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Arts Reporter

After years of successfully hosting “Legends Night,” this year the seasoned prominent young instrumentalists dubbed “In Total,” have decided to make it big at 7 Arts Theatre, Harare.

The group announced that they will be hosting the fourth edition which is powered by Ecobank, Crediconnect, and Triggershot among others.

In an interview with The Herald Arts, the leader of the group, saxophonist Joseph Chinouriri said preparations are at an advanced stage with rehearsals taking place.

“This time we have decided to go big and it is our fourth edition,” he said.

“This year we have joined hands with Ecobank who are our platinum sponsor and have changed the name to ‘Ecobank Legends Night.’ We also have partnered with Crediconnect and Triggershot who are supporting our event.”

Asked what inspired the Legends Night, Chinouriri said they idolised yesteryear music which was topical and trending while they were still young, if not yet born.

“I played for Dr Oliver Mtukudzi for a few years until his passing and I was also mentored by him. In 2020, I did a tribute show in his honour and thereafter I sat down with my friends, Naphtali Chivandikwa and Takakunda Mukundu and we decided to begin the Legends Night in honour of all that made Zimbabwean music what it is today.”

He said the show only focuses on them as there are no other acts.

“It is like Coachella and all eyes are on the band. There are no other musicians or instrumentalists who will be playing,” Chinouriri said.

“When it comes to who chooses the playlist, it’s a collective decision. We sit down and draft  a list of legendary artistes, then we choose songs from there.”

“We play songs from artistes like the late John Chibadura, Bhundu Boys, James Chimombe, Four Brothers, Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, and Leonard Dembo among others as we try to rekindle the yesteryear romance with their fans.”

Chinouriri said they aim to inspire everyone to believe in their culture and heritage as local legends inspire them.

“We want to cross borders and show the world what Zimbabwe is made of. Next year we will grow bigger and better. On guest lists, we will make it a surprise, but we have the corporate world coming and I am happy to say we are honoured to have every guest, young and old. It’s a family event,.

The saxophonist said the event will be hosted by their resident master of ceremony, Kudzai Macheka (Chekaz).

“Doors will open at 5pm and we will have Chekaz as our host. We started with him and sometimes we used to have the Comic Pastor gracing our production.”

Besides hosting such shows, Chinouriri said just like any artistes they also face challenges.

“It’s not easy to break through the music market without financial support. During the past years this event has been self-funded and it costs thousands of dollars to put up,” he said.

“This year our partners have lessened the burden and we are happy for what the future holds. Tickets have started selling at designated places and are US$5 while VIP tickets are US$20.”

But what is, In Total Band?

“We have Takakunda Mukundu on lead guitar, bassist Naphtali Chivandikwa, and myself on saxophone. We formed the band in 2014 after the first family wedding,” he said.

“There was a high demand for our performance after that wedding and I talked to our bassist Naphtali and we decided to put a team together.”

“We called it ‘In Total’, because one of our friends Mbaki Nleya hosted a Jesus and Jazz concert and in his citation, he included the words ‘In Total’ and we thought it was a good name put together.”