For more than three decades, the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been just as much about physicality and choreography as it has been about brilliant vocal harmonies. For this GRAMMY winning a cappella group that merges South African music and dance traditions with Christian messages of compassion, love and global harmony, the music alone is only half the story. Simply put, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has to be seen to be understood.

Catch a visual glimpse of these icons of South African music and dance with Live! Recorded in Akron, Ohio, in 2008, the set captures not only fourteen songs performed on the stage of EJ Thomas Hall at the University of Akron, but also forty minutes of in-depth interviews with the founder, leader and musical director Joseph Shabalala and other members of the group.

Shabalala, a South African farmboy turned factory worker, first began gathering talented vocalists and arranging multi-layered and tightly woven harmonies in the early 1960s. After a series of records throughout the '70s and early '80s, the group rocketed to international fame in 1986 with their appearance on Paul Simon's landmark recording, Graceland.

The thematic elements in Mambazo's music that appeal to South Africans, says Shabalala, are the same elements that appeal to a universal audience in all parts of the globe. In that sense, the group has come to be recognized as South Africa's musical ambassadors to the world.

Track Listing:

1. Nomathemba
   
2. This Is The Way We Do
   
3. Long Walk To Freedom
   
4. Hello My Baby
   
5. Nginethemba
   
6. Thulanhliziyo
   
7. Makoti
   
8. Rain Rain Beautiful Rain
   
9. Homeless
   
10. Wentomb'unecala
    

Encore:

• Shosholoza
  
• Amazing Grace/Nearer My God To Thee