Zimbabwe: 2 Hours GOLDEN AGE of SUNGURA Music Vol.1

In the early 1970s, Zimbabwe’s pop scene was taking shape. South Africa’s Gallo Records had established branches in Bulawayo and Salisbury (soon to become Harare) under the name Teal Records. Initially the label focused on African jazz acts out of Bulawayo, but in 1971, Zexie Manatsa and the Green Arrows released a guitar-driven Shona pop song called “Chipo Chiroorwa” – that is to say, “Chipo, it’s time you got married.” When the song took off, Teal followed up with similar fare from an emerging cluster of groups including The Great Sounds, O.K. Success, M.D. Rhythm Success, the Harare Mambos, the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band and the Acid Band – the latter two linked by a soon-to-be icon, Thomas Mapfumo.

Sungura is a style of music and dance that exiles and fighters who had spent the war years in Kenya and Tanzania returned to popularize in the newly-christened Zimbabwe. The word sungura, meaning “rabbit” in Kiswahili, is a rumba variant that de-emphasizes the Cuban clave feel, instead following the lead of East African sounds like Kenyan benga. There, lead and accompaniment guitars have more equal prominence.

Sungura guitars, bass included, are playfully interactive, foregrounding and backgrounding one another by turns. The song subjects tend to be light and humorous, tales of ill-fated infidelity and romantic angst. Sungura stars include James Chimombe, Leonard Dembo, System Tazvida and the current leader of the genre, Alick Macheso. Featuring John Chibadura, Leonard Dembo, Leonard Zhakata and many more. On this tape, you'll find many wonderful guitarists, interlocking melodies, harmony vocals, bright hi hat drums and booming bass.