Nico Carstens and His Orchestra

Artist: Nico Carstens and His Orchestra

LP: Authentic South African Boeremusiek

Song: "So-Lank As Die Rietjie In Die Water Le"
("As Long As There's Water In the Deep Blue Sea")

[ listen ] 
Song: "Zulu Warrior"

[ listen ]

I don't know about you, but nothing grates on my nerves more than the sound of inauthentic South African Boeremusiek. So you can imagine my delight upon finding this 1957 Nico Carstens LP that features the real thing. Nico, who was born to Dutch parents in Cape Town, South Africa, was only thirteen years old when he started winning accordion competitions mere months after receiving his first instrument. A few years later he began writing the first of many songs that incorporate the wide variety of cultures that are found in his home country. This Capitol release features instrumental tracks as well as songs with vocals, so I've posted one of each. That's 32-year-old Jimmy Rayson's hearty voice you hear on "Zulu Warrior." Read more about Nico Carstens here and in the liner notes below, and see the crazy list of LPs (74 of them!) Carstens made for Columbia Records on his discography page here.

[ Nico Carstens, dressed accordiongly ]