Deelee Dube - Invidious

Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on August 25, 1986. It is a groundbreaking and highly acclaimed work that fuses American pop and rock with South African musical styles such as mbaqanga and isicathamiya, created through collaborations with local musicians

Mbaqanga is a core pillar of the township jazz sound, and Zacks Nkosi is widely credited as its architect. While Isicathamiya is a distinct vocal tradition, it shares the same cultural roots that influenced these urban jazz styles

* The Blueprint: Zacks Nkosi (born Isaac Nkosi) is known as the "father of mbaqanga". He took the earlier Marabi piano style and the Kwela pennywhistle sound and fused them with American big band swing to create the "African Jazz" or "Township Jazz" blueprint.

* Distinct Style: Unlike the jazz-heavy mbaqanga, isicathamiya is strictly a cappella Zulu choral singing.

* Shared Roots: It developed among Zulu migrant workers in urban hostels and mines. While it is not "jazz," it incorporates Western choral harmonies—similar to how township jazz incorporates Western swing—to create a uniquely South African sound.
* Graceland Connection: Paul Simon utilized both styles: the rhythmic foundation of tracks like "You Can Call Me Al" is rooted in mbaqanga, while the harmonies on "Homeless" are pure isicathamiya.

While Zacks Nkosi is celebrated as the original architect of the township jazz "blueprint," the specific sound of the Graceland album is most directly credited to the musicians who collaborated with Paul Simon in the 1980s—most notably guitarist Ray Phiri and bassist Bakithi Kumalo.

The Architect vs. The Collaborators
* The Blueprint (Zacks Nkosi): Zacks Nkosi (the "father of mbaqanga") created the foundational urban African jazz sound in the 1950s and 60s. He fused earlier styles like Marabi and Kwela with Western swing, setting the stage for all future township music.
* The Graceland Sound (Ray Phiri): Paul Simon has explicitly referred to Ray Phiri as the "chief architect of the Graceland sound". Phiri's snaking, hypnotic guitar lines (heard on the title track and "Crazy Love, Vol. II") were the primary creative force that shaped Simon's melodies.
* The Rhythmic Engine (Bakithi Kumalo): Bassist Bakithi Kumalo is also considered a central architect of the album's identity. Simon noted that in this music, the melody was often dictated by the bass line rather than the guitar, making Kumalo's contributions—like the iconic solo in "You Can Call Me Al"—essential to the album's structure.

Direct Influences on the Album
The catalyst for the album was not a direct study of Zacks Nkosi’s early work, but a modern bootleg cassette titled "Gumboots: Accordion Jive Hits, Volume II".

* The Boyoyo Boys: This group performed the track "Gumboots" on that tape, which Simon eventually reworked for the album.
* General M.D. Shirinda: His work with the Gaza Sisters provided the bed for "I Know What I Know".
* Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Led by Joseph Shabalala, they were the architects of the a cappella isicathamiya harmonies that define "Homeless" and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes".
In summary, while Zacks Nkosi created the historical blueprint for the genres (mbaqanga and township jazz), the specific arrangements and "sound" that Paul Simon utilized were built by the 1980s session musicians who adapted those older traditions into the "Township Jive" of the era

That is an accurate summary. Zacks Nkosi is the historical architect who laid the foundation for the genres, but the Graceland sound was a 1980s evolution built by modern collaborators.