Former Bhundu boy Kuda Matimba still holding the f...

Former Bhundu boy Kuda Matimba still holding the flame, albeit at a lower scale

Harare Music – Zimbabwean Dance Music in Europe — Kuda Henry Matimba

Zim Now Writer

Former Bhundu Boys member Kuda Henry Matimba says though he has scaled down a bit in terms of music, he still stages performances with a band he formed when he migrated to the United Kingdom in 2007.

He has since released a nine-track album, Tafara, with the group he leads which is called Harare. Songs making up this EPL are Zuva, Hondo, Bvisa, Tambarara, Mai Chipo, Tanaka, Vakuru, Makomo and VeShumba.

“I’m still playing (music) but on a different and lower level. I now concentrate mainly on select gigs. I lead a band called Harare here in the UK and I play marimba like I used to do back home in Zimbabwe.

“Of late, I have not been having much new stuff as time is always a factor and I’m not doing music full time like before. But a musician being what he is, there are things that we have put together and continue to do so,” he told Zim Now in an interview from London on Tuesday.

Matimba (together with Rise Kagona now based in Scotland) is one of the few surviving members of the original Bundu Boys, which was formed and led by the late Biggie Tembo. Tembo committed suicide in 1995, leaving behind a legacy that, at their peak, saw them curtain-raise for Madonna at Wembley Stadium. Even Eric Clapton and Elvis Costello held the band in high honour then.

The Bhundu Boys played a mixture of chimurenga music with American rock and roll, disco, country, and pop influences. Their style became known as jit, and is quite popular across Africa, with some international success, and has influenced later groups like Nehoreka and Mokoomba.

And so popular was the Bhundu Boys brand that British world music DJ Andy Kershaw said at the height of their magical powers they were "...the single most natural, effortless, catchy pop band I've ever heard", while the BBC's John Peel famously broke down in tears the first time, when he saw the band perform live.

Matimba, in the interview said the band he currently leads in the UK, Harare, is one of only a handful Zimbabwean dance ensembles in Europe today.

“It features a groundbreaking line-up, mixing the buzzing acoustics of the Southern African rich-toned marimba, mbira, ringing jingling guitars, swooping basslines, irresistible dance rhythms and uplifting vocals.

“Harare celebrates both the past and the future of African dance music and brings a spectacular mix of Southern African musical styles, particularly the musical styles of Zimbabwe. I strongly believe in the importance of preserving one’s heritage through music. Harare’s music is about social awareness, life yesterday, today and tomorrow, advice, respect, love for one another and compassion.

“It expresses emotions such as pain, love, wisdom and rage. Words to the songs are performed in the Shona language of Zimbabwe. Together with my fellow members, I bring both old and new compositions and arrangements to the Harare set. Their powerful and vibrant stage-shows have an unstoppable momentum guaranteed to fill the dance floor,” he said.