Take One

During the struggle for independence people in different parts of Africa strived to reconnect to their culture, and one of the most obvious ways this happened was through music. Musicians began incorporating local rhythms and instruments into their sound, often singing in local language and wearing traditional clothes. In Zimbabwe musicians began imitating the melodies of the mbira on their electric guitars, and using drum cymbals to reproduce shakers, a syncretic style which became known as chimurenga. Thomas Mapfumo is often credited as its originator, and although he went on to become one of the country’s biggest stars as a solo artist, he started his career playing in Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, one of Harare’s most popular bands at the time. He soon moved on, but Hallelujah Chicken Run Band kept going, making a name for themselves with their fiery mix of traditional melodies, Congolese Rumba, and afro-rock. Mapfumo only appears on 4 of the fourteen tracks on this Analog Africa compilation (recorded between 1974 and 1979), like on the gorgeous “Ngoma Yarira,” a classic example of mbira-style guitar playing. The looping style reappears throughout the record, like on the early tracks “Mutoridodo” and “Alikulila,” or the lovely “Mudzimu Ndiringe.”