TUKU SINGS IMBUBE

24 Jul, 2016 - 00:07 0 Views
TUKU SINGS IMBUBE Oliver Mtukudzi

The Sunday News

Oliver Mtukudzi

Oliver Mtukudzi

Vusumuzi Dube, Sunday Life Reporter
OLIVER Mtukudzi is indisputably Zimbabwe’s Master of Song, and his influence has in recent years transcended borders.

Anything he touches with his masterly musical hands turn to gold. From his individual works, to numerous collaborations with various artistes, acclaimed and budding, Mtukudzi’s productions are sure gems.

Not to mention his live performances that have always left revellers wanting more.

Reports of him working on a new production have always teased the insatiable appetite of music fans.

Now, nothing could ever wet music aficionado’s craving more than two great artistes in a collaborative production.

It’s even more thrilling when one of the artistes or even both are venturing into unfamiliar territory, a different genre and experimenting with sound.

Imagine, Mtukudzi singing imbube. Strange is it? Yet mouth-watering at the same time.

Well, this is not a matter of fathoming anymore, but a reality that’s beckoning.

Tuku, as he is warmly known by his multitude of fans, has struck another world class collaboration with multiple Grammy award-winning group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

This is the second time Ladysmith Black Mambazo has collaborated with jazz great Oliver Mtukudzi. He is among a number of local, continental and international artistes who have worked with the Isicathamiya group.

The song — Hello My Baby — promises to be an instant hit in the continent and possibly the world over, as Tuku once again showed his versatility with his lyrics and rhythm blending with Ladysmith’s imbube flair.

In an interview from their South Africa base, Ladysmith Black Mambazo manager, Xolani Majozi said working with Tuku was a dream come true for the group.

He said, while they had previously worked with Tuku, this time around it was more special as the song was for a distinctive purpose, which is to unite Africa through song and grow the traditional music brand.

“We had been discussing with Tuku for some years on working together, we actually have a long working relationship with him as we used to meet on tours around the world. It was during these meetings with him that we frequently discussed doing something together.

“When we thus got this project we contacted him and he was immediately captivated by the idea, he didn’t hesitate to come to South Africa where the collaboration became a reality,” said Majozi.

The group’s manager said the song was part of the group’s “Taking Durban to the world” project where they were appointed to be brand ambassadors for the City of Ethekwini.

“This is a huge project for us as a group, which is why we sat down to think how we were going to go about it and Tuku’s name came to mind. We did not hesitate to contact him and fortunately he responded positively. We also took the opportunity to learn from his years of experience, which thus gave birth to what to us is a masterpiece.

“The song itself is more of a love song but the broader message which we are spreading is that of love, unity, peace and brotherhood. We want the world to know that in Africa we have the spirit of ubuntu and brotherhood,” said Majozi.

He revealed that as a group there will soon be touring Zimbabwe where they will hold joint shows with Tuku.

“We know our multitude of fans have waited a long time for us to visit them in Zimbabwe which is why we are now working on logistics to come there. Provisionally I can say we will be there either by end of August or early October but most definitely we are coming to Zimbabwe,” said Majozi.

Commenting on the collaboration, Tuku said it was a beautiful experience working with the award-winning group, also confirming that they were now preparing for the tour where they will have shows in Bulawayo and Harare.

“It was quite a beautiful experience, I am happy that they invited me for this project. In the past we have worked together but it was nice that we rekindled our relationship. What is happening now is that we are comparing each other’s itineraries to see when we can schedule the shows but the idea is that we perform in Harare then Bulawayo,” said Tuku.

Tuku said this was also a step in the right direction as it helped promote traditional music locally and globally.

Ladysmith is hugely known for their remarkable collaborations with the world’s greatest artistes. They have collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, the late Michael Jackson, just to mention a few.

Last year they made a historic collaboration with Mali super star Salif Keita on a song titled United We Stand, which was aimed at raising awareness on xenophobic attacks that had groped the country. The song was well received locally and internationally and in the same year the group got special award on Africa Music Awards for its contribution in uniting Africa through music.

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