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Malawi |
In 1995 I travelled through Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania.
I would like to thank Keith Kirkwood for his initial inspiration to go to Zimbabwe. This took the form of presenting me with some photocopied notes, which he gave to me two minutes before going on stage, for the launch of the Ma Fren CD.
It was on this short trip that I realised that I would have to return to Africa and explore the collaborative possibilities. On the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania I did perform a collaborative concert, with two contemporary dancers, a master drummer and Cecile Williams creating a magical 'set' using simple materials and candles. This was only to whet my appetite.
I was greatly helped both before and during this travel by Keith Goddard, who helped me to make contact with the amazing Mudzimo Uripo Pan Pipers of Zimbabwe. This day lives in my memory as something of great inspiration and importance. It left me in awe of this rich tradition of pan pipes, involving singing, dancing, shaking 'hosho' rattles, and the interlocking percussion of feet, with small gourd shakers tied to them, pounding on the dusty earth.
Malawi presented a completely different face. Charles Chibwana helped me to locate a remote pan pipe group and it was here that I met Mr. Basket, whose sad story inspired Can't See The Light which is on the latest Tok Pan Tok's CD, Eyes of a Child.
Thankyou to Prof. Andrew Tracey, International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown , South Africa, for the following information. He also noted that there are other traditions which involve just single note tubes.
African pan pipes
I now intend to return to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique to collaborate with local musicians, both traditional and contemporary, to create new music. I will seek out the traditional pan pipers located near Tete, in northern Mozambiqe. I will also visit Chikwawa district, to locate the Vulimba Six Boys Band and Charles Chibwana, to see if they still play the wonderful music they shared with me in 1995.
If you would like to know more about this continuing project, please contact me in the Your Information page or via email: pete@panpeople.com.au
The music making process in Malawi seemed easy. The musicians were all keen to become involved in the project, open to experimenting, and inspired individuals.
I first met Goodson Gomanda, as I searched the backblocks of Blantyre for a good recording studio. Goodson was a continually positive and supportive figure during my three months in Malawi. We also collaborated to compose Walking Together, together with musicians Sam Katimba and Owen Hulera, both of whom were clever multi-instrumentalists. We then asked Mildred 'Nachi' Ligoya to do some backing vocals, sounds and harmonies.
Having met Nachi, and then hearing her sing, it was quickly agreed that we would also write a song together. The exuberance and enthusiasm, and ease, with which the song Life Is Life came about, is a testimony both to Malawians in general, as well as Nachi's beaming personality. We called in a vocal trio, the Gospel Vocal Chords, to sing backup vocals and called upon Sam and Owen to play guitars and keyboards.
Whilst these songs were taking form, I travelled to the remote town of Chikwawa, to try and catch an old aquaintance. Charles Chibwana was still living there, where I had met him some twelve years earlier, whilst looking for a rare tradition of pan pipe. We took to our bicycles and rode an hour further into the bush, where I was privileged to meet and hear the musicians in the Valimba Band and the Lusulao Boys Band. Upon seeing these wonderful musicians, with their rustic and handmade musical instruments, I was inspired to ask whether they too would like to collaborate with me to write one original song each.
I then lived in Chikwawa, for several periods of four days at a time, managing to overcome a series of difficulties to regularly meet with the two groups. Via translators, goats, chickens, huge waves of noisy children, heat and little food, we came up with the Childrens Dance and Lusulao Joys pieces.
I also asked Nachi to sing on the Five Corners song, and this was another purely magical moment.
As a result of the visit to the Valimba and Lusulao musician's village, I was able to record and produce a CD of their traditional music. With the wondrous support of friends back in Australia, we were able to raise the funds to produce a concert in Chikwawa, featuring four major groups (actually three as one didn't arrive until next morning!!), with the surplus funds buying each group enough rice and maizemeal to get through the terrible drought they were experiencing.
Sporting new costumes as a result of these donations, both groups gained contracts to play music fortnightly for the coming year in a hotel in Blantyre. It was a distraction and huge time consumer, away from my collaborations pursuits, but one whose accompanying stories will live with me forever.
From Chikwawa I took local transport further inland, then borrowed bicycles, together with my friend and translator Charles Chibwana, riding a few hours further towards Mozambique. We then walked the last couple of hours before reaching a small Mozambiquan village where it was believed they still played the traditional pan pipes. Here we slept on the school verandah overnight, so the musicians and instruments could be assembled for the ensuing 'gathering'. It was here that I had my first experience of Mozambiquan style nyanga pan pipes, with their hocket melodies and syncopated rhythms. The men played and danced, with the sound of their leg rattles forming one layer, their sing-blow pan pipes the next multi layer, surrounded by the shrill singing of the women.
I departed Malawi in late December.
