Headfirst Editor's Pick
"The legacy of Tanzania’s Real World Records giant Hukwe Zawose continues in electrifying fashion with Zawose Queens. His daughter and granddaughter meld rapturous dual vocals, lilting thumb piano, clattering ngoma drums and hypnotic chizeze fiddle with gurgling synths and thuds of global bass. It’s a joyous and exuberant discovery FFO: Remmy Ongala, Tarika, Stella Chiweshe, Onipa."
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A gig held at The Jam Jar on Friday 17th January. The event starts at 19:30.
There is spirit and fire in the music of The Zawose Queens. There's the vibrations of the ancestors, coming through on traditional instruments — soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder — and voices that go deep, high and out there. There's the connection to nature, to ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion, their blend of the organic, harmonic and modern-day electronic. There are lyrics that tell, in their native kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life. Of pride in environment, in tradition. In their East African roots.
The Jam Jar Presents
Zawose Queens
Friday 17th January
(RESCHEDULED from 28th November)
Doors Open 7.30pm
At The Jam Jar, Bristol
ZAWOSE QUEENS (cont.)
Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania.
The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose (Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather).
Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take their place as lead vocalists and performers. Emboldened by workshops in songwriting and music production with visiting UK-based producers Oli Barton-Wood (Jordan Rakei, Obongjayar, Nilufer Yanya) and Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), The Zawose Queens began writing their first ever songs. The resulting collection of songs range from the stripped back and traditional-sounding to those treated with subtle electronic elements, with beats and drops and found sounds and switch-ups.
Entry requirements: 18+
The Jam Jar Presents
Zawose Queens
Friday 17th January
(RESCHEDULED from 28th November)
Doors Open 7.30pm
At The Jam Jar, Bristol
ZAWOSE QUEENS (cont.)
Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania.
The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose (Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather).
Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take their place as lead vocalists and performers. Emboldened by workshops in songwriting and music production with visiting UK-based producers Oli Barton-Wood (Jordan Rakei, Obongjayar, Nilufer Yanya) and Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), The Zawose Queens began writing their first ever songs. The resulting collection of songs range from the stripped back and traditional-sounding to those treated with subtle electronic elements, with beats and drops and found sounds and switch-ups.
Entry requirements: 18+
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