Paul Simon Welcomes Special Guests “Under African Skies” in Brooklyn

Nobody expected Paul Simon to release the best album of his career in 1986. Up until that point his only projects of the decade had been a disastrous movie (One Trick Pony), a cash-in oldies tour with Art Garfunkel and two poorly received studio albums (the soundtrack to One Trick Pony and 1983’s Hearts and Bones). When he headed down to Apartheid-era South Africa to record Graceland with local musicians he was called both a cultural imperialist and a political scoundrel for violating the boycott. When people actually heard the album — which combined American pop with Isicathamiya (South African a cappella) — it became abundantly clear that Simon had brilliantly bridged the cultures and taken a musical quantum leap forward. (Check out more photos from Paul Simon’s “Under African Skies” concert.) He hasn’t been able to duplicate its commercial success or creativity in the years since (though he came close with 1991’s Latin America-infused Rhythm of the Saints). These two albums were celebrated by Simon and guests on Saturday night, the fourth of a five night Under African Skies concert series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It’s the second of three-part, month-long residency at the theater called Love In Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon. The first part revived Simon’s 1998 Broadway musical The Capeman and it concludes next week with American Tunes, which honors his non-world music catalog. Much of the Graceland touring band was back for the concert, as well as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, South African folk singer Vusi Mahlasela, Cameroon vocalist Kaissa, Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. Simon was onstage for much of the night, though he was often content to strum his guitar on the side of the stage and let other performers take the mic. Mahlesela sang a powerful version of “The Boy In The Bubble” backed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who later pla
	Published: 2008-04-14 Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News, Live Shows, Paul Simon