Zap Mama

Despite lackluster attendance, and fairly poor acoustics (perhaps in part due to the lack of people to fill the hall and absorb sound), Zap Mama and Antibalas gave an excellent performance on a Thursday night in Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center.

As a fan of both groups, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the double-bill show. Their music is not really similar at all, and though you could imagine that the competent musicians in Antibalas could back a wide range of vocalists in different musical styles, it isn't really what they do. Afrobeat is what they do, right?

The two groups collaborated in a super way. Zap Mama opened the show a cappela, then added a bit of the Antibalas rhythm section for some light-duty accompaniment, and gradually the rest of the band took the stage to flesh out arrangements of songs that were increasingly the product of creative collaboration, as opposed to one band simply playing the other's music.

After playing a rhythmically-modified version of African Sunset from the album "seven", Zap Mama and her ladies left the stage to allow Antibalas to play some of their own music, such as "Dirty Money."

Antibalas created some incredibly tight and body-stimulating grooves. They were definitely in the pocket on this night, and the trombonist in particular played his solos with a passion and vengeance that made me think it was a shame there were so few fans there to experience the spectacle.

Zap Mama rejoined the band after a while, and after another song or two flicked her high heels off, and at that point her dancing became even more vibrant and booty-accentuated.

In summary, the musicians could not be faulted this night as they gave it their all for a disappointingly small audience. I expected more from a premiere venue like the Straz as far as sound goes. Mixing this kind of music in a large empty hall is certainly a challenge, but I think the sound engineers could have done better.

An artist as eclectic and challenging as Zap Mama was never really going to have an average live show. Zap Mama manages to bring her unique fusion of Afro-pop, Hip-Hop and RnB to the stage in a way that’s just as creative and engaging as the music itself.
The true focus of the set is always on the voice. Operating on her belief that the voice is an instrument like any other, Zap Mama utilises an ensemble of female singers to create a unique polyphonic experience. With the singers front and centre, they lead the performance, dancing and harmonizing over the funky backdrop the live band provide. The singers do not hold back as they dominate the performance, swooping through the full capabilities of the human voice, taking the crowd up for the shrieking highs and down low with spoken words.
Overall a Zap Mama show is a celebration of the human voice, a showcase of what Zap Mama calls the most soulful instrument. And when you hear what these ladies are capable of, its hard to disagree.