Mumble

The record I would like to share with you in this post has been in my possession for quite a few decades. I can't even remember where and when I bought it. But listening to it again, years later, all of a sudden the penny dropped.
This happens occasionally, and it usually leaves me wondering why the penny was stuck in the first place. Maybe it has to do with maturity and the patience (never one of my key features..) that is said to come with it. Or maybe it has to do with the relative quality of the recording: the bigger the pile of disappointing (or downright crap) new releases, the better the chances for the former 'mediocre' recordings. In this case I suspect it may have to do with never getting beyond the first track, combined with my generic impatience.

A big mistake, I admit it.
For this is a special lp. The artists are probably from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and have - as far as I am aware - never gained any renown outside of their region. The Kwana-Moto Band is led by Alport Astazio, and the latter is also responsible as composer or arranger for the twelve songs on this album. The principal instrument of the group is - as the cover suggests - the marimba. The marimba skills of the group are particularly evident from the tracks "Odoli"(b2) and "Gweru" (b4), if you ask me.

The two final tracks of each side demonstrate that the repertoire of the group is somewhat wider. Both songs are of the kind that take some getting used to. "Intandane (Orphans)", clearly a sad theme, starts off with an acoustic guitar, a flute and a female singer, but when a man has repeated the lines of the woman a mbira joins in and the songs changes in character. Strangely it fades out when one would expect a lot more... The second non-marimba song, "Urombo (Poverty)", is a more typical instrumental mbira tune.

The songs which make this album really special are the songs with lyrics. These lyrics are mainly spoken and not sung, or perhaps I should say they are mumbled. Because they are drowned out by the instruments. In "Kwira Mungoro [Get Into The Cart]" the argument between the woman and the man is still audible, and in "Ranchera" the instruments quieten to allow the singing to be heard, but in "Lobengula" (my favourite song of the album) all that remains are the mutterings of a man about his experiences in the big city.

Please listen to the album a few times, it may grow on you.

Inter Africa Records 1ALP9

Chimurenga master

I have followed Thomas Mapfumo since the mid-1980s. If I am not mistaken he and his band, The Blacks Unlimited, first performed in this country in 1984. In 1986 I saw him - and talked to him extensively - both in Angoulême, where he was performing at the Festival de Jazz et Musiques Métisses, and in Amsterdam. I may post parts of the concert (part of Oko Drammeh's legendary African Feeling series) at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, at a later date. The meetings with Thomas on both occasions were very memorable, for different reasons. But, as I wrote, I may come to those in a future post.

This post is actually of a concert 4 years later. Thomas and the band had not toured Europe for a few years. There had been some changes, particularly in the musical direction of the band. Reggae had been replaced by roots, Zimbabwean roots. Chartwell Dutiro, for example, was playing mbira instead of sax. In 1989 Mapfumo had released songs in which he criticised Mugabe, who two years earlier had abolished the office of prime-minister to become president. A song "Corruption" was even banned in Zimbabwe, and both Mapfumo and his band were targeted by circles around the presidency. The harassments finally led to Mapfumo leaving the country at the end of the 1990s. He now lives in the US.

In my opinion 1989 and 1990 were musically two of the most interesting years in Mapfumo's career. In 1989 he released the album "Varombo Kuvarombo", the first second (¹) on his own Chimurenga Music label (part of Gramma). This was reissued a year later by Mango Records as "Corruption", - and now with the (title) song which had been banned in Zimbabwe. Besides this it featured epic songs like "Moyo Wangu" (you may have seen the fantastic live version on YouTube).
The second third album, "Chamunorwa", was even more memorable, with six songs clearly inspired by Zimbabwean traditional mbira music.

These two albums formed the basis of the repertoire which Thomas used for his European tour of 1990. The songs I would like to share with you in this post are from his concert at the Melkweg in Amsterdam during the World Roots Festival (programme) on June 28. A few weeks later he performed at the African Music Festival in Delft, where I managed to talk to him for a short while in a very crowded dressing room. You can hear a short part of that interview after Aboubacar Siddikh's YouTube version of the Melkweg concert, - which by the way includes photos taken (by AS) during a concert a few years later.


The concert featured some remarkable versions of songs which had been recently released on lp. The concert started with fantastic instrumental versions of the - now - classic "Chitima Nditakure" and "Hwahwa".
You may recognise the guitarist as Ashton "Sugar" Chiweshe, who is the star of those videos on Youtube I mentioned above. I particularly like his version of "Nyoka Musango"; his guitar adds a unique twist to this version. "Moyo Wangu" however falls short of the video version.
Remarkable too is the vocal version of "Chitima Nditakure", which unfortunately breaks off. I don't remember if Thomas saved the lyrics for a later part of the song which was not recorded. In any case, the result is certainly a strange version of the song, almost 'dub' like...

The next song (the first on the B-side of the cassette) is again an instrumental; this time a version of "Chamunorwa". This is followed by a song which I have so far been unable to trace. I have gone through my whole collection of Mukanya masterpieces, but have not been able to find another version of this song. An astonishing minimalistic, purely traditional song, - with Thomas dancing and digging deep to evoke the spirits.... I advise you to listen to this a few times; it will grow on you.

The following "Handina Munyama" (from "Varombo Kuvarombo"/"Corruption") was obviously meant to balance the mood. It does so and levels things out for two new songs, which were - certainly in the Netherlands - only available on record the next year. Both "Dangu-Rangu" and "Svere-Ngoma" were released on Mapfumo's third album on Chimurenga Music: "Chimurenga Master Piece" (TML 103). The songs are based on traditionals, but - as Thomas would stress during the interview in August - with the modern mixed in.
Unfortunately of the last song only the first few seconds have been recorded.

Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited at the World Roots Festival (Melkweg, Amsterdam / June 28, 1990)

As a bonus I am adding this energetic video (clip) of the song "Vanhu Vatema" (1993), recorded from Zimbabwean television a year later. The images are clearly taken from the videos I posted earlier, but the editing of this clip is quite good.



EDIT January 19, 2013: The mystery track (track 9) has been identified as "Shanje". No wonder I couldn't find it, as it has only been released on one of the few albums I do not have ("Chimurenga Varieties" - TML 106), - and 4 years after this concert.
Furthermore track 8 is an instrumental version of "Muchadura", which also was released on "Varombo Kuvarombo"/"Corruption". Both Aboubacar Siddikh and myself were torn between "Chamunorwa" and "Muchadura"; and all things considered it could have been either.....
I have corrected this and have re-uploaded the songs.

(¹): correction: the first was "Zimbabwe-Mozambique" (TML 100) in 1988.

Thumb piano

One of my resolutions for the new year is to post more traditional music. I am well aware that the distinction between modern and so-called 'traditional' music is at times not as clear as it may seem. A lot of modern music is at the very least inspired by themes, topic and tunes handed over from one generation to another, - or in other words by tradition.

So to start off the year I would like to share with you this cassette which I bought years and years ago in the early 1980s, - and long before these historic recordings made by Hugh Tracey between 1948 and 1963 were remastered and digitised. Although some, most, or possibly all (sorting this out is complicated by the fact that some of the titles have been changed - see my first attempt here*) of these recordings are probably available on cd, I still feel there is a case for posting this cassette. For I would like to put it to you that the sound of this cassette is in most cases better, or preferable if you like, to that of the cd's. Listen and compare...

The production of this cassette betrayes the pure amateur love for the music by the people at Folktracks (who don't seem in any way related to Folkways), with pre-computer printing and tightly folded, but extensive sleeve notes. From the archives of the International Library of African Music (ILAM) they have compiled 20 songs featuring the mbira, or sanza, or likembe, or thumb piano. The artists in these recordings have been fully credited. And there are some legends among these. Like Zimbabwean mbira legend Simon Mashoko ("Saimoni Mashoko" in the notes - photo on left). For others these recordings are possibly the only ones that were ever made of them.

I particularly like the tracks by Ngaina Lolo (A2 - love the resonance), the one by Simon Sitale (A8 - the mbira like a blanket for cold ears), the storybook-like "Kemai" by Kayoka Ladislas & Beya Marcel (A10), the very Zimbabwean sounding track by Baranganani Mudzanani from South Africa (B3) and the soulful song for the chief by Chabarwa Musanda Mayo Sinyoro** (B4).

Folktracks AFR-45-802 (new link May 3, 2012)

* And please feel free to suggest additions.
** one person or two?

Marehwarehwa (repost)

This is really the video that started my research into the (im)possibilities of sharing longer (than just under 11 minutes) videos.
Another (and for now the last) of the reposts. In this case of Thomas Mapfumo's "Marehwarehwa" (originally posted here).
The full 24+ minute track is split into 5 RAR files, plus a zip file with PAR's.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
PAR's



EDIT: I don't mind it others use my posts, but would appreciate it - as a matter of common decency and respect - if they would at least inform me of this use. As they haven't, I feel free to re-use their efforts. In this case I am referring to the re-use of the video shared in this post by symbolkid on the Black Man Land blog.

Thomas Mapfumo - Marehwarehwa (1994) from symbolkid on Vimeo.

Marxist

Unless they are ingeniously trying to get to a socialist utopia via the great Kladderadatsch*, the labelling of the Zimbabwean regime as 'marxist' seems somewhat outdated. What started as a struggle for freedom, independence and 'justice for all', has evolved into oppression, depression and misery. Hopes and ideals have faded into desillusion and despair.

Such ideals have certainly played a part in the life of Simon Chimbetu. Having been active in the struggle in the 1970s (although not as a fighter), he turned to a career in music after independence had been won. In the late 1970s he and his brother Naison had been performing with John Chibadura's Sungura Boys. In the revolutionary vigour that came with independance they founded their own band and named it the Marxist Brothers.
Like other Zimbabwean artists the liberation struggle had shaped Simon's view of life. I gather that many of his songs have politically 'coloured' themes, - although others prefer to think this was only a matter of perception.
He went through a very dark period in the late 1980s/early 1990s. After he and his brother had split up in 1988, the following year he was sentenced to four years imprisonment for his involvement in the theft of a car. While in prison, his wife left him.
He managed to bounce back, however, and he continued his musical career with his new band, the Dendera Kings, named (according to this article) "after the Mozambican camp which the Chimbetu brothers called home during the revolutionary struggle against white settlers in the 1970s".

Dendera was also the name of the farm which the Chimbetu brothers obtained in 2000. They were on the receiving end of ZANU-PF's land reform, which caused so much controversy both in and outside Zimbabwe. Simon was again under attack a few years later, when it was reported that he wasn't paying his farm workers. In general, his support and defense of Mugabe's policies gradually led to Chimbetu falling out of sync with his audience.
Simon Chimbetu died under somewhat mysterious circumstances at the age of 49 on August 14, 2005, in Harare.

A more indepth study of his lyrics can be found in this study, and a rather chaotic entry in the wikipedia can be found here.

As an illustration of his work I am including two albums: the Marxist Brothers's first album "Mwana weDangwe" from 1983 and the cassette version of the 1995 album "Karikoga".

"Mwana weDangwe" 1983
"Karikoga" 1995

*I'm afraid I can't point you in the direction of an explanation of this bit of Marxíst theory. I have found no useful link...

EDIT June 11, 2013: The links to the cassettes have been updated.

Deep Horizon

Here is one of those rapid posts.

This cassette of Jonah Sithole and his band The Deep Horizon was given to me by the artist himself, when he visited Amsterdam in 1996, a year before his sad demise (see my earlier post).
I don't wish to sound stubborn, but despite efforts by others to push this great artist into the mist of oblivion, to me Jonah is still one of the Greats of Zimbabwean music. Not just the man himself, but Thomas Mapfumo too has pointed to him as the 'inventor' of mbira-guitar in the Chimurenga music of the Blacks Unlimited. And who am I to argue with 'the horse's mouth'?

This wonderful cassette by Jonah's own band was recorded in the mid-1990s, and has - as far as I know - never had a global distribution.

L4 RTLP 115 or L4 RTLP 115

More Jonah to follow in a later post....

The Mapfumo's

A few months have passed since I posted music by Thomas Mapfumo. There was some discussion about the choruses in "Marehwarehwa", and even suggestions that the singing is off-key. Comments on "Moyo Wangu" focused mostly on guitarist Ashton 'Sugar' Chiweshe, and the reasons Thomas Mapfumo had for sacking him. And in the first part of a series on the partnership between Thomas Mapfumo and the inventor of the mbira style guitar*, Jonah Sithole, you could hear the late guitar master talking about his early career with Thomas.

This is more of an intermediate post, with two 45s. Or to more precise two remarkable maxi-singles. Both feature Thomas Mapfumo with Jonah Sithole.

The first was recorded in London in 1985, and contains three tracks. The track on the A-side is a remix of a track recorded for the album "Chimurenga for Justice", but far more noteworthy are the two tracks on the B-side: versions of "Pidigori" and "Hwahwa", recorded in one take at Capital Radio. I have posted the last track before, but I am sure there is no harm in posting it again...

Both these tracks are kicked off Jonah in his typical understated guitar style, and vocally Thomas is in great shape. But I would like to draw your attention to the conga playing and the handclapping in these tracks. Handclapping is very much a part of traditional Shona music, and the conga is the modern replacement of the traditional ngoma drum. I assume Thomas' brother, Lancelot Mapfumo, is playing the conga, and Thomas is doing the clapping. Both are brilliant.

But on the B-side of the second single, "Guruwe", released in Zimbabwe a few years later (probably in 1989 or 1990) on Thomas's own label and also featuring Jonah on guitar, I suspect Lancelot is doing the handclapping. I have seen him doing it lots of times during concerts, and have watched him several times with great attention, and I have come to the conclusion that the man has taken handclapping to another, higher level. Clapping as an art form....

RTT 190
TM 02

*and I am quoting both Jonah and Thomas!

Mbira singles

Although I like all kinds of music from Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean music that - to me - really reaches the parts other can't is mostly traditional. I have a soft spot for the mbira.
This soft spot has only increased in size since seeing Hakurotwe Mude and his Mhuri Yekwa Rwizi ensemble perform (in 1994). I had been a fan of his since I had heard him on Shona Mbira Music and The Soul of Mbira (this album, originally released in 1973, is a must for any serious music lover), but live he was even more impressive and profound. Unfortunately most of the later records don't succeed in conveying the essence of this spirit music. This is understandable. The ancestors are not likely to communicate in the profane surroundings of a studio.

That's why I was surprised when I heard this cassette entitled "Mbira Singles Collection". It is a very nice collection of 16 tracks by 7 (or 8*) younger mbira groups. Most only use traditional instruments (mbira and hosho), but one (Nyadzonya Mbira Sounds) allows itself the use of a drumkit. There are versions of traditionals like "Nyamaropa", "Pidigori" (made famous by Thomas Mapfumo), and of "Hwahwa" (called "Ngoto Yakaipa" on this collection).

Over the (ten) years that I've had this cassette favourites have varied. That's usually a sign of a very durable collection...

MJCHZ 827 or (MF) here

* track A8 appears to be by two groups.

Shangara

Some even claim that Joshua Dube was the first to adapt mbira music for the electric guitar, but I seriously doubt this. And I base this doubt on the musical evidence, and on the words of both Thomas Mapfumo and Jonah Sithole.

It doesn't mean, however, that Joshua Dube was not a great guitarist. As you can hear from this cassette from 1993, which he himself gave to me in 1996, when both he and Jonah Sithole were playing with the Blacks Unlimited.

Unfortunately Joshua died in 2001, at the relatively young age of 49.

CC Shangara 001

More Mukanya

A slightly different version -than on the CD "Live At El Rey"- of "Marehwarehwa", with some great dancing by both Thomas Mapfumo and the backing chorus. Unfortunately cut in three (because of the length).

Watch this clip for a few times and it will stick in your mind forever....

Chimurenga

This is the first of a series of posts about a partnership that played a critical role in the development of African music, and more particularly Zimbabwean music: Jonah Sithole and Thomas Mapfumo.

In this first part the focus is on Jonah Sithole, the man who 'invented' the mbira style guitar playing.
Here are excerpts of an interview with Jonah, recorded March 16, 1996 in Amsterdam. Jonah passed away in Zimbabwe a year later. The other musician present is the -unfortunately also late- Alan Mwale. Between the excerpts are 'related' tracks.

• about his youth (1954 - 1971)
• Lipopo Jazz, Great Sounds and other bands (1971-1975)
• meeting Thomas / the origin of the mbira guitar (1975-1977)
• Sabuku (first single, 1977)
• about Sabuku
• about the mbira guitar style
• Kuyaura (1979)
• bonus track: Hwahwa (1985)

A zip combining the 8 tracks cab be found here.

By the way: here you can find another version of "Moyo Wangu", with an explanation by Mukanya himself.
And here is an interview by Banning Eyre with Jonah Sithole.

PS: The links have been renewed on August 18, 2012.

Mukanya back to Zimbabwe?

Rumours have it that Thomas Mapfumo may return to Zimbabwe. It seems unlikely that he will go back to live there, as he hasn't been on friendly terms with the president for a long while.
Mapfumo a.k.a. 'Mukanya' has been living in the States for more than a few years now. Musically this doesn't seem to have done him a lot of good, if the disappointing album production is anything to go by.

This video is from a concert in 1994 aired by ZBC.

No Jonah Sithole on this, unfortunately, but still very enjoyable.