Mzansi

For his latest release, South African flautist Wouter Kellerman offers up a blend of music from around the world – featuring everything from Celtic hornpipes and beatboxing to traditional Senegalese songs and jazz. Does Mzansi then manage to keep itself away from the depths of New Age, wishy-washy ‘world fusion’? Not really, but there are a few good tracks that stand out among the otherwise generic babel.

‘Khokho’ uses some percussive flute sounds and beatboxing to create a Bobby McFerrin-esque tune. The opener, ‘African Hornpipes’, works surprisingly well as a blend of deep African voices and tinny fife, and the final track, ‘Miniamba’, is a lovely homage to West African music. However, the rest of the album loses itself in the attempt to check off a shopping list of influences. The reggae of ‘Mama Tembu’ sounds far too tempered to shine by the addition of fife, and the ballad ‘Cape Flats’ is straight-up muzak, more suited to a waiting room than a decent fusion album. Overall, this is a pleasant album that would interest any flute lovers out there. The rest may care to look for their African fusion elsewhere.