Dr Hukwe Zawose Dies at 65

Wednesday, January 07 2004 @ 10:23 PM EST

London, England - Real World Records announced today the death of Dr Hukwe Zawose on Tuesday 30 December 2003 at his home in Bagamoyo, Tanzania at the age of 65.

Born in Doduma, a rural area of Tanzania, Dr Zawose was a legend in his own land, a clan leader and community mentor who had single-handedly breathed new life into the ancient traditional music of the Wagogo people. He first appeared in Great Britain in the early-eighties with the Master Musicians of Tanzania. His extraordinary 5-octave vocal range - switching between a high, feminine sound and a form of throat-singing and his exquisite playing of the buzzing ilimba thumb piano or the sensuous one-stringed izeze fiddle mesmerized audiences. The first of many appearances at WOMAD began at Mersea Island, UK in 1985.

Basing himself in the old Tanzanian town of Bagamoyo, where he devoted his time to founding and then teaching at the unique College of Performing Arts and presiding over a huge extended family, Dr Zawose travelled to the four corners of the globe, engaging his audiences in his taut and extraordinary web of singing and dancing talent, often travelling with his brilliant nephew Charles Zawose. In 2002 Hukwe and Charles accompanied Peter Gabriel as support act during his Growing Up Tour.

Dr Zawose recorded a number of albums during his life, including the traditional Chibite recorded in 1995 at the Real World 'Recording Week' and Spear To the Heart on the WOMAD Select label - both featuring emotional polyphonic vocal pyrotechnics with Charles. Most recently Dr Zawose teamed up with the highly respected producer/guitarist Michael Brook to concoct a rendezvous of traditional and modern sounds, ancient spirit meets digital technology. The result was Assembly (released on Real World Records in May 2002). This was Michael Brook's reaction to the news of his death: "Hukwe's voice and music always made me feel a sense of light, slightly giddy happiness. In person, his effect was similar, which makes his passing all the sadder. I'll miss his remarkable talent and humour, and feel honored to have known and worked with him."

One of his final collaborations was with Peter Gabriel on the track 'Animal Nation' which they also performed together on tour: "I was devastated to hear of Hukwe's death. He was an extraordinary musician, singer and composer and made most of the most beautiful music we have ever put out on Real World Records."

World Music Central
http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20040107202313784