Entertainment / Local
Where is omasiganda music now?
26 Jan 2015 at 02:55hrs | Views
Music When I was aged 10, my school teacher organised a train trip from Mutare to Victoria Falls during the Easter holidays. That was the first time I experienced a train ride in my life. We were a group of 20 schoolchildren on this adventure. We had two stop-overs, one in Harare and the other in Bulawayo.
It took us three days to reach the Victoria Falls. When we eventually saw the Victoria Falls, we all agreed that it was the most exciting attraction we had ever visited. The tour guides were so experienced, helpful and supportive. We even went on a boat cruise.
Before we got on, we were given padded life jackets to wear by the tour guides. They took their time with each of us and explained exactly what we should do. They were fantastic.
There were a few of us who were afraid of water and heights, but, believe me, our tour guides assured us that we would be absolutely secure and safe. And we were!
Even the boat cruise was unbelievable, it was like something out of the movie, "Jurassic Park". It was thrilling beyond belief.
Due to this experience which I had put down to a childhood fairy tale, I decided to go back ten years later. This time I went back to Victoria Falls as a guest of the Harare Mambo band. The late Newton Kanengoni, who had been my classmate and band mate in Mutare was playing with Greenford Jangano, William Kashiri and Clancy Mbirimi at a hotel there. It was a fantastic experience.
But all this is a digression.
I meant to tell you about my experiences during travel by train to Vic Falls.
On the train was a musician from Bulawayo whose full name I cannot remember but he was playing the guitar and singing the omasiganda and Beatles' songs. People called him "Smart". Behind him was his son holding a hat. People who appreciated the music would throw coins into the hat.
This was also the first time I came across an omasiganda musician who played traditional songs on guitar using traditional lyrics.
Although I was already competent with guitar playing at that time, I only played copyright music. I could not imagine myself doing omasiganda on the train like Smart was doing.
First of all, I did not want to be conceived as a beggar. Secondly, I was too shy to be playing anywhere else that was not a stage, but with the music spirit in me, I found myself singing along and harmonising to some of the familiar Beatles tunes this man was singing.
He loved my harmonies and stopped for a while to listen to me,"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it seems that they are here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday."
He invited me to walk up and down the train aisles with him singing that tune. At first I was embarrassed, but I soon got into it. When I asked him if I could play the guitar while he continued singing, he was equally surprised. He did not know that I could play but he was pleased to have discovered me as I worked for him all night. So my begging life on that night began from Norton all the way to Bulawayo.
I was not allowed to count the money we made that night but a rough estimate brought it to about $75. He gave me $10 when we reached Bulawayo.
I later learned that playing omasiganda music on the train was the in-thing during Rhodesia Railways time and I also learned that if I had been introduced to the train guard at the beginning of my journey, like Smart and his son, I would have not paid for the journey. I guess the $10 made up for it.
Twenty or so years before the likes of Smart came onto the scene, there were several other omasiganda players, the likes of Josaya Hadebe, George Sibanda and Sabelo Mathe. They all hailed from Bulawayo.
One notable omasiganda musician was a famous albino called John White. Like all omasiganda musicians, he sang in the streets, at tea parties, in beer halls and in trains.
John White was a popular omasiganda performer of the 1950's, who used to sing and play guitar for passengers travelling by train.
His guitar style was "hawaiian", whereby he used a thumbing bottle on the guitar which gave him a sound equivalent to that churned out by a pedal steel guitar.
John White enthralled so many passengers on the train that although he had started off by playing for free, he began to charge 50 cents for a song to those who preferred to pay him. Thus playing omasiganda music on the Rhodesia Railways train became big business for John White.
One afternoon, together with other 0masiganda players, he played at a party in Sarahuru (Mwenenzi), where he was rated the best.
People had thronged to the occasion in such great numbers that some had to climb up trees to listen to him.
A local businessman later persuaded him to play in an open lorry for easy viewing by the audience.
Patrons soon swelled around the lorry. A white policeman who had witnessed John's instant popularity, surprised people by giving the musician some money, which was unusual in 1952.
Some of the tunes which John played were variants of George Sibanda's songs such as "GwabiGwabiKuzwa''.
However, he played mostly his own compositions.
As happened to other musicians, John White was invited to play in Kariba for the dam builders, at which he met another invited omasiganda player who was known as ''Chigonamubhawa''. Chigonamubhawa's show was completely overshadowed by that of John White.
In 1953 John White, unknowingly, was hired for a token fee by yet another policeman to perform near a jail close to a railway line in Bulawayo, apparently to trap and arrest people who did not have colonial identity cards (zvitupa).
Just before his death, John White was no longer performing in passenger trains, but in beer halls only where he charged 50cents for a song.
Another unique omasiganda player was known as Daniel Mukonori who used to advise people against laziness, with tunes such as, ''Burukwa RakoRine Chigamba'' (your trousers are full of patches). Daniel was making social commentary on the conditions that existed at the time. A lot of young people were unemployed and they walked in the streets with trousers that were either torn or full of patches. Mukonori would just walk in the streets with his guitar and started singing.
It is believed that the present day Cool Crooners name came from two groups, The Cool Four and the Golden Rhythm Crooners. They took the Cool from the Cool Four and the Crooners from the Golden Rhythm Crooners' to from a merger which they called the Cool Crooners.
They took Mukonori's song and translated it into SiNdebele. It became "Ibhulugwe Lami Lile Zigamba". The song is still popular to this day.
The Cool Crooners are a Bulawayo based quartet with musical careers that go back to the 1950's.
Despite age, their dancing style/choreography and creativity are both inspirational and compelling. Their vocal harmony is as good as it was fifty years ago.
Members of the group are: Ben "PhulaPhulani" Gumbo (82), Lucky Thodlana (75), Abel Sithole (77) and young Eric Juba (62) Eric's unique baritone adds to the vocal mastery of the quartet.
Timothy Selani replaced Ben Gumbo, who recently died. Abel was the man behind the integration of the two singing groups.
Although, by definition, omasiganda music is performed by one traditional guitar player in open places such as beerhalls, in trains, on the streets or at tea parties, the Cool Crooners are not omasiganda performers, but have taken songs from omasiganda musicians and modified them.
A recent press statement had this to say of the ageing quartet: "It's clear that the Cool Crooners are happy about their new-found popularity. Their record, 'Blue Sky', is their pride and joy as well as the ambassador of a long overdue and well-deserved recognition."
Another celebrated omasiganda of the 50's was Ali Vintuale, a migrant from Mozambique.
His guitar music resembled that of John white.
Ali used a bottle to produce soulful Hawaian-flavoured tunes.
Feedback: f_zindi@hotmail.com
It took us three days to reach the Victoria Falls. When we eventually saw the Victoria Falls, we all agreed that it was the most exciting attraction we had ever visited. The tour guides were so experienced, helpful and supportive. We even went on a boat cruise.
Before we got on, we were given padded life jackets to wear by the tour guides. They took their time with each of us and explained exactly what we should do. They were fantastic.
There were a few of us who were afraid of water and heights, but, believe me, our tour guides assured us that we would be absolutely secure and safe. And we were!
Even the boat cruise was unbelievable, it was like something out of the movie, "Jurassic Park". It was thrilling beyond belief.
Due to this experience which I had put down to a childhood fairy tale, I decided to go back ten years later. This time I went back to Victoria Falls as a guest of the Harare Mambo band. The late Newton Kanengoni, who had been my classmate and band mate in Mutare was playing with Greenford Jangano, William Kashiri and Clancy Mbirimi at a hotel there. It was a fantastic experience.
But all this is a digression.
I meant to tell you about my experiences during travel by train to Vic Falls.
On the train was a musician from Bulawayo whose full name I cannot remember but he was playing the guitar and singing the omasiganda and Beatles' songs. People called him "Smart". Behind him was his son holding a hat. People who appreciated the music would throw coins into the hat.
This was also the first time I came across an omasiganda musician who played traditional songs on guitar using traditional lyrics.
Although I was already competent with guitar playing at that time, I only played copyright music. I could not imagine myself doing omasiganda on the train like Smart was doing.
First of all, I did not want to be conceived as a beggar. Secondly, I was too shy to be playing anywhere else that was not a stage, but with the music spirit in me, I found myself singing along and harmonising to some of the familiar Beatles tunes this man was singing.
He loved my harmonies and stopped for a while to listen to me,"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it seems that they are here to stay. Oh I believe in yesterday."
He invited me to walk up and down the train aisles with him singing that tune. At first I was embarrassed, but I soon got into it. When I asked him if I could play the guitar while he continued singing, he was equally surprised. He did not know that I could play but he was pleased to have discovered me as I worked for him all night. So my begging life on that night began from Norton all the way to Bulawayo.
I was not allowed to count the money we made that night but a rough estimate brought it to about $75. He gave me $10 when we reached Bulawayo.
I later learned that playing omasiganda music on the train was the in-thing during Rhodesia Railways time and I also learned that if I had been introduced to the train guard at the beginning of my journey, like Smart and his son, I would have not paid for the journey. I guess the $10 made up for it.
Twenty or so years before the likes of Smart came onto the scene, there were several other omasiganda players, the likes of Josaya Hadebe, George Sibanda and Sabelo Mathe. They all hailed from Bulawayo.
One notable omasiganda musician was a famous albino called John White. Like all omasiganda musicians, he sang in the streets, at tea parties, in beer halls and in trains.
John White was a popular omasiganda performer of the 1950's, who used to sing and play guitar for passengers travelling by train.
His guitar style was "hawaiian", whereby he used a thumbing bottle on the guitar which gave him a sound equivalent to that churned out by a pedal steel guitar.
John White enthralled so many passengers on the train that although he had started off by playing for free, he began to charge 50 cents for a song to those who preferred to pay him. Thus playing omasiganda music on the Rhodesia Railways train became big business for John White.
One afternoon, together with other 0masiganda players, he played at a party in Sarahuru (Mwenenzi), where he was rated the best.
People had thronged to the occasion in such great numbers that some had to climb up trees to listen to him.
A local businessman later persuaded him to play in an open lorry for easy viewing by the audience.
Patrons soon swelled around the lorry. A white policeman who had witnessed John's instant popularity, surprised people by giving the musician some money, which was unusual in 1952.
Some of the tunes which John played were variants of George Sibanda's songs such as "GwabiGwabiKuzwa''.
However, he played mostly his own compositions.
As happened to other musicians, John White was invited to play in Kariba for the dam builders, at which he met another invited omasiganda player who was known as ''Chigonamubhawa''. Chigonamubhawa's show was completely overshadowed by that of John White.
In 1953 John White, unknowingly, was hired for a token fee by yet another policeman to perform near a jail close to a railway line in Bulawayo, apparently to trap and arrest people who did not have colonial identity cards (zvitupa).
Just before his death, John White was no longer performing in passenger trains, but in beer halls only where he charged 50cents for a song.
Another unique omasiganda player was known as Daniel Mukonori who used to advise people against laziness, with tunes such as, ''Burukwa RakoRine Chigamba'' (your trousers are full of patches). Daniel was making social commentary on the conditions that existed at the time. A lot of young people were unemployed and they walked in the streets with trousers that were either torn or full of patches. Mukonori would just walk in the streets with his guitar and started singing.
It is believed that the present day Cool Crooners name came from two groups, The Cool Four and the Golden Rhythm Crooners. They took the Cool from the Cool Four and the Crooners from the Golden Rhythm Crooners' to from a merger which they called the Cool Crooners.
They took Mukonori's song and translated it into SiNdebele. It became "Ibhulugwe Lami Lile Zigamba". The song is still popular to this day.
The Cool Crooners are a Bulawayo based quartet with musical careers that go back to the 1950's.
Despite age, their dancing style/choreography and creativity are both inspirational and compelling. Their vocal harmony is as good as it was fifty years ago.
Members of the group are: Ben "PhulaPhulani" Gumbo (82), Lucky Thodlana (75), Abel Sithole (77) and young Eric Juba (62) Eric's unique baritone adds to the vocal mastery of the quartet.
Timothy Selani replaced Ben Gumbo, who recently died. Abel was the man behind the integration of the two singing groups.
Although, by definition, omasiganda music is performed by one traditional guitar player in open places such as beerhalls, in trains, on the streets or at tea parties, the Cool Crooners are not omasiganda performers, but have taken songs from omasiganda musicians and modified them.
A recent press statement had this to say of the ageing quartet: "It's clear that the Cool Crooners are happy about their new-found popularity. Their record, 'Blue Sky', is their pride and joy as well as the ambassador of a long overdue and well-deserved recognition."
Another celebrated omasiganda of the 50's was Ali Vintuale, a migrant from Mozambique.
His guitar music resembled that of John white.
Ali used a bottle to produce soulful Hawaian-flavoured tunes.
Feedback: f_zindi@hotmail.com
Source - the herald
