Music

To hear Michael Lannas tell it, Zimbabwean music is the ultimate proof that God exists. If the Arcadia-born singer-songwriter is right, then he is also among the prophets, even if only for his contribution of Hapana Mazwi, The River and Moyo Wangu Uri Kuchema to the canon. In a series of retrospective threads recently, the old-time jazz great gave rare insights into his career, singling out African migrant workers as his formative music inspiration. He also opened up on his creative process and paid homage to his iconic Talking Drum bandmates, including Louis Mhlanga, the late Brian Rusike, Saba Mbata and Henry Peters. “I grew up in what was Rhodesia. At a very early age (three or four years) I fell in love with African music. I would wake up at 5am to the sound of African migrant worker...

Mitchell Jambo gave Zimbabwe the only song that can be played from Chitungwiza (Chikwanha Township) to Harare CBD (at least Seke Road fly-over) even on sluggish morning for traffic. In "Ndini Uyo," the Marunga Brothers frontman threads together covers of Zimbabwe’s music greats, John Chibadura, Simon Chimbetu, Lovemore Majaivana, Oliver Mtukudzi, Paul Matavire, Leonard Dembo, System Tazvida and Thomas Mapfumo, inbetween a humorously unconvincing cock-and-bull love story and his own relatively uninspired lyrics. Credulously imitating the legends' vocals and guitar riffs, Jambo plays an ESAP-hit man (not too foreign a theme in 2016) ditched by his woman after retrenchment. The spirited but ultimately doomed poetic feat to win back crushworthy Rudo is not only a warm, endearing homage to t...