By Fidelis Manyange

OVER the years Zimbabwean music, especially Sungura which has been coined museve, has gone through major transformations due to foreign influence chiefly by East African nations like Kenya.
Musically Zimbabwe is mostly known for its fast beat jit music which was derived from our traditional pfonda which was characterised by drumbeats, clapping of hands and singing.
Morden instruments like guitars were added and we had the fusion of jit and sungura.
Kenyan Kamba-Benga music which is often referred to as ‘Kanindo’ after the prominent producer Oluoch Kanindo was borrowed, repackaged and found a new style in Zimbabwe in the late 70s and early 80s.
It was popular with freedom fighters and rural folks during the war of liberation as they used to dance the night vigils (pungwes) away after tuning on to stations such as Radio Beira, Radio Lusaka and many others.
That is why most bands which comprised of former freedom fighters like Kassongo Band, Ujamaa Jazz band (though their music was nowhere near jazz) and Marxist Brothers’ music had a heavy influence of Kanindo music in them.
The Kanindo beat is distinctive by its fast-paced rhythmic beat and bouncy finger-picking-guitar technique.
The core of Kanindo is the lead guitar which essentially follows the track of the vocals.
Outstanding is the instrumental expanse that combines three or four guitars and percussions.
One of Kanindo’s labels was called ‘Sungura’ which is the Swahili word for ‘rabbit’ and it became the name given to a faster variation of the music.
That is where we derived our beat which we now call museve locally.
Artistes who popularised Museve were John Chibadura, Nicholas Zakaria and Alick Macheso,Simon and Naison Chimbetu, Job Mashanda, Tineyi Chikupo, Mawonera Stars and many others.
All these artistes’ music was heavily influenced by Kenyan Kanindo music.
Most of our local sungura artistes depended mostly on Kanindo tracks to make their compositions as they picked the instrumentals and vocals and change words, singing in our local languages.
Notably are Kassongo band that copied ‘Les Wanyika’ of Super Mazembe’s song Kassongo and called it ‘Torangarira Magamba’.
Simon Chimbetu’s song ‘Mudzimu Ndiringe’ is the Shona version of the Kanindo song ‘John Owino’ by Kendu Jazz band while Jonah Moyo’s popular song ‘Gremmar Wepamoyo’s beat was derived from the song ‘Weekend’ by Afro 70 Band.
Job Mashanda and Sounds of The Muddy Face composed a song called ‘Vaingourayiwa vasina mhaka’.
If one listens carefully, this song’s instruments and vocals sound mostly like the song ‘Pok Ruoth’ by Orchestra CK Dumbe Dumbe.
What is interesting about most of the names of the Kanindo bands is that they were called Jazz bands, but there was not even a single trace of jazz in the music and orchestras when the band only consisted of four band members. Some of the band names are Orchestra Sega Sega, Orchestra Shika Shika, Shirati Jazz band, Kawere Boys Jazz band and many more.
Locally our artistes inherited this trend hence we have, Devera Ngwena Jazz band, Shirinhema Jazz band, Ujamaa jazz, Orchestra Mberikwazvo, Orchestra Vazvamburi, Orchestra Dendera Kings and many others.
The musicians were only fascinated by the names.
Later on, upcoming artistes like Tongai ‘Dhewa’ Moyo and R&K Africa Sounds picked some Kanindo instrumentals in their songs ‘Zvinoita Murudo’ and ‘Julie’ respectively.
Tongai Moyo used the instrumentals of the song ‘Liza Oloo’ by Mighty Victoria Kings while R&K used the song ‘Dominic Kasera’ by Victoria Jazz Band.
In appreciation to how this East African music influenced most of his father’s compositions, Sulumani Chimbetu teamed up in a duet with Oliver Mtukudzi in a song ‘Kwedu’ which sounds almost like ‘Kajituliza Kasuku’ by Les Wanika of Super Mazembe.
To prove that this music is still influencing some of our local musicians, upcoming artistes like Moses Rwizi of ‘Ngatiwirirane’ fame sing pure Kanindo and Rwizi even named named his band Kanindo Jazz.
It is very unfortunate that this music is no longer appreciated by many in its raw form maybe because of the cropping up of genres which are popular with youngsters like Zim-dancehall.
Only one local presenter, Simon Pashoma Ncube of Radio Zimbabwe is still playing Kanindo on the waves to keep it alive and he has teamed up with Dunstan Ndebele and Silvanos Mtizwa to make several Kanindo compilations. Presently, we have young Kenyan Kanindo artistes like Ken Wambua waMaria and Mr Ongengo whose videos have managed to penetrate our local market.
As long as people enjoy Sungura, the Kanindo beat is here to stay.