Welcome to the official website of Bakithi Kumalo
Over 100,000 visitor since 1/1/08!!!


99 cents Music Downloads

When to See and Hear Bakithi:

The Paul Simon Band Summer Tour - Europe - July - August (check Pollstar.com for tour dates)
Palmer Vineyards - Kumalo Band Concert - Sat, Aug 23 - 7 pm

INTERESTING IN BOOKING BAKITHI?  CLICK HERE

What Folks Say About Kumalo:


When Simon headed to South Africa to enlist a local band for his monumental 1986 album Graceland, the bassist, Bakithi Kumalo, was working as an auto mechanic.  In one of the most fortuitous discoveries in bass history, Kumalo would flourish on the session, playing fretless with a singular verve, that forever solidified his place among the greats.  Kumalo's playing on Graceland is so badass.
—Jonathan Herera, Bass Player Magazine

The album’s focal points include infectious vocal melodies (handled by Kumalo, his wife, Robbi), kaliedoscopic rhythms, and killer, percussion-driven grooves. It’s all held together by Kumalo’s articulate bass playing, which anchors the sometimes complex compositions and frequently pops with authority.
—Jim Ferguson, Jazz Times Magazine

Kumalo’s style draws on a broader range of influences from Latin to ambient. This diversity is perhaps unsurprising for a man whose session career has encompassed both Harry Belafonte and Laurie Anderson and Kumalo’s musicality has a universal appeal. With an autobiographical theme to most of the pieces, this is an excellent showcase for Kumalo’s talents. Anyone wishing to keep tabs on his other collaborative projects may care to check out the work he did with onetime Grateful Dead sticksman and ethnic percussion reasearcher/player par excellence Mickey Hart on the late Tupac Shakur’s movie Gang Related.
—Roger Thomas, Amazon.co.uk
 
Growing up during the Apartheid years, Bakithi Kumalo saw nothing in his future but music. As a child, he learned mbaqanga (a rhythm characteristic of Soweto), mbube (a cappella vocal music) and jive (electric, urban pop) on bass, drums and acoustic guitar. Mr. Kumalo uses his music to tell of his coming of age in South Africa.
—Barbara Delatiner, The New York Times

Kumalo came up through the township music scene. By the time Simon found him in Johannesburg, in 1984, Kumalo had paid his dues playing township soul, Zulu traditional pop, mbaqanga and other local styles. His work with the likes of Gloria Estefan, Randy Brecker, Laurie Anderson, and Cyndi Lauper...have given him a taste of mainstream success...a real shot at the sort of crossover audience so many African artists crave.
—Banning Eyre, The Boston Phoenix

Bakithi Kumalo, my bass player in Bembe Orisha, played with Planet Drum - is a monster player.
—Mickey Hart, mickeyhart.net