It's quite likely most Western ears became familiar with the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (right) through their involvement on Paul Simon's 1986 Graceland album. Its success attracted many thousands of fans who hadn't known the subtleties of Zulu harmony could be so captivating. A reasonably accurate description of the long-running Mambazo clan (they were founded in 1960) is the vocal ability to follow choruses of thundering intensity with split-second changes into passages of delicate intimacy. Which is nice. Ladysmith Black Mambazo's philosophy - preservation through education - can be witnessed when they play Dublin's Olympia Theatre on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
