Trains to Taung

1997 studio album by Paul Hanmer

Trains to Taung

Studio album by

Paul Hanmer

Released| 1997
Genre| Jazz
Length| 109:45
Label| Sheer Sound
Producer| Andrew Smith
Paul Hanmer chronology
|  | Trains to Taung
(1997)  | Window to Elsewhere
(1998)

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Trains to Taung is the debut album by South African jazz pianist Paul Hanmer. The album combines jazz with African music.

## History

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A native of Cape Town, Hanmer said thoughts of identity influenced the creation of the album. He used marabi chords because "they are very simple, age-old blocks...a basic format for so much music that has come out of this country...in a way that, say, twelve-bar blues has become a format for so much music that comes out of America...the 12/8 groove—how slow it was—reminded me of a train. I thought of a train going back in time, to that place that marks how ancient is the African human heritage: Taung...the place where the Khoisan made the ancient elements of music, and the place where marabi came about is probably one and the same...it's an imagined space and time."[1] He recorded the album with Louis Mhlanga and Jethro Shasha, both from Zimbabwe.[2]

## Track listing

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1. "Meeting of the Women" – 5:07
2. "Consciencelessness" – 7:12
3. "Prop Hat" – 9:00
4. "Umhlangano" – 5:31
5. "Chef's Groove" – 9:20
6. "Trains to Taung" – 11:25
7. "Tempo Di Bhutto" – 4:55
8. "Slow Samba" – 8:07
9. "Meeting of the Women" (Reprise) – 9:04

## Personnel

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* Paul Hanmer – piano
* Louis Mhlanga – electric guitar
* Denis Lalouette – bass guitar
* André Abrahamse – fretless bass
* Jethro Shasha – drums
* Neill Ettridge – drums
* Basi Mahlasela – percussion

## References

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1. ^ Gwen Ansell (28 September 2005). Soweto Blues: Jazz, Popular Music, and Politics in South Africa. A&C Black. pp. 272–. ISBN 978-0-8264-1753-4. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
2. ^ "South African Jazz". World Music Network. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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