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 Reggae had been replaced by roots, Zimbabwean roots.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.

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.

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!

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.