Post-Colonial African Groove of the Week #10 – Takava Neko
Posted on | July 16, 2010 | No Comments
Allright I’m finally back at it here with the Post-Colonial African Groove of the Week with another one from Zimbabwe, this one by the Four Brothers, one of the most popular groups to emerge from Zimbabwe in the past 60 years. As you can see on the left, there are more than four. Actually, there have been varying numbers throughout the band’s history.
The drummer and lead singer (!), as well as the founder of the group is Marshall Munhumumwe, who is also the great Thomas Mapfumo’s nephew! The group was formed in the 70′s, and pioneered a style of Zimbabwean music called “jit” which was also played by other well known artists such as the Bhundu Boys and John Chibadura. It’s a guitar-based style which draws somewhat on Congolese influences and east African guitar styles as well as traditional music of the Shona people, and is sung in Shona.
This tune is one of my all-time favorite Zimbabwean tracks, thanks not only to the killer vocal harmonies and pleasant swing of the drumming but also to the lead guitar line half-way through, which is so silky and full of high-end that I can only imagine these guys were using a Roland Jazz Chorus, which has not only EQ knobs for bass, mid, and treble, but one for “high treble!” The drummer’s swing is also interesting, I am always on the lookout for the surprisingly varied ways in which drummers from different regions in Africa (and for that matter from around the world) execute the seemingly easy task of playing constant 8th notes on the hi-hat. Munhumumwe certainly has an accent scheme reminiscent of Congolese grooves, with a stronger accent on the 3rd and 4th note of each group, but his swing is more laid back and uneven, in keeping with a typical Zimbabwean style. Anyway, enjoy the tune, and prepare to your day to be improved by that guitar lick in the middle! (click to listen):
The Four Brothers – Takava Neko
And, speaking of constant eighth notes, I’ll be playing tonight in Portland at the Camellia Lounge with “The Ocular Concern,” my new-ish trio with Dan Duval on guitar and Stephen Pancerev on drums, where we play a bunch of great original music and covers of weird minimalist things. Lots of constant eighth notes in that band, among various other pieces inspired by Zimbabwean music and a Kinks tune for good measure. I’ll be posting some audio of that band very soon, so stay tuned!
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