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Zimbabwe’s mbira music maestro Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi will perform in Malawi on November 28 at the French Cultural Centre (FCC) in Blantyre.
Mtukudzi is expected to arrive on Saturday November 27, for the show which will be curtain raised by local mbira musician Joseph Tembo.
Cultural co-ordinator of the FCC Castro Nkunda said the centre invited Mtukudzi because it wants to entertain people in Malawi.
Born in Highfield, Harare in 1952, Oliver, or ‘Tuku’ to his fans, has had a career that has spanned more than 20 years and 40 original albums with nearly all of them best-sellers.
However, it is his dedication to the live music scene in Zimbabwe — playing to enthusiastic audiences in even the remotest parts of the country — that has earned him the place in people’s hearts that he holds today.
Tuku was initiated into the world of professional music in 1977 when he joined the now legendary Zimbabwean group Wagon Wheels. Success came early to them — the first single they recorded, Dzandimomotera, rapidly went gold, and this was followed by Tuku’s first album on four tracks which was also a smash hit.
It was with a number of the musicians in the Wagon Wheels line-up that Tuku formed The Black Spirits, the band which has backed him throughout his career.
Since 1980, when Zimbabwe became independent, Mtukudzi has released two albums every year, establishing himself as a producer, an arranger, a prolific songwriter and, with his famous big voice, a formidable lead singer.
He speaks Shona and Ndebele, and often writes songs in English as well. Tuku has, in fact, been so innovative in his music that it is now referred to as Tuku Music and quite distinct from any other Zimbabwean style.
His music is described as “simply beautiful”, and “soulfully acoustic” with “clean, complex guitar lines”. He is also called the “Grand master of Zimbabwean traditional pop” and is undoubtedly one of the greatest soulful voices of African music — “the voice of southern Africa laid bare”.
Yet, apart from the individuality of his music Tuku’s enduring popularity has largely resulted from his powers as a lyricist. Most of his songs focus on the social and economic issues that govern people’s lives and, with an infectious sense of humour and optimism that prevails through all his music; his appeal extends to young and old alike.
Shanda is Oliver’s latest release and serves as a multimedia tribute to the megastar, supported by a film, DVD and CD release. The album is essentially a soundtrack of 10 songs hand-picked by Oliver himself, which represent certain periods in his life. The project serves to celebrate the remarkable career of this Zimbabwean national treasure.
Other CDs by Mtukudzi include Tsivo, Greatest Hits, Bvuma, Neria, Ndega Zvangu, Ziwere Mukobenhavn, and Shoko.
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