Indigenous and western music is fused to create innovative and exciting sounds by the Mzantsi Traditional Orchestra, using instruments from both traditions.

An orchestra member playing the Uhadi

FEEL like some different grooves to listen to, maybe something that takes you back to the distant past? Then you're ready for Ancestral Grooves.

The Mzantsi Traditional Orchestra takes some of Africa's almost extinct instruments and combines them with western instruments to create a unique sound, a sound that stirs primeval feelings in the listener. The show will have a short run in Sandton in May.

The 10-member orchestra was launched in 2003, playing at the opening of Nelson Mandela Bridge in Newtown in that same year. In 2004, it played with the Drum Café's Drumstruck at the Market Theatre, with 40 choristers and 40 instrumentalists performing to a standing ovation.

Wendeen Lipschitz, the managing director of the orchestra, says of the show, "Our goal was to create vibrant music incorporating indigenous music in modern sounds."

This is done by combining western instruments like the guitar, cello, saxophone, pennywhistle and drums, with reed pipes, kudu horns, marimbas, mbiras, and string instruments called umakweyanas and uhadis.

Playing the kudu horns is not easy

"This music is cutting-edge, modern, relevant and exciting," says Laurie Levine, the director of the production, and a singer and songwriter. She recently wrote the book Traditional Music of South Africa

While researching indigenous music for her book, Levine discovered that there are only a handful of musicians who have produced fused indigenous and western music. "This music has not been explored before."

She says that traditional music has had to be adapted to include western music. The work of five composers will be played in Ancestral Grooves: Anthony Caplan, Ross Johnson, Pops Mahomed, George Mxadana, and Neill Solomon. Some of the composers have helped with the arrangements of their songs.

Caplan, Johnston, Levine and Mxadana will be guest artists on the show.

"We have tried as much as possible to include all indigenous instruments," says Mxadana. Those that didn't make it into the show this time will be incorporated in future performances.

Drums and cello blend perfectly in Ancestral Grooves

All the musicians play more than one instrument, says Levine, and Mxadana has done the vocal training of the group, which is singing for the first time.

Levine says there have been several challenges in playing these instruments, some of which are fragile and need to be handled with care. Others have only one key and therefore the numbers have had to be carefully planned. In addition, African tuning systems are hard to adapt, further putting pressure on the arrangements.

Their sounds are also softer than western instruments, again requiring adaptation of western instruments. "Learning these instruments has been intense and challenging for the musicians."

The repertoire will consist of iconic African and western songs, with new and old compositions.

Ancestral Grooves is on at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square in Sandton from 20 to 24 May, with a lunch-time show on Saturday. Tickets are R100 and are available from Computicket on 083 915 8000 or 011 340 8000, or through the Computicket website.

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