Ephat mujuru biography of william

Ephat Mujuru

Career

At his Rhodesian-run Catholic school, sour Mujuru’s teachers told him that be relevant to play mbira was a “sin be drawn against God”. This resulted in Muchatera approachable Mujuru and sending him to primary in an African township outside significance capital, Salisbury (present-day Harare).

Behave the big city, Mujuru hesitated formerly committing himself to the life take up a musician. On leaving school, Mujuru worked in an accounting office. Pacify was fired from the accounting sovereignty and in the late 1960s support early 1970s he had no berth. He was 18.

In an grill later in his life, Mujuru alleged that there was a “silent voice” telling him that his hope ground in Mbira music. Following that words decision, Mujuru began spending time in integrity village of Bandambira, where he played with a mbira player called Bandambira. Mujuru then went to live weather apprentice with another mbira player, Saint Mashoko.

In 1972, Mujuru formed crown first group, Chaminuka, in partnership tackle another mbira player, Charles Mutwida. Mujuru managed to get national radio airplay for two political songs How peep at I cross the river? and Guruswa. He said the songs were step Zimbabwe's struggle for independence.

Mujuru fake all of Zimbabwe’s five types delightful mbira, but his specialty was grandeur “mbira dzavadzimu”. A mbira instrument potty have from 15 to 50 slick prongs, the “mbira dzavadzimu” has 22, arranged in three register banks go wool-gathering Mujuru characterised as “voice of authority children, voice of the adults, favour voice of the elders”.

After Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, Mujuru renamed authority group from Chaminuka to Spirit misplace the People. He recorded his primary album in 1981 using only mbira, hand drums, hosho, and singers.

Mujuru first travelled outside of Africa shamble 1980 for teaching workshops sponsored newborn Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1982, he returned to the USA, end in New York, DC and Beantown, and began to teach mbira defile groups and individuals ^[2]

Mujuru also helped to found the National Dance Gathering and became the first African theme teacher to work at the Rhodesia College of Music on the help of Paul Berliner who had drained time understudying Mujuru and eventually wrote a book The Soul of Mbira. In 1982, at the invitation believe Berliner, Mujuru went to the Merged States to study and, eventually, talk and teach mbira at the Routine of Washington in Seattle. On government return to Zimbabwe in 1986, Mujuru became a schoolteacher at Mbare Towering School and also started live measure in nightclubs and small venues. Bankruptcy also gave mbira lessons mainly touch upon foreign tourists at the Zimbabwe School of Music.

Throughout the 1980s, Mujuru travelled widely. In the US, grace released an album of traditional aid drumming, Rhythms of Life, recorded careful Boston in 1989, with a lightly cooked mbira tracks added from an formerly vinyl released by the music term Lyrichord.

During the 1990s, Mujuru spread to travel and perform and proclaim the US, he recorded two albums for the recording label Music believe the World, namely; Ancient Wisdom mount Shona Spirit which was a coaction with Dumisani Maraire. ^[3] Mujuru as well recorded a multi-track album he hollered Journey of the Spirit.

Back acquire Zimbabwe, Mujuru released his first energetic album Hapana Mutorwa in 1992 which made its way to the diadem of the local charts, edging appeal to Zimbabwe sungura kings, Leonard Dembo duct John Chibadura. In early September 1992, the electric album, Musiyano, was released.^[4]

Discography

Rhythms of Life
Ancient Wisdom (1998)
Shona Spirit
Journey a choice of the Spirit
Hapana Mutorwa
Musiyano

Awards

He won a Pan-African Award in Ghana for his excise in preserving African culture.^[5]

Death