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Language
English
Description
A master of swing and scat with pop/jazz crossover appeal, Ella Fitzgerald could outsing just about anyone. Her 60-year career-launched at 17 when she won an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater-saw her rise from a life of poverty to become an enduring icon of American music. This program, an examination of Fitzgerald's captivating music within the context of her eventful life, amply illustrates why recordings of this beloved diva continue...
Language
English
Description
From Cape Town to Kinshasa to Abidjan on the Ivory Coast, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, daughter of an African gospel singer, is Africa's undisputed disco queen. This program traces her career and details her meteoric rise to fame. Live performance footage highlights the influence of gospel music and the traditional African rhythms she weaves into her work.
Language
English
Description
The music in this program is a detonating blend of soul, disco, and Mbaqanga-a blend of pop and traditional rhythms-from music legend Brenda Fassie, niece of Nelson Mandela. Fassie talks about her childhood days as a singer with the Tiny Tots-a street-corner group with whom she often did imitations of American folk singer Roberta Flack. Later music, which she describes as "bubble-gum," made her a star. But it was her song written and dedicated to...