AMARYONI - THE JOURNEY (Volume 1)

Amaryoni is usually a specialist a capella group, in the mbube tradition, but they've decided to step outside their normal genre to deliver this album - a reinterpretation of the music of two gifted South African composers. Here they have used full instrumentation - all in the name of African blues.

This is the beginning of a new journey for Amaryoni - a celebration of the music and compositional talents of some of South Africa's lost musical geniuses - and of a few gifted newcomers too. These are not modern-day remixes; they are reinterpretations of the originals, with the idea of preserving the culture for future generations.

Amaryoni's dream is that these volumes will become collectibles, creating a catalogue of the great SA musicians and composers for people to enjoy far into the future, and to ensure that this glorious music is not lost. Amaryoni sees this as a long-term project to keep the fires of the great music of Africa burning bright for posterity. That this dream is finally coming to fruition has amazed the group and has given this album the feel of something that was destined to see the light of day.

This first volume is a journey through the songbooks of Victor Ndlazilwane and Gcinani Kubheka, featuring carefully selected songs, to which Amaryoni has added their own magic.

Victor Ndlazilwane is a well-known South African composer and singer of the 1960s. With his band, Jazz Ministers, he revived the Souh African jazz scene with his uniquely South African influence on the genre, which is what made his music so interesting.

Gcinani Kubheka is a young musician. Although not that well-known yet, there is absolute gold in his songbooks that needs to be discovered and exposed. Amaryoni has only picked a few of his songs, but there is a lot more wonderful music to be discovered, and the group is looking forward to showcasing more of his music in future. He also plays guitar on this album, and arranged one of Victor Ndlazilwane's songs, "iJongwana".

Amaryoni also wishes to pay tribute to Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo - the inspiration for their mbube music and their musical mentor. They intend to record a future release, interpreting his music in their own style.