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Fanuel Kangondo Deputy Lifestyle Editor
Award-winning afro-jazz singer and songwriter Victor Kunonga has done it again. In a clear demonstration that he is in a league of his own, his latest album “Kwedu” speaks volumes about the character and music that Victor Kunonga epitomises. The mbira fusion that comes out in the 12-track album is certainly a cut above the rest and is uniquely African in terms of not only the mature vocals, content and arrangement of the music. While maintaining his trade mark acoustics accompanied by traditional drums the four-member Peace Band ensemble has successfully taken this type of music to another level.

I had the rare privilege of listening to Victor perform live at Alliance Francaise where legendary South African trumpeter and music icon Bra Hugh (Masekela) was the guest of honour at the media launch of the album “Kwedu”.

While album reviews tend to be flattery in some cases without much to show for the music, “Kwedu” certainly has some substance to vouch for.

Those who have followed Kunonga closely from his debut album “Such is Life (Ndanyengetedzwa)” in 2004, “Uyo” in 2006 and the 2010 compilation “Handinete” will agree that he has arrived and he is here to stay with his distinct genre of mbira fusion. I tend to disagree with those who are quick to classify his beat as chimurenga music and for lack of a definitive term will settle rather for a hybrid of sounds with a coalescence of intricate arrangements consolidated by harmonious vocals.

It is certainly difficult to classify it as one particular type of music, but I can assure you that it is good to keep you going all night long.

Born in Shurugwi, raised in Hwedza and spending part of his adulthood in Bulawayo, Kunonga has a diverse background that saw him being denied his wish to study music in the city of Kings simply because he did not own a music instrument forcing him to settle instead for a career in graphic design.

Victor finally got his break into music at the turn of the millennium when he moved to Harare and started nurturing his dormant music talents and the rest, as they say, is now history.

The multi-talented Peace band comprises the band leader Victor playing mbira, acoustic guitar, percussion and lead vocals; Norman Masamba the lead guitarist, bass guitarist Pritchard Chikwama and drummer and percussionist Simbarashe Dembedza. All the four musicians are involved in the band’s percussion and vocals.

Some of the tracks on the album are “Kubuda ura”, “Tinotenda”, “Cheuka”, “Kure Kwatabva”, “Kushanda”, “Ikhotha eyikhothayo” and the title track “Kwedu”.

The track Mhofu is dedicated to his former percussionist Adam Chisvo who died in 2011 and the late mbira Queen Chiwoniso Maraire. Chisvo was a key figure in the musical arrangement of most of Victor’s compositions and was an inspiration for the mbira genre.

Watching the band on stage reminded me of the repertoire reminiscent of the legendary superstar Oliver Mtukudzi whose endless source of energy remains unexplained as they strutted their instruments, danced and sang non-stop. I could not help noticing the unique drum set used by the band that has departed from the traditional set up to incorporate real African drums that easily match those used by conventional bands.

Bra Hugh, who proclaimed that he had his roots in Masvingo, paid tribute to Victor for his unique approach and music genre to promote the African heritage in the face of intrusion by other alien cultures. “There is no society in the whole world that has as much diversity and excellence than the African society.

“To think that we brought civilization to the world, cuisine, design, couture and all these things and today we have abandoned our own excellence to be consumed by other cultures. It is so wonderful to see young people like Victor Kunonga bring us back to who we really are even for a moment. It’s incumbent upon us to remember that if you’re not coming from nowhere, you can’t be going anywhere,” Bra Hugh said.

The album is being promoted in Zimbabwe by Mbira Nehosho fronted by Walter Wanyanya and was mastered by the talented Keith Farquaharson in Cape Town South Africa although the recording was done locally.

Wanyanya says Victor’s sound has not necessarily changed, but was now finding its roots and its grounding.

Kunonga said: “This album is more like a piece of art where I was allowed to express my ideas the best way possible. I also allowed the guys that I work with to bring the best out of themselves.

“I think it’s an album that best describes who I am.

“It’s a predominantly guitar album – the way the music is expressed is by inter-weaving this guitar carpet.

“It’s sitting on a mesh with highlights that are bouncing off that mesh. So artistically, to me it’s the most creative of all of my albums.