Hope is the magic behind Kakuwe
New. Exciting. Hope Masike (Photo: Pamberi Trust).
Portrait of a Rising Star
An new exciting sound, filled with a fragrance of hope rooted in Zimbabwe, imbued with echoes of Africa and the African Diaspora, has come to the fore. The force behind the magical renaissance is Hope Masike and Kakuwe Band.
Kakuwe’s sound is eclectic fusion music with deep earthy traditional rhythms driven by pulsating nyunganyunga (mbira) strains, infectious West African djembe drumming, a soul nourishing thumping bassline and mystical marimba melodies, with a poignant recorder weaving through it all like a cool breeze.
These are infectious melodies born of a vision nurtured by talented Zimbabwe College of Music Ethnomusicology students in search of their musical identity. They call themselves Kakuwe, after the “Go Away Bird” whose call in the forest warns the rest of forest’s inhabitants of impending danger. The group’s vision and sound is steeped in the Zimbabwean landscape, with its questing spirit reaching out to vibrant Pan- African elements to come with a unique style. Read more
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”. Read more
