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Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
OVER the years, the sungura music genre has been awash with the so-called “Murondatsimbas”, copycat artistes who thrive on copying the beat by some established musicians.
Such has been the trend to an extent that at times it becomes difficult for the unsuspecting music listener to distinguish the difference between the music by a prominent artiste from that of an emergent sungura upstart who relies on changing the music lines by these big artistes and then passing them on as their own.

Artistes who have fallen victim to this situation include Alick Macheso, Madzibaba Nicholas Zakaria, as well as the late Leonard Dembo, Simon Chimbetu and Tongai Moyo, whose breed of sungura led the trail to the extent that others followed, often following in the footprints as they were travelled by the pathfinders.

This is the kind of thinking and trend that talented sungura musician, Magreen Chareka, seeks to reverse through his music which is a unique kind of sungura from what is normally heard these days.

Listening to his music, one can immediately discern that Chareka is trying to beat his own path, a development which not just welcome, encouraging but also refreshing music-wise. “Mine is original sungura.

“I don’t want to sound like anyone, not that these artistes are not good, but because the music pot should not always taste the same,” he said.
One has to listen to his album titled “Gadziriro” that carries the tracks “Chikondi”, “Sabhina”, “Magamba”, “Mhodzi Yerudo”, “Kugarisana” as well as the title track “Gadziriro” in order to appreciate this.

It is Chareka’s unique way of doing music that has seen authorities at Gramma Records investing their faith in him by recording the album that is already topping the charts there.

While to those with a long memory the name Chareka is associated with the musician Jealous Chareka, who is young brother to the artiste, Chareka however has been in the music circles since 1989 when he started in Centenary.

“I started playing music in 1989 with my young brother Jealous.
“I used to play the banjo when I started, before graduating to the electric guitar. Jealous left to form his own band called Rugare Brothers, while I had to stop music since I was now into other businesses,” he said. It was during these years that Chareka assembled his kit of music instruments and other things essential to the revival of his music career. “As building contractor, I managed to assemble all that I needed to return to active music and this journey took me a good 14 years!” he said.