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Zimbabwean reggae? Not quite. As the title of this new compilation on the Analog Africa label suggests, what we have here is actually chigiyo, a genre rooted both in Jamaican reggae and Zimbabwean mbira traditions.
The style emerged in the wake of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ historic 1980 performance celebrating Zimbabwe’s independence. That concert left such a deep impression that, from then on, local acts were expected to include at least a few reggae songs in their live sets.
Instead of merely imitating the Jamaican sound, the members of Zig-Zag Band decided to fuse reggae with authentic Zimbabwean elements, laying the foundation for the chigiyo genre (named after a traditional dance from the Chimanimani region).
The band was founded in the early nineteen eighties by mentor Robson Kadenhe and guitarist–bandleader Gilbert Zvamaida in Kwekwe, a city in central Zimbabwe. In their early days, they served as the backing band for Oliver Mtukudzi, even recording his ‘Wavona’ album.
Zig-Zag Band’s breakthrough came in 1987 with the single ‘Gomo Ramasare’, still their signature tune to this day. Two years later came their debut album ‘Child Survival/Chigamba’, followed in 1991 by ‘Mudzimu Mukuru’, whose title track has since become one of the most-covered songs in Zimbabwe’s musical history.
Except for Gilbert Zvamaida - now based in the United States, where he occasionally still shares the stage with Thomas Mapfumo - all other original members have sadly passed away. A reunion may be out of the question, but ‘Chigiyo Music Kings 1987–1998’ stands as a true revelation nonetheless.
