Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Trust Khosa
10 November 2007
opinion
Harare — Fiery rhythm guitarist Innocent Mjintu - who cut his musical teeth in the late legendary Leonard Dembo's Barura Express and had a stint with Alick Macheso's trail-blazing Orchestra Mberikwazvo - has hit hard times.
The soft-spoken and clean-shaven artiste is reportedly failing to pay his band members and is now working as a session musician who helps other artistes to record their works. So far, Mjintu has helped Muvengwa, Ngwenya Brothers, Gift Amuli, Joseph Mbiza (real name Zozo), and Aaron Chinamira to record their new albums for an undisclosed amount.
The media-shy instrumentalist has reportedly released a new album Revai and it remains to be seen whether he put in enough effort in light of his tight schedule with recording peers. But what happened to the Zimbabwe African Rhythms Experts (ZARE), a project that precipitated his ouster from Macheso's outfit?
"I am aware that some people will say anything, but the truth of the matter is that I am not helping them (other musicians) for monetary gains, but for the love of the profession," he said. Mjintu - who is blessed with superb guitar playing skills but a terrible voice - confided in this reporter that all was not well.
"Like any other job, there is bound to be some problems, but we are going to soldier on like we have done before. I have been in the music industry for years and I am aware of its demands," he said. Though the artiste was reluctant to talk about his band, he maintained that he still has time for it. "I don't go into the studio everyday, right. I make sure that my shows don't clash with studio recordings. The same applies when I perform with other bands where I make sure that my programmes don't clash," he explained.
The seasoned rhythm guitarist, observers said, was relying on an exit package he got from Macheso to stage live gigs but the money was not enough to keep him going. Another shortcoming is that he cannot sing, a shortcoming his fans are not aware of. "Mjintu should at least try to do vocals and I would like to believe he had all the time in the world to work on that," said a critic who is also a music promoter.
Mjintu's close friends say he is considering throwing in the towel to join existing groups as a guitarist. This could be true. He was seen on stage with Elias Musakwa during the recent Ngaavongwe Music Explosion. Critics feel Mjintu's relationship with the people he engages to do the vocals is likely to be strained once they realise their potential, as was the case with Leonard Malunga, who did the lead vocals on most of the songs carried on Mjintu's album Ndafunga Barura.
But this is not the first time Mjintu has gone solo. Following the death of Leonard Dembo in the late 1990s, he assembled Bembera Express with the help of Leonard Malunga. The two recorded a few albums but failed to make a breakthrough. After these failed attempts, he swallowed his pride and joined Macheso at the turn of the new millennium until their union ended this year.
Mjintu became popular with sungura fans for his rhythm guitar on the track Charakupa, a hit song off Alick Macheso's Zvido Zvenyu Kunyanya. He also stood out on the track Tererai - arguably the most popular song off the 2005 album, Vapupuri Pupurai. On his departure from Orchestra Mberikwazvo early this year, Mjintu was replaced by Zakaria Zakaria, who was part of the "orchestra" on its formation in 1998.
But Mjintu is not alone in this predicament. Jonah "Sabhuku" Sithole and Ashton "Sugar" Chiweshe - both talented guitarists - left Thomas Mapfumo's Blacks Unlimited but failed to make it to the top.
The late Naison Chimbetu suffered a similar fate. He parted ways with his late brother Simon and founded the G7 Commandos, but it marked the beginning of the end of his career. More recently, Ronnie Mudhindo ditched Tongai Moyo's Utakataka Express and is struggling to reach the Promised Land.
Bothwell Butau, formerly with Somandla Ndebele and Tamuka Marodza (ex-Fishers of Men) are also struggling despite having formed their own bands.
Could this be the situation with Mjintu? Only time will tell.
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