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Tawanda Matanhire Arts correspondent
Upcoming contemporary jazz and traditional musician Kendyman Kobiri will launch his debut album “Punha” at the City Sports Bar on November 30. Kendyman whose real name is Mackenzie Mwale promised a worthwhile piece of art, adding that he was finally releasing the album which he had been working on for almost a decade. “I have been in the music industry for a long time without releasing anything because I wanted to make sure I release something good,” Kendyman said.

The event will be graced by supporting artistes including Ras Caleb, Wanai, Kireni Zulu and Tete Pipiro among others. Titled “Punha”, the album contains seven tracks namely “Kobiri”, “Hwahwa”, “Punha”, “Dzoka”, “Mubaiwa”, “Rufu” and an instrumental for “Dzoka”.

He revealed that his latest offering was about the journey of a poor man who became successful owing to his hard working habits and was a surprise to many people. “Punha” is a Shona word which refers to someone who is looked down on in society and has no material riches to show.

He encouraged people to support one another and never to look down on disadvantaged people in society. On this project Kendyman worked with a full band fusing mbira and other musical instrument to bring out a rich African traditional and jazz sound.

“I really wanted to give fans a different sound from what’s in the market and hopefully they will love my work,” he said. A businessman who is into animal health and farming, Kendyman also has a National Certificate in Music from a local college.

“I have been getting positive feedback from the singles which I have been sampling and this gave me confidence to work on a full album,” he said. He urged other artistes to keep on working to improve local music so that they can create a legacy for future generations.