Today we have a guest post from Zimfest by Benn loxo listener, DJ Earball:

“Maybe we’re special here, maybe not. For all I know, other regions of the world also may have events as stunning as Zimfest (www.zimfest.org ), the annual Zimbabwean Music Festival that rotates around cities on the upper left-hand edge of North America. This year, it was here in Olympia, leaving me no excuse for not attending.

The festival is really a living tribute to Dumisani “Dumi” Maraire, a Zimbabwean player and teacher who was largely responsible for bringing mbira and marimba music to this region in the years he spent teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle. The festival began in 1991, and has continued growing even since Dumi passed on in 1999.

The 16th festival featured mbira, ngoma, and marimba players from the Northwest and beyond. Along with Olympia’s own Mukana Marimba, groups came from Texas, New Mexico, California, Colorado, British Columbia, Sweden…and yes, Zimbabwe. Watching the youthful members of Mzungo Marimba Band sing (in Shona, of course) and play and dance on a sun-drenched Friday afternoon was blissful, if a bit culturally jarring. But it was the festival’s finale concert two days later that sealed the deal. With alternating groups performing from different sides of the stage, it was a non-stop party from early evening until well after midnight. There were the locals: Hokoyo, a youth marimba group from Eugene, Oregon, and Nyamuziwa Marimba from Seattle. There was mbira ambassador Erica Azim (who runs mbira.org) playing solo and with two of her teachers, Cosmas Magaya and Beauler Dyoko. Those two elder mbira players also played a beautiful set together.

And then there were some Zimbabweans pushing traditional instruments in new directions. Fafi (a.k.a. 3 Percent) is a NYC-based DJ/rapper who incorporates mbira into his music. The song Wantchito is from a recently released EP and features 4Fathaz on mbira.

The four young Zimbabweans who make up Bongo Love manage to combine the sounds of mbira, marimba, and drums into a revelation of modern sound. Their festival-finale show had even the most sleep-deprived all-weekenders up dancing past midnight. The track Ekhya (Kogae) is from their album Afrocoustics.

Enjoy! And come visit me at SoundRoots.org for more music.”

Thanks for the music, Scott.

Bongo Love – Ekhya (Kogae)
Fafi – Wantchito

Veteran Benn loxo listener/writer, ubulujaja, is right in pointing out that we should all check-out The Green Arrows if we’re into the sounds of Mapfumo & co.

Zexie Manatsa and his band dominated the Zimbabwean charts from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Their first big hit was 1974′s Chipo Chiroorwa, which sold over 25 000 copies. That put it in the history books as the first ever Zimbabwean release to go gold. They were also the first Zimbabwean group ever to release an LP.

Unfortunately, Manatsa was in a car accident in the late 80s that destroyed all the band’s musical equipment. They never really got back on their feet. Like many former musical greats, Manatsa also lost his edge to the church. His new group, The Gospel Arrows, never really went anywhere. That said, the man can still rock his old stuff; he played a comeback gig in Harare in 2005 that apparently brought down the house. I’ll add that to the list of “concerts I should have attended”.

Today’s track comes off Samy Ben Redjeb of Analog Africa’s release of The Green Arrows recordings between 1974-1979. You can buy it on Amazon and, amazingly, it looks like iTunes carries the album as well.

Zexie Manatsa & The Green Arrows – Towering Inferno

Today we’ll hear a great tune from the 2006 re-issue of music by the 1970s Zimbabwean group, the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band. Thomas Mapfumo, who you must’ve heard before, was a notable member along with guitarist Joshua Hlomayi Dube.

The Hallelujah Chicken Run Band helped permanently change the sound of popular music in Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia. Their style, a mix of Western pop-rock with Zimbabwean traditional music, would develop into Mapfumo’s Chimurenga, the sound of the Zimbabwean struggle against apartheid. Though the mbira didn’t make it into the music until later, the staccato guitar and vocals emulated its sound. And they sung in Shona – a language generally opposed by the ruling white government at the time.

Several amusing legends surround the band. First, that they were founded in 1974 to amuse illiterate Malawi copper miners. (Not so true.) Second, that their saxophonist, Robson Boora, was struck by lightning. (Most likely true.)

The song I picked for today’s post, Kare Nanhasi, is about the rising price of commodities on the Zimbabwean market. This theme is as appropriate now as it was then – a corrupt and inefficient Zimbabwean government that let inflation rise to incredible levels. It’s worth noting that Mapfumo opposes the current Mugabe administration as much as he once opposed Smith’s apartheid government. He currently lives in Oregon, USA, in self-imposed exile.

You can grab it over at emusic. The Afrofrunk Music Forum and Candied Pop also have good posts about the album.

Hallelujah Chicken Run Band – Kare Nanhasi

Every one of the three Golden Afrique compilations is awesome. (Thanks, Network Medien.) All three of today’s tracks are awesome. Friday after work is awesome. This weather, even though it spells doom for my children, is awesome too.

The third in the Golden Afrique series was released last fall. It focuses on mid-20th century music from southern Africa. A lot of my favourites are in there. Sold-out at Stern’s with good reason, it’s just as strong as its predecessors. Thanks to Benn loxo listener, bullet-dodger and shiny brushed aluminum obsessor, Ben, I just got my hands on it.

If you were an early adopter you might have already listened to Tuku on Benn loxo. The Soul Brothers have played here before, too. Dolly Rathebe, however, is a new member of the club. She’s pictured on today’s post.

You can read more about Rathebe’s story here. I love that her name, Dolly, became South African slang for “okay”. Next time someone asks how you’re doing answer back, “I’m dolly.”

Soul Brothers – Bayeza
Oliver Mtukudzi – Rugare Rwamangwana
Dolly Rathebe – Kitty’s Blues

Guest post today from Benn loxo listener, Steve:

I must have listened to the South African group, TKZee, almost every weekend between 1999 and 2000 but never really thought about how great their music is. Almost everyone who has heard “Palafala”, their African club anthem from the start of the millennium, makes the mistake of thinking that TKZee is just another one-hit wonder. This is simply not the case: TKZee released five albums in the course of the groups’ lifetime. Among these is “Halloween”, the album that includes today’s tracks, “Bona Senzani” and “Dlala Mapantsula”.

The singing and infectious beat on “Bona Senzani” makes you want to get up, dance and really enjoy life. “Dlala Mapantsula” on the other hand is a tad more mellow, the kind of music you play when the party reaches its apogee and you need to keep the momentum going.

In late 1999, I got wind of rumors going around that TKZee would be headlining a concert in Harare where I had been sent to work on a client project. I kept an eye out for an announcement in the papers or on TV but it was not to be. By the time I left Zimbabwe in early 2000, the concert had yet to materialize.

I am still waiting and hoping to get a chance to see them perform.

Thanks for the music, Steve. Keep the guest contributions coming! You can check-out Steve’s web site on pre-1990s Kenyan music here.

TKZee – Bona Senzani
TKZee – Dlala Mapantsula

As a tip of the hat to one of my favourite audioblogs, today’s post is called “Gospel Friday”. I won’t go so far as to steal the Boogie; that’s all yours, Lee.

Machanic Manyeruke (and that’s not ‘Mechanic’ despite what Google tells you) has been singin’ the bible in Zimbabwe for over 30 years. His simple, happy style is perfect for a Friday afternoon. Electric guitar with no effects, the occasional female backup or a splash of organ, and lots of get-your-way-to-heaven vocals.

Today’s track is off the 1992 Flyish Fish release by Machanic Manyeruke and The Puritans.

Machanic Manyeruke – Kana Vatsvene Vopinda (When The Saints Go Marching In)

Andy Kershaw, a great BBC DJ with a thing for world music, once said this:

If heaven isn’t a lot like the Saratoga bar with The Four Brothers then I’m not going.

I’ve posted Thomas Mapfumo on this site, but he’s not the only one in his family with musical talent. His nephew, Marshall Munhumumwe, led The Four Brothers before from 1977 until his untimely death in 2001. They used to be the resident band at Harare’s Saratoga bar, and then during the late-80s and early 90s they steadily gained an international reputation.

While I don’t think their music is as strong overall as Mapfumo’s, their style is easier to dance to and a lot of fun. Their run was cut short but they were luckily able to record some music during their prime. Much of their best tracks can be found on Bros, re-released by Cooking Vinyl in 2003.

To date I haven’t had the good luck to work or travel in Zimbabwe, but I’ll get there one day. In the meantime I’ll have to be content with listening at a distance.

The Four Brothers – Zuro Chisara

Affectionately called “Tuku” by his followers, Oliver Mtukudzi is one of the most popular artists ever to come out of Zimbabwe. He plays a generally happy, light acoustic pop with some splashes of traditional elements mixed in. Some of his stuff is a little too light for me, but he has a few tracks that I particularly like, most notably Dzoka Uyamwe which I’ll post here today.

He started out his career with the band Wagon Wheels alongside future great Thomas Mapfumo. (Anyone have any Wagon Wheels they could trade, by the way?) Tuku has evolved into more of a pop and mbaqanga musician than Mapfumo, but there’s still a touch of chimurenga and mbira in there. Mostly he’s just about simple, flowing acoustic guitar with nice harmonies on the vocals sung in Shona.

Oliver Mtukudzi – Dzoka Uyamwe
Oliver Mtukudzi – Todii

Lately I’ve been on Zimbabwe kick if you haven’t noticed. While indulging in this latest craving I stumbled upon George Sibanda, arguably the first music star in sub-Saharan Africa. He was famous from South Africa to Kenya during the late 40s and early 50s. In newly industrialized African countries he spoke to labourers with his simple lyrics about common problems sung over folky, jangling acoustic guitar.

What’s really funny (or sad) about this “superstar” is that no one ever took his photo and no one is exactly sure when he was born or when we died. If you look at the liner notes of a recently released collection of his music you’ll find pictures of the things he sings about but none of the man himself.

George Sibanda plays really, really happy music. Cute, even. Despite all this happiness, however, he managed to drink himself to death by the late 50s (like any good music star). Before this unfortunate end he played innumerable gigs up and down southern Africa for cash and drinks. During his travels he bumped into Hugh Tracey, a white Rhodesian passionate about recording African musicians, and put down a bunch of tunes, two of which you’ll find below.

The Hugh Tracey recorded album I’m referring to, The Legendary George Sibanda, is highly recommended. It’s well produced and perfect for a Sunday hangover or a Wednesday-night poker match.

George Sibanda – Guabi Guabi
George Sibanda – Dali Ngiyakuthanda Bati Ha-Ha-Ha

The mbira isn’t just an instrument. For Zimbabweans it’s traditionally used in ceremonies to connect with their ancestors so that they can offer advice and guidance. It’s used in something like southern African trance music, a repetitive chiming over light percussion and sometimes a bit of chanting. Traditionally used by the Zezuru tribes of the Shona people, it has 22 to 28 keys mounted on a wood soundboard. The instrument is then placed in a gourd so that the sound can resonate.

Girls aren’t supposed to play mbira; it’s traditionally a guy-only deal in Zimbabwe. Women who pluck the metal with their thumbs are called “loose” and criticized or rejected by their community. Stella Chiweshe didn’t care. She was determined to “talk” mbira no matter what and went on to become the most well known player of the instrument outside the country.

Chiweshe first picked-up the mbira in 1964 and by 1974 had released a hit-single. She went on to record numerous singles and albums before leaving the trouble that is present-day Zimbabwe. She now lives in Germany where she still plays and records.

Today’s track is off her latest album, Talking Mbira, and is a good example of the simple, repetitive and beautiful sounds that you find in her music.

Stella Chiweshe – Huvhimi