MUSIC promoter Patson Chimbodza says the forthcoming Alick Macheso’s welcome home gig slated for April 27 at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza is more than a family celebration and a reunion with his hometown fans since his well-attended showcase last year in September.
Chimbodza, the 22nd National Arts Merit Awards Promoter of the Year award winner, said he strove to realise a better artistic talent for Zimbabwe.
“Macheso last played in Chitungwiza in September 2023 and we know that is his home ground and likewise we need to welcome him back. My selection of artistes is based on artistes with the same bloodline and exploration of legacies of sungura music legends. To explain it clearer Esau and Tatenda Macheso are Alick’s sons, Peter and Obert are the legendary Tongai Dehwa Moyo’s lineage and the gifted Ngwazi brothers Mark and Tendai,” said Chimbodza, popularly known as Chipaz in the entertainment industry.
Madzibaba Nicholas Zacharia, who has just celebrated his 68th birthday and his Khiama Boys, will be there. The Senior Lecturer groomed several artistes, including Macheso, in a career spanning over 47 years with close to 30 music albums to his credit.
Macheso and his Ochestra Mberikwazvo band have celebrated each and every moment of life experiences. He pioneered and made popular the razor wire, slow motion, Borrowdale dances and several bass riffs which have popularised Sungura music.
When singing Ndezvashe, Mudhawu and Charakupa, among others, fans sing along while they improvise to the extent of outclassing the stage dancers.
The departure of founding Mberikwazvo members to form their own bands or be employees elsewhere has led to the quick diffusion and conjugation of the Khiama rhythms. In a book written to clarify the bloodline dispute with the Music Crossroads Academy, Madzibaba Zacharia asserts that his music creativity was influenced by prominent genres like kanindo and then referred to as modern music simanjemanje from South Africa which he melted and moulded into Khiama music.
Khiama music has many grooves such as Mabvi neMagokora and Nzombe Huru which have generally been accepted as sungura music. It has also been observed that very little effort has been put in providing formal teaching and training of sungura music.
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Accordingly, music education has often been deemed toxic as it fails to preserve patency and copyright. Subsequently, this is where industrial teachers like Madzibaba Nicholas Zacharia emerge iconic.
The Senior Lecturer has bestselling music albums like Kubvakure, Mabvi Nemagokora, Mbuva Yeupenyu and Munongedzo.
Macheso had a celebrity entry into his career and has now over 25 years of topping the sungura music charts through a celebrated discography comprising a number of albums. The musician and his Ochestra Mberikwazvo band are popular for providing long hours of entertainment which usually turn out to be all night jollities.
Recently, at the launch of his last album at the Aquatic Complex Macheso had a full house and it trended on social media for some time that a record traffic congestion occurred on all roads leading to the venue of the show. As a readiness measure, Chimbodza has made provision for the selling of advance tickets.
Macheso’s style of dancing has been popularised not only through the above-mentioned artistes but the musical arrangements of the Njerama Boys and Shepherd Mutambi, among others.
