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The unsung hero of Chimurenga beat
Music critics often argue that Thomas Mapfumo would not have been what he is today without Jonah Sithole’s staccato guitar prowess. They say that it is that guitar which imitated the mbira sound that made Mapfumo’s music unique. Guitarists such as Leonard “Picket” Chiyangwa, who came after Jonah, were only imitating the sound originally created by Jonah. While their early records were brutal hard-core thrash, this Mapfumo/Sithole combination did wonders for The Blacks Unlimited. The end result was an intense and expansive blend of classic ‘70s and bristling ‘80s Chimurenga beat. With bands like Hallelujah Chicken Run, The Springfields, Robson Banda, Mbombera, The Four Brothers and Pio Farai Macheka, Mapfumo and Jonah remained the major touchstones on this consistently stellar set of Chimurenga beats ranging from the explosive “Butsu Mutandarika” to atmospheric, tension-filled mood-pieces such as “Gwindingwi Rine Shumba” and “Mugara Ndega”. While Jonah was fluent in many guitar styles, including rhumba and afro-jazz, he is best known for his Chimurenga guitar style, where he excelled in the art of combining three- and four-beat rhythms in lyrical, flowing melodic lines. Jonah set himself apart from other mbira-guitarists by the emotional expressiveness of his playing, which he achieved by using the mbira or vocalists to develop his guitar melodies rather that by merely accompanying the mbira or “filling in the gaps”. His album “Sabhuku” is filled with tracks that highlight his style. Credit is often given to Mapfumo for starting the Chimurenga music bandwagon in Zimbabwe, but equally important in the revolutionising of the “mbira” beat is Jonah, who played on and off with Mapfumo then with his own band, The Deep Horizon. Born on November 1, 1952 in Zvishavane, Jonah attended primary school in the asbestos-producing town and did secondary education at Mpopoma High, Bulawayo, in 1969. Soon after he began listening to local music, he decided to leave Bulawayo and settle in Kwekwe, where his half- brother Fanyana Dube, was already performing with a local band. When Fanyana became prominent in the Jairos Jiri Kwela Kings Band, there was no stopping Jonah following in his big brother’s footsteps. He joined the band, playing bass guitar with his brother on the lead. A year later, Jonah’s formal training as a musician was complete. He then moved to Harare in search of greener pastures. He formed a band called the Delphans after talking to an equipment owner he only knew as Wonder. In 1970, Jonah teamed up with Dyson Finos and a talented drummer, Smiley. Together they formed a band, which toured the country performing in front of multitudes. Jonah was later approached by Never Mutare (of the Four Brothers fame) and Jackson Phiri in 1971 to join the Limpopo Jazz Band. Up until then, Jonah was playing bass, but the Limpopo provided a new turn in his life because Never too played bass guitar. So Jonah was compelled to play the lead. He had always wanted to play his guitar differently from others. This is when, while on lead guitar, he decided to be innovative and started the staccato guitar sounds which he later converted to mbira sounds. Their contract with the Limpopo Jazz Band was for three years at a Harare hotel and when it expired the foreign members of Limpopo Jazz Band were deported from the country. By 1974, Jonah had mixed with and met a lot of musicians and had learned a variety of musical styles. He was approached by the manager of The Great Sounds who asked him to join the band. Jonah accepted. He, together with Elias Banda, Garantiya, Utah and John Muyambo (alias Chibhodhoro), churned out strong musical hits such as “Anopenga, Anewaya” and “Koni Mudiwa Wangu”. But by 1975, Harare had become a bore for Jonah. He decided to move to Mutare where he had worked before. There he met other musicians who called themselves the Pepsi Combo. For the next three years, he played in Mutare at Zimunya Hotel. He also saw the opening of Nyamanhindi Hotel outside the city centre and another hotel in Dangamvura. Then followed a period of boredom and once again a change of scene. It was during this period that he met Mapfumo at Jamaica Inn on the Harare-Mutare road. Both had one thing in common: they were looking for work. Mapfumo was holding his saxophone, having learnt to play a lot of different instruments but did not seem to have mastered any. So he ended up on the vocals. After a short talk, Mapfumo and Jonah formed a band called the Black Spirits (the name currently used by Oliver Mtukudzi’s backing group). The line-up included Leonard “Picket” Chiyangwa on rhythm guitar, Marshall Munhumumwe and later Sekuru Hozhwa on drums and Jonah on lead. This combination stayed together for just three months and Jonah decided to go back to Mutare. The rest of the band remained at Jamaica Inn but the sound had changed tremendously in the absence of Jonah. After a few months’ stay at Jamaica Inn, The Black Spirits were approached by Solomon Tawengwa to become the resident band at his newly opened Mushandirapamwe Hotel in Highfield. Mapfumo asked Jonah to return from Mutare and enticed him with the new contract. Jonah agreed. The group now consisted of Edward Tafirenyika on bass, Finos and Jonas Saruwata on rhythm guitars, Marshall Munhumumwe on drums, Mapfumo on vocals and Jonah Sithole on lead. Jonah played guitar on Mapfumo’s first album, “Hokoyo” which was released in 1977. In 1978, the band churned out a host of hits. Jonah’s strong mbira rhythmic guitar can be heard on hits like “Nyarai”, “Gwindingwi Rine Shumba”, “Rita”, “Chiruzevha Chapera” and “Chiruzevha Chauya”. Then the first split came! Edward, Finos, Jonas Sarutawa and Jonah Sithole had disagreements with Mapfumo over money. According to Jonah, Mapfumo had become greedy. They were getting £200 per week, but Thomas kept half of it for himself while asking the rest of the band to share the remaining £100. They left and formed The Storm. Mapfumo, meanwhile, formed his own band, The Acid Band, which ‘‘marriage’’ didn’t last because The Storm was given a contract to play at another Highfield nightclub and some of Mapfumo’s members left him. The Acid Band then split up and Mapfumo was left with no option but to beg Jonah to return to the fold and form the Blacks Unlimited. It was the very same musicians in Jonah’s Storm that became the backbone of Mapfumo’s music as we know it today. In 1984, Jonah went back to Mutare with his new band, The Deep Horizon, who in their own right had churned out hits such as “Baba vaBigi” and “Sabhuku”. The strong mbira guitar is still prevalent on almost all of Jonah’s recordings and it is quite easy for one to mistake Jonah’s sound as Mapfumo’s. It was in 1984, that Mapfumo was invited for his debut overseas tour. Jambo, the white South African promoter based in London, insisted on the original Chimurenga sound as part of the deal, but Mapfumo could not reproduce this without Jonah who had left the Blacks Unlimited and was enjoying massive nationwide popularity with his hit single, “Sabhuku”. Mapfumo approached Jonah once again and asked him to split half his group in exchange for the same by Mapfumo so that they could form a much stronger group to do the overseas tour. Jonah agreed after insisting on being paid in advance since they had previously parted company due to money problems. Mapfumo paid Jonah before the trip. The new group, Blacks Unlimited, now consisted of Charles on bass, Manda on rhythm guitar, Marshall on drums, Everson on trumpet and Jonah on lead. Together they toured Europe starting at the Markthalle Theatre in Hamburg, Germany, where they performed in front of over 5 000 people. They also performed at the Pavillion in Hannover before proceeding to Amsterdam, Holland, and then London, where Zimbabwean audiences at the 100 Club and The Forum sang along to songs such as “Madhebhura”, “Gwindingwi Rine Shumba”, “Corruption”, “Mabasa”, “Pidigori Waenda”, “Congress” and “Yarira Nehosho”. In all these songs, Jonah’s mbira-inspired guitar licks did the talking, much to the amusement of the audiences and the satisfaction of the promoters. In 1997, Jonah succumbed to ill-health and died after the completion of his last mbira-inspired recording entitled “Chimurenga Movement”. To sum it up, it seems it was Jonah who shaped the Chimurenga sound Dr Mapfumo is known for today.