Best Albums from Zimbabwe Part 10: Guitar Maestros

Madini maZimba if there is one instrument that I cannot resist it's the guitar, if I hear a song with good guitar work I will be hooked to it. Fortunately our wonderful nation of Zimbabwe is blessed with some amazing guitarists, definitely among the best in the world. As someone who was born in the 90's I grew up when Sungura was still in its golden age with superb guitar works on all fronts. I would not lie my love and appreciation for good guitar work grew as I got older and that it when I realized how truly blessed we have been as a nation. So on this episode of Best Albums from Zimbabwe I have decided to focus on guitar maestros, those albums where you can witness some of the finest guitar works from Zimbabwe. I know they are many but as per usual will only selected 5 for this episode and will do others in future episodes. So without wasting much time let's get to the five projects.

1. Jonah Sithole & The Deep Horizon - Zimbabwean Beat (1982).

Jonah Sithole is equally credited with creating the now iconic Mbira guitar alongside Leonard "Pickett" Chiyangwa a style which has now became the signature style of Zimbabwean music. He was a key figure of the iconic Blacks Unlimited band that backs Thomas Mapfumo. He went solo and went on to release some fantastic project such as Sabhuku & Zimbabwean Beat, the latter is the one I am celebrating today. All his projects have all been widely successful and have become a sort of collector projects. Zimbabwean Beat is an exceptional project that showcases Chimurenga from the point of view of Jonah Sithole, the guitar work throughout this project is superb. Jonah Sithole in my books is the greatest guitarist to come out of Zim and he proved it everytime he strummed his guitar. Zimbabwean Beat is one of those albums you can play from first track to last without skipping any track. Tracklist contains tracks such as; Mutsakatikira, Ndomutevera Mambo, Ndiregeiwo, Tora Mapadza, Nhaka Yevana & Chapedza Mikono. The project addresses various social issues in a blunt and well structured way, despite being released over 40 years ago, the messaging still applies to this day.

2. Louis Mhlanga - Shamwari (2001)

Louis Mhlanga is not much talked about but is highly regarded in the arts circles and if you talk to many guitarists he is among the best ever to do it in Zimbabwe. Most people know his iconic jam Distant Lover that is used known as the Mai Chisamba Show tune, yes that was done by him. He has an impressive discography but for this episode had to chose this one; Shamwari. The album contains jams such as Hona Ka, Afrika Ya Uya, Distant Lover, Beira, What Happened To Love, Chifamba, Kugarisana nevamwe Zvakanaka, Shamwari, Take Me & Dzembira. On this project Louis Mhlanga showed he is the premier Afro Jazz artist we have in the nation, he can stand his own against big African Jazz names such as Hugh Masekela, Sipho Gumede, Stimela...etc. This is a beautiful project which every guitar fan and jazz fans should listen to.

3. Andy Brown & The Storm - Passage Of Time (2003).

Andy Brown or Muzukuru as he was affectionately known showed he is extremely capable on his own after the super group Illanga separated. Andy was already a respected guitarist during his Illanga days but it's when he went solo where he really shined. During that time he also worked with Chiwoniso Maraire on Ancient voices where he delivered some of the best solos in Zim history.  On Passage of Time he bettered all of his past work and proved is one of the finest to ever do it. The project has 11 tracks namely: Zindoga, Spirit, Ndoenda, Mawere Kongonya, Mapurisa, Tongofara, Simuka, Nhasi Takura, Gogedzi, Kure Kure & Fiona. From the tracklist you can clearly see how impressive this project is, it's filled with classics. Andy has his own unique way of playing the guitar which borrows from rock and jazz, a wonderful fusion which no one to date has been able to replicate to the same level.  This album showcases the master at work.

4. Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited - Gwindingwi Rine Shumba. (1980).

This is one iconic project from the Lion of Zimbabwe, its the project that started it all.  For the young ones who always wonder why Mukanya is always among the top picks on the Greatest of all times conversations this project can answer all their questions. This album served as the formal introduction of the Blacks Unlimited and they immediately proved they were unmatched in skill and capability with guitarists such as the iconic Picket Chiyangwa Joshua Hlomayi Dube and Jonah Sithole in their prime. This is the album that introduced the now irreplaceable Mbira guitar style that has became synonyms with Zimbabwean music. This project is fantastic and among the best projects ever made in Zimbabwe.

5. Simon Chimbetu - Lullaby (1998).

Simon Chimbetu was in his element when he released this project, he was undoubtedly the biggest artist in the country at the time. The album was a massive success and can stake its claim among his best ever projects, it further solidified his dominance at the top. The project was filled with a lot of social and political commentary which make it relatable to many, it spoke to issues many were experiencing. The guitar work throughout this project is fantastic, from start to end the project is extremely well made. Moffat Nyamapindu brought the magic on Bass guitar. It contains 6 tracks namely: Vasiye, Tendai, Zimbabwe, Dzandipedza Mafuta, Window & Comma. There is no track you can skip on this list, all of the tracks have became classics. It's among my all time favorite albums from Zimbabwe.

So ya those are the 5 projects for this episode of Best Albums from Zimbabwe, the Guitar Maestros edition. If you are a fan of good guitar work like me these projects will bring you so much joy.

Feel free to share more projects you feel deserve recognition alongside the ones mentioned above.

Proud_Zimbo