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MP3 mhepo - mapapiro
12 MP3 Songs
WORLD: African, JAZZ: Jazz Fusion
Details:
mhepo is a Shona word meaning ''breath, wind, spirit''.
The band mhepo was formed in 1990 by trumpet and keyboard player Nigel Samuels and saxophonist Biddy Partridge. The late Mike Mokone, world-renowned guitarist from Amandla - the cultural wing of South Africa''s ANC - joined in 1993 and helped mhepo establish itself as one of Zimbabwe''s top live bands.
Bass player Stan Zimi, a founder member of mhepo and one of Zimbabwe''s most influential musicians, passed away in late 2000. Mike Mokone passed away in Pretoria in August 2002, and the deaths of these two key members of the band are deeply mourned. mhepo honours also the memory of the many other fine musicians who contributed so much to the music and are no longer with us: Marcello Maisha, Andrew Chakanyuka, Nomvula Mazantsi, Tsitsi Vera, Sugar Chiweshe.
mhepo''s musicians are drawn from all over Southern Africa and the chemistry of these diverse musical accents creates a fresh, unique sound.
mhepo has two albums to its credit. Made in Zimbabwe, released in 1991, featured the late great Zairean tenor saxophonist Marcello Maisha. The second album, Mapapiro,(''wings'') was released in 2001. Because of the unsettled political climate, the band now finds itself dispersed between London, Zimbabwe and Cape Town. After reuniting at the CD''s launch in 2001, the band issued a statement saying ''the spirit of joy that we all felt when we played together after one and a half years apart has proved to us that we can unite in spite of geographical distances and put the healing power of our music into action''.
The loss of so many talented and powerful colleagues has strengthened that resolve.
mhepo plans to tour Europe in 2006/7 and bring that spirit of joy to a wider audience
mhepo is proud of its work with children and young people. It has been involved in training a successful young jazz band at Prince Edward School in Harare, as well as leading workshops as band-in-residence for three successive years at Zimbabwe''s national musicamp. With support from a UN Aids programme, mhepo composed and recorded a song (Zvirwere Zvichapera, track 11 on Mapapiro) designed to treat the symptoms of Aids through musical frequencies. It is now being used with HIV+ patients in Zimbabwe.
Note that the beautiful cover image for ''mapapiro'' was designed for mhepo by world-reknowned graphic artist Chaz Maviyane. See more of his extraordinary and powerful work at https://www.tradebit.com
''Mhepo is the kind of band that could inject a new lease of life into African music in Europe. We are very much looking forward to hearing them over here.''
Wala Danga, promoter, Limpopo Club, Africa Centre, London
''Mapapiro, a product of many years of composing,
features a number of outstanding, original and innovative Zimbabwean musicians''
Daily News (Zimbabwe)
''Mapapiro is in a class of its own... the most exciting release to come from this part of the world in a long while''
Terence Mapurisana - Sunday Mail Magazine (Zimbabwe)
''Mapapiro is oneof those rare albums I play again and again - all of it, and I know I will continue to come back to it in 10 years time''.
Filmmaker Deborah Kingsland, (London)
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