Kumusha - the story of the album
In 2014 experienced mbira maestro William Chitauro (on the right of the cover pircture) gathered together fellow local musicians Kennedy Chinyere and Prince Mandere to record an album of mbira music and song.
Recordings took place in William’s house and used a portable digital multitrack recorder and high qualtiy microphones (the improvised studio is shown below) and were generally recorded in one take to keep their freshness and vitality. This album is a unique chance to hear mbira music as played today in Zimbabwe in the rural areas (known as kumusha, hence the title).
As well as bringing this music to a wider public, all proceeds from this album will be going directly to the musicians in Zimbabwe as they have limited opportunities to earn through their music.
The mbira (pictured below) is the central instrument for ceremonies and gatherings in the Shona culture of Zimbabwe. Hundreds of years old, this music has been developed and transmitted from generation to generation and the songs that appear on this album are played regularly in ceremonies in order to help people maintain contact with the wisdom and advice of their ancestors. The mbira in this recording are placed in gourds (deze) to transmit the sound and the percussive buzzing you hear are the bottle tops attached to the mbria and gourds, an essential part of the music. Both William and Kennedy sing on the album and the lyrics consist of very traditional elements with contemporary additions, the main refrains and translations are contained in the sleeve notes.
There are 10 tracks on the album, all in the local mbira tuning, known as Dindinyongwe, after the nearby sacred mountain.
These are, in order:
Karimudande, Merenje, Taireva , Shumba , Bangidza, Nyamatekaire, Tondobayana, Mahororo, Chipembere, Nhememusasa.
The Musicians
William Chitauro - mbira arrangements, mbira and vocals on tracks 2,4,7 & 9
Kennedy Chinyere - mbira and vocals on tracks 1, 3, 5, 8 & 10
Prince Mandere - mbira
Recorded in Chiriseri, mixed and produced in the UK by Mike Parnell
More music from these musicians is available from the Chiriseri Mbira Collective at www.chiriserimbira.com
Recordings took place in William’s house and used a portable digital multitrack recorder and high qualtiy microphones (the improvised studio is shown below) and were generally recorded in one take to keep their freshness and vitality. This album is a unique chance to hear mbira music as played today in Zimbabwe in the rural areas (known as kumusha, hence the title).
As well as bringing this music to a wider public, all proceeds from this album will be going directly to the musicians in Zimbabwe as they have limited opportunities to earn through their music.
The mbira (pictured below) is the central instrument for ceremonies and gatherings in the Shona culture of Zimbabwe. Hundreds of years old, this music has been developed and transmitted from generation to generation and the songs that appear on this album are played regularly in ceremonies in order to help people maintain contact with the wisdom and advice of their ancestors. The mbira in this recording are placed in gourds (deze) to transmit the sound and the percussive buzzing you hear are the bottle tops attached to the mbria and gourds, an essential part of the music. Both William and Kennedy sing on the album and the lyrics consist of very traditional elements with contemporary additions, the main refrains and translations are contained in the sleeve notes.
There are 10 tracks on the album, all in the local mbira tuning, known as Dindinyongwe, after the nearby sacred mountain.
These are, in order:
Karimudande, Merenje, Taireva , Shumba , Bangidza, Nyamatekaire, Tondobayana, Mahororo, Chipembere, Nhememusasa.
The Musicians
William Chitauro - mbira arrangements, mbira and vocals on tracks 2,4,7 & 9
Kennedy Chinyere - mbira and vocals on tracks 1, 3, 5, 8 & 10
Prince Mandere - mbira
Recorded in Chiriseri, mixed and produced in the UK by Mike Parnell
More music from these musicians is available from the Chiriseri Mbira Collective at www.chiriserimbira.com