By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
Mbira fusion star — Ronald Nyandoro — says while growing up he would steal the mbira instrument and learn how to play it.
In an interview with Canadian station CKUA Radio with Lark broadcast recently, Nyandoro opened up about his formative years as a novice.
“I grew up in a small village in Mhodoro, Zimbabwe about 70 kilometers south-west of Harare. It was an adventurous childhood a lot of things happening there. You know the rural set up in Zimbabwe is characterized by lots of farming as a livelihood and then there is lots of music that goes on in there.
“Playing music just for pleasure, playing music for spiritual reasons, looking after cows, looking after crops,” he explained.
“I learnt to play mbira by stealing the instrument whenever the elders were away because we were not allowed to touch. You know that mbira it’s a delicate instrument and if kids get hold of it can be bend around and so forth and then lose its tuning. So we had to steal the instrument and try it and when the elders are coming back try to put it back where it was.”
Nyandoro who is a self-taught mbira player said he was not allowed near the instrument but much to his surprise his parents loved the way he played it and gave me a chance.
“Sometimes we were caught playing that instrument, sometimes they would just wait and listen and enjoy the melody. And so as I grew up they started inviting me to play at traditional functions and so forth. So they knew what was happening but they tried to appear as if they were not seeing anything,” Nyandoro said.
Nyandoro has a 10-track album simply titled — Sabhuku which already has the seal of approval of Chimurenga music pundits.
The one good thing about the album is that Nyandoro does not try too much to sound like music maestro Dr Thomas Mapfumo but instead he sings in his natural and undiluted voice bringing home a melody that compares to none.
The 46-year-old based in Edmonton, Canada also showcases his great artistry and range throughout the album showcasing the uniqueness of mbira music where in some songs he slows the tempo before he raises the tempo for those that love to sing and dance.
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