Mannenberg to host Luck Street Blues
Dave Ndoro of Luck Street Blues on The Mannenberg stage (Picture: C Hoppe)
On Thursday 11 September, The Mannenberg Jazz Club once again welcomes the veteran jazz & blues group LUCK ST BLUES, from 10pm. After a short break from the Fife Avenue venue, the group is back on the 11th to claim their jazz space, and deliver a great repertoire of old and new jazz classics, African specials, and of course, The Blues.
Jazz has a fascinating history in Zimbabwe. Louis Armstrong visited in 1960 and performed before the first desegregated audience in then “Rhodesia”.
Afterwards he produced a world-wide hit of Augustine Musarurwa’s now famous song “Skokiaan”.
Zimbabwe itself has had a profound influence on “African jazz” with such luminaries as Dorothy Masuka, The Cool Crooners, saxophonists Simangaliso Tutani and August Musarurwa, trumpeter Paul Lunga and trombonist Tanga Wekwa Sando, pianists Chris Chabuka and Filbert Marova, drummers (the late) Jethro Shasha and Sam Mataure, bassists Bryan Paul and Kelly Rusike, guitarists Robert Moore, Louis Mhlanga, and Luck Street Blues own lead guitarist and bandleader, Dave Ndoro.
When asked about his influences, Dave Ndoro first gives credit to his original mentor, the late Dr Martin Gunda, but says his musical influences are too many to remember. In his time he has played with such diverse musicians as Robert Moore, Thomas Mapfumo, the late James Chimombe and late Marshall Munhumumwe, Mike Lannas, Hilton Mambo and many others, and influenced by each of their styles, in some way.
Ndoro recalls the birth of LUCK STREET BLUES back in 1995, when they established a busy rehearsal and performance schedule and a huge following, along with other founder members Paul Brickhill (sax), Miriam Mandipira and Andy Kiposa (vocals).
Ndoro credits Paul Brickhill for creating opportunities and facilities to grow the band from unknown beginners to seasoned musicians over the years. ‘Paul and I fitted together well, we loved the same music – the soul, the blues, African music. We shared a dream to train up young musicians and get as far as we can with the band, and what we are doing today is an extension of that” said Ndoro.
This year Dave Ndoro participated in a music collaboration with the young Cape Town group ‘Inner Child’, through Pamberi Trust’s sister organisation African Synergy Trust in Johannesburg. “Those young people are really gifted and it was a real pleasure to play with them. They are so keen and have so much energy for their music” he said.
Luck St Blues have been close musical partners with The Book Café and Mannenberg since the two venues opened, and have been entertaining audiences in and around Harare ever since. The Sunday Times of Johannesburg journalist Paddy Harper who visited Harare in April 2008, is quoted on the website www.thetimes.co.za, as saying “…Mannenberg, a way cool jazz club where blues guitarist Dave Ndoro and his band are … it’s rocking. Dave is shit-hot and tears the place up with his screaming electric blues.” A refreshing view from a visitor to our fair city, and one which promises an exciting performance for jazz and blues lovers of the capital on Thursday 11 September.
The Jazz Appreciation Society is a Pamberi Trust project which aims to stimulate knowledge and interest in jazz, and to forge links with international jazz. The project is supported in part by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation.
[Picture attached] Dave Ndoro on The Mannenberg stage
[Picture credit: C Hoppe]
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