Stella Chiweshe
Ambuya?
GlobeStyle Records (Germany) 1987
ORB 029 (LP)
sleeve : EX-(some light wear on side and corner)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise)
Released in 1987, this is the debut album by Stella Chiweshe, a female musician from Zimbabwe who also performed at Peter Gabriel’s world music festival WOMAD. Known internationally as a player of the mbira, a type of thumb piano, Chiweshe presents a superb collection here. Highlights include A1 and A2, where the vocals and drums are treated with just the right amount of dub-like processing, creating an especially pleasing atmosphere. Throughout the album, the gently dissonant resonance of the mbira floats beautifully over lively, bouncing drum and percussion rhythms. The arrangements also have a curious, highly distinctive quality rarely heard elsewhere, and this gives the whole record a wonderfully unique charm. A3, in particular, carries a groove reminiscent of UK funk-latino, making it easy to hear how strongly that scene was influenced by African music. A lovely album from start to finish.
A2: Nehondo
A3: Njuzu