Chiwoniso, Born 5 March 1976, was an accomplished singer, songwriter, and exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music. She was the daughter of the late renowned Zimbabwean mbira player andteacher Dumisani Maraire. She spent the first seven years of her life away from her homeland, Zimbabwe, as her father had moved the family to Washington State in the U.S. in 1970 to pursue a degree in Ethnomusicology. Chiwoniso played a role as one of the most revolutionary mbira players crossing all musical borders with the instrument inspiring young Zimbabweans to play the mbira in a more modern and contemporary way. She did collaborations with countless musicians and artists from across the world. ___________________________________________________ On the album Ancient Voices (produced 1995) she melded the conventional and modern, sang in English and African languages, and used contemporary instruments and traditional African instruments such as the mbira. She learned how to play the instrument despite the fact that traditionally, womenin Zimbabwe were not permitted to play it. The mbira, she said, “Is like a large xylophone. It is everywhere in Africa under different names: sanza, kalimba, etc. For us in Zimbabwe it is the name formany string instruments. There are manykinds of mbiras. The one that I play is called the nyunga nyunga, which means sparkle-sparkle.” Chiwoniso fronted her acoustic group Chiwoniso & Vibe Culture for several years. From 2001 to 2004, she was also acore member of the multinational all-women band Women’s Voice, whose original members hailed from Norway, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, America, Israel and Algeria. Chiwoniso also starred in film, having worked on the soundtracks for movies and documentaries by an array of Zimbabwean writers and film producers in the last ten years. She also narrated a feature documentary Liemba released in 2010. In February 2006, she joined Busi Ncube,Adam Chisvo, Mashasha and several otherleading Zimbabwean artists in an ad-hoc band called The Collaboration and recorded Hupenyu Kumusha, Life at Home, Impilo Ekhaya. The band performed in Zanzibar’s Sauti za Busara 2007 Festival. In September 2008, Chiwoniso released her fourth album and first international album in over ten years, Rebel Woman. The album perfectly mirrors Chiwoniso’s life in the way that she sings about her personal experiences. From her own spirituality to a passerby on the street, every song in Rebel Womanwas influenced by a specific event in her life. Recognizing that artists play an important role in society, this masterful album speaks out in support of every issue Chiwoniso has witnessed, regardless of the consequences. She blends ancient, African soul, with modernspirit accompanied by the melodies of the mbira and deep grooves.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:43:30 +0000
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