Oliver Mtukudzi and
The Black Spirits
Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits
Flamingo Cantina
Austin, Teaxs
“Hello Austin! We are coming from Zimbabwe. And if you have never been to Zimbabwe, we’re here to take you to Zimbabwe.” So declared Oliver Mtukudzi at a crowded Friday night performance at Sixth Street’s Flamingo Cantina. Zimbabwe’s national treasure and the most successful African recording artist in North America, Mtukudzi and his band the Black Spirits did indeed transport their audience to a place where “music is like food” and “you don’t get to sing a song if you have nothing to say.”
Mtukudzi had a fair amount to say: where he comes from, people use music “to talk about our pain, our frustrations, our joys.” Despite the struggles his lyrics – a mixture of Shona, Ndebele and English – communicate, his unique tuku music style has an upbeat vibe. A little bit of Afropop, mbira, mbaqanga, jit, and Korekore drumming combined with husky, almost soul-rock vocals reminiscent of Otis Redding make for a highly energetic winning combo, invoking the possibility of singing all one’s troubles away. “Hear me Lord, I’m feeling low” sounds less like an agonized cry than a hopeful prayer, reminding the listener that pain need not couple with overwhelming despair.
The band’s synergy shone through as they performed a number of low-key synchronized dances together. Mtukudzi snuck in a solo dance during a folksy guitar riff, calling to mind the image of a bird getting off the ground, reaching towards the sky. The rhythms of his beats were enough to stir even the saddest show-goer to dance, and the easy blending of language lent a certain universality – indeed, an audience of all races and ages turned out to soar on the melody of pain-turned-art. Multilingualism is not required to experience the rejuvenating, utterly hopeful feel of Mtukudzi’s songcraft.
by Nori Hubert
Flamingo Cantina
Austin, Teaxs
“Hello Austin! We are coming from Zimbabwe. And if you have never been to Zimbabwe, we’re here to take you to Zimbabwe.” So declared Oliver Mtukudzi at a crowded Friday night performance at Sixth Street’s Flamingo Cantina. Zimbabwe’s national treasure and the most successful African recording artist in North America, Mtukudzi and his band the Black Spirits did indeed transport their audience to a place where “music is like food” and “you don’t get to sing a song if you have nothing to say.”
The band’s synergy shone through as they performed a number of low-key synchronized dances together. Mtukudzi snuck in a solo dance during a folksy guitar riff, calling to mind the image of a bird getting off the ground, reaching towards the sky. The rhythms of his beats were enough to stir even the saddest show-goer to dance, and the easy blending of language lent a certain universality – indeed, an audience of all races and ages turned out to soar on the melody of pain-turned-art. Multilingualism is not required to experience the rejuvenating, utterly hopeful feel of Mtukudzi’s songcraft.
by Nori Hubert
