Makgona Tsohle Band – Makgona Tsohle Reggi (Umsakazo Records, 2020)
In the lexicon of South African music, few names carry the sheer weight of legacy as profoundly as the Makgona Tsohle Band, a phrase that translates, almost prophetically, to The Band That Can Do Anything. And indeed, they did. Amidst the oppressive strictures of apartheid, they not only survived but thrived, shaping the music of an era and leaving a blueprint that still reverberates across genres and generations.
Originally issued in May 1970 and re-released in 2020 by Umsakazo Records, Makgona Tsohle Reggi is a vivid snapshot of musical cosmopolitanism, a document that chronicles how a group of studio virtuosos forged a deeply local yet unmistakably global sound. Drawing on mbaqanga, kwela, sax jive, soul, ska, and Jamaican rocksteady, this album confirms what fans and scholars alike have long asserted: Makgona Tsohle Band was a hit maker.
Indeed, what’s immediately striking upon revisiting Reggi is the stylistic breadth contained within its compact runtime. Songs like “Two Mabone” pulsate with that irresistible township groove, call it mbaqanga if you must, but this is a music that sidesteps easy classification.
Moreover, it’s essential to acknowledge the band’s pivotal role in the development of mbaqanga not just as a genre, but as an aesthetic, a shared musical vocabulary that extended beyond township borders and entered the global conversation. As session musicians at Gallo Records, they underpinned countless classics, including work with Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, and contributed to a body of work whose impact rivals that of Motown’s Funk Brothers or Stax’s house band. And yet, their own recordings, such as Reggi, stand tall in their own right, brimming with invention and joy.
For anyone invested in the global story of rhythm and resistance, this album remains essential listening.
Author: Tyler Bennet
