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{{Short description|South African music group}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Tananas
| background      = group_or_band
| alias           =
| origin          = [[South Africa]]
| years_active    = 1987–1993
| genre           = [[Jazz-fusion]]
| label           = [[Gallo Record Company|Gallo]], [[Sony]]
| associated_acts =
| website             =
| current_members = [[Steve Newman (musician)|Steve Newman]]<br />[[Gito Baloi]]<br> [[Ian Herman (drummer)|Ian Herman]]
| past_members    =
}}
'''Tananas''' (pronounced ''tuh-naa-nuhs'') is a [[South Africa|South African]] band formed in 1987. Originally it consisted of [[Gito Baloi]] (bass and vocals), Ian Herman (drums and percussion) and [[Steve Newman (musician)|Steve Newman]] (acoustic guitar).<ref>{{cite web | title =Tananas: Biography | work = VH1.com Urge Music Downloads | publisher = All Media Guide, LLC | year = 2005 | url = http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/tananas/artist.jhtml | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040510011331/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/tananas/artist.jhtml | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 10, 2004 | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref> First recorded by the independent label [[Shifty Records]],<ref>{{cite web | last = Makurube | first = Peter | title = Tananas together again | work = ZA@play | publisher = Daily Mail&Guardian | date = July 2, 1998 | url = http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/music/9807/980702-tananas.html | accessdate =  2007-06-07 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311165000/http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/music/9807/980702-tananas.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-11}}</ref> Tananas combined jazz, Mozambican salsa and township jive (or [[mbaqanga]]). They released eight albums, the last two on the Sony label.
Tananas built a loyal following in their home country from the late 1980s, and performed at [[WOMAD]] festivals around the world. They worked individually or as a band with [[Paul Simon]] and [[Sting (musician)|Sting]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Tananas (South Africa) | work = South African Music | publisher = music.org.za | url =http://www.music.org.za/Artist.asp?ID=153 | accessdate = 2007-06-07 }}</ref> and shared stages with the likes of [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Suzanne Vega]] and [[Youssou N'dour]].<ref>{{cite web | title = issue 66| work = SA Rock Digest | year = 2000 | url =http://www.sarockdigest.com/archives/issue_66.html | accessdate = 2007-06-07}}</ref>
The band broke up in 1993 but reunited for some performances until Gito was shot dead in Johannesburg on April 4, 2004 while on his way home from a concert in Pretoria.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3600593.stm|title=South Africa music star shot dead|date=5 April 2004}}</ref> He was 39 years old.
== Musical style ==
Tananas were originally an essentially instrumental band allied to jazz but including folk elements and an unmistakably African set of sounds. The group's latter stage recordings included more vocals by singer and bass player [[Gito Baloi]], who sang in [[Shangaan]], [[Tsonga language|Tsonga]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. At first glance, their music cannot be identified as typically [[Music of South Africa|South African]], as they experimented with a wide variety of styles and merged them into their own unique blend.<ref>{{cite web | title =Tananas: MTV| work = MTV.com| year = 2015 | url = http://www.mtv.com/artists/tananas/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151224120849/http://www.mtv.com/artists/tananas/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 24, 2015 | accessdate = December 22, 2015}}</ref> Tananas released their first self-titled album in 1988 on [[Shifty Records]]. The album mixed different styles such as [[jazz]], [[Salsa music|Mozambican salsa]] and [[township jive]], which had not been manifest before and took the country by storm.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=1137 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030913091310/http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=1137 |archive-date=2003-09-13 |title=World Music Central - Your connection to World Music}}</ref>
== Members ==
*[[Steve Newman (musician)|Steve Newman]], [[guitar]]
*[[Gito Baloi]], bass and vocals
*[[Ian Herman (drummer)|Ian Herman]], drums and percussion
== Discography ==
*''Tananas'' – 1988
*''Spiral'' – 1990
*''Time'' – 1992
*''Orchestra Mundo'' – 1994
*''Unamunacua'' – 1996
*''The Collection'' – 1997
*''Seed'' – 1999
*''Alive in Jo'burg'' – 2001
==References==
<references />
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:South African jazz ensembles]]