Melanie Scholtz
  • YOMA
  • Prophets Of Da City
  • Godessa
  • Rowick Deep & Auriol Hays
  • Fokofpolisiekar
  • The Genuines

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.

S06E09 – Back To The Bioscope

In today’s episode, the Tune Me What? team go to the bioscope (that’s the cinema to non-South Africans) and play some tracks by South African artists featured in films. So grab some popcorn, peanuts and bubblegum and join us for an hour of South African music.

Today’s show features

  • The Cherry Faced Lurchers
  • Mandoza, Ringo & Avante
  • Hemelbesem
  • Temple Of Sound (feat Jo Legwabe)
  • Zola
  • Sjava
  • The Manhattan Brothers
  • Dorothy Masuka
  • Lira
  • Soweto String Quartet

We really appreciate your feedback. We’re always open to suggestions and even requests! If you’re a South African musician living or touring internationally, do let us know about your concerts, album releases or tours – we’d love to give you a punt on the show.

Our email address is yesno@tunemewhat.com But most importantly, if you enjoy the show, tell your friends about Tune Me What?! You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TuneMeWhat

Please consider supporting the show by becoming a patron.