All in One - a music review

Another rich sonorous evening spent a few weeks ago at Cape Town’s avant-guard  Fugard Theater was the All in One concert of maestros, Steve Newman with his four guitars; Errol Dyers playing his usual Capey guitar but also harmonica, traditional bow, and flute (!);  and multi-instrumentalist Hilton Schilder on piano, bow, and mouth piano. Poly-rhythms emanated from this eclectic trio: songs from Mozambique, South Africa, Caribbean, West Africa, Malay, Argentina, and Ghoema.  There was the delightful tango played on the mouth piano; Ghoema traditional; a Canary Island ballad; a Newman Tananas special including tribute to the late fellow guitarist Gito Baloi; an Errol guitar solo; a Ghoema ode to Pollsmor prisoners; a Hilton piano solo;  a trans Karoo Express song with Errol on harmonica, Newman’s four guitars, and Hilton’s vocals as bass with box percussion and shakers. Cultural history of the Cape featured highly this evening – with ‘Abolished Act’ – and ode to the purchase and killing of KhoiSan who hid away.  Another bow song followed about the violence around the mountain we don’t hear.  Lastly, the “Back Yard Strummers” with all three performers  humming their guitars in a gleeful crescendo for the evening!