The Zawose Queens – Maisha

Real World

Real World Records has sometimes been criticised for plonking musicians in fancy studios and giving traditional music the shiny treatment that doesn’t always make it shine. I don’t know that ‘authenticity’ is found in iffy tape dubs, but there’s definitely a sense that a record is not a live show — musicians who are primarily live ones potentially need a bit more engineer-y attention than do your average rock band who have a clear sound in my head.

Having said that, those criticisms were likely the growing pains and Real World is thirty-five years old at this point in history. But I say it to illustrate that the production on this record is excellent. While this is traditional music, there’s plenty of subtle but useful studio frippery at hand — wee background synths to fill out a sound, a good sense of instrument spacing, pushing the bass to drive home rhythms and so on. Presumably then The Zawose Queens have spent a fair amount of time presenting music that jumps onto the international stage and radio.

The music is in that category of ‘deceptively simple’ — usually two-part close harmonies, bits of chizeze fiddles, illimba (from the mbira family). There’s a few acapellas and a lovely variety of vocal stylings. The band are mother and daughter and their dad / grandfather was seemingly the daddy of Wagogo music, which is also to say one of my follow-up tasks is to look up Dr Hukwe Zawose.

As you might imagine, my knowledge of Tanzania, let alone specific cultures of Tanzania, is poor — I can tell you that this definitely isn’t similar to Jagwa Music and it’s nothing like Simba Wanyika. Often the harmonic content is ostensibly simple, repeating melodies on the illimba. Dual vocals usually sit on top and hand percussion gives it a bit of a rhythmic shape. There’s a raft of different ideas here — sometimes with traditions I don’t know it can feel samey, especially when the lyrics are opaque to me, but that’s not the case here.

Despite having only so many instruments (this isn’t a Kutian big band), there’s a bunch of arrangement ideas and tempo changes giving a thorough dollop of variety — “Sauti Ya Mama” is slow and plaintive, perhaps melancholy. “Kusakala Kwenyungu” works outwards from a sparse acapella. “Fahiri Yetu” has a big scronchy bassline that one would be sick not to get down to. Closer “Chidodo” is the only one with a big group vocal going on and gives a nice celebratory fast song finale.

They’re on tour in the UK in late June / July, playing Shoreham, Liverpool, Bristol, Cornwall, Malmesbury (which is an inexplicable list of places that aren’t London and I very much respect it) and I’ve just sorted tickets for Shoreham. Perhaps I’ll report back. Meanwhile though — lovely harmonies.

Chizeze fiddles have a lovely throaty sound. Mbira family instruments are always lush and — in my experience relatively uncommonly — a thoroughly and tastefully produced record. One for the heads, perhaps, who are looking for something new from out east. Strong recommend.

-Kev Nickells-