By
Owen Chirinda
Oliver
Mutukudzi is a name that has become synonymous with a distinct music flavor in Zimbabwe
and has had an adverse influence on a number of young artists. Among these is
one Antony Tinashe Mupambawashe.
Mupambwawashe,
known by the name Nendoro in the music industry is an Afro Jazz musician who is
yet to find his footing in the industry. Born and bred in the dust villages of
Murehwa in 1984, Nendoro ventured into Afro jazz in 2011 after having been
involved with a number of artists who include DJ Anusa of the “ice Lolo” fame.
Asked why he decided to do Afro Jazz, a genre that is dominated by bigwigs like
Dudu Manhenga, Victor Kunonga and Edith Weutonga, Nendoro stressed that he
wanted to bring something new, youthful and unique to the genre.
To
his name, Nendoro so far has an album titled Nendoro, one that ushers his presence
onto the music scene. The Monolio studios produced six track album has songs
like “Machena,” a township jazz feel which celebrates love and reminds one of
Bulawayo’s cool crooners, “Prezha,” a cautionary song and "Musapopotedzane",
a song that stresses peaceful co-existence in marriage. The album also has a
semi Jit track called “Makaguma Riini,” a song that questions squabbles in
marriages.
Asked
why he thinks his music will make it in a contested environment such as jazz,
he pointed out the fact that he has made sure his music is competitive and has
worked with some of Zimbabwe’s best hands On this particular project, the 29
year old worked with some of Zimbabwe's finest who include guitarist and
producer Mono Mukundu of Monolio Studios, Philip Svosve and Aaron Yafele and he
hastened to point out that, "…l would like at some point in time to work
with Tuku, Victor Kunonga and Alexio Kawara.” If anything should be said about
Nendoro, he is a goldmine ready to be discovered and not to be plundered. The
lyrics to most of his songs are rich in vernacular and popular diction which most
people can relate to.
The
production of Nendoro’s album like most upcoming musicians’ has not been
without challenges. He stressed that finance has been a major setback but
thanked his sponsors, members of the Black groove Band, his wife Idah Matyaire
and his family for their support. His first album is set to be launched on the
30th of May this year at the Book café in Harare, on a day that
significantly marks both his birthday and his birth into the world of afro
jazz. His second album is set to be launched at a day that is yet to be
announced.
snippets of this music is available on the following sound cloud link :
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