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| Newman Chipeni |
I met Newman Chipeni at
his Batanai Gardens office in Harare early May 2006.
It was not an easy thing
to get the interview largely because of Chipeni’s work schedule in the real
estate sector.
Before meeting him, I had
listened endlessly to his album Tumai Rudo especially the song Chati Huwi which
kind of inspires me.
I had also spoken to
various other people who worked with Chipeni in the Harare Mambos. Although I
had some bit of knowledge about his musical background, still I wanted to know
why he had a standoff with the late Prince Tendai in the late 80s.
But just like Prince
Tendai, Chipeni declined to discuss the issue, opting instead to tell his
story.
In short, he told me that
he grew up on a farm in Mutare where he learnt playing the guitar from the
elderly people. Then he moved to Mutare where he assisted the Muparutsas who
later formed the RUNN Family.
To date, the RUNN Family is credited for
pioneering urban grooves music. But after I heard Chipeni’s story, I realised
who was behind the RUNN Family and who actually should be credited with the
title of the Father of Urban Groves. I mean, it’s Newman Chipeni, of course.
Some people have referred
to the Rusike Brothers as the pioneers of urban groves yet their style was an
imitation of the late Michael Jackson. Unless, we agree that MJ was an urban
groover and not a pop singer, then the Rusikes can be said to be pioneers of urban
groove.
To show how deft his hand
is in urban groves, Chipeni has produced Dino Mudondo, Decibel, Nonsi, Precious
Chawatama, and don’t forget I have done work for Innocent Utsiwegota, the
Harare Mambos, Michael Lannas, Alexio and Tendai Mupfurutsa among many others.
Apart from being the
unsung urban grooves pioneer, Chipeni is only one of two known musicians who can
record a whole album playing all the instruments and doing the vocals. The
other one is the late Franco Hodobo.
Below is my 2006 interview
If you know or have heard
about the Harare Mambos, then you should know or have heard some of their songs
like Kudendere, and Mbuya Nehanda.
If you know them, you should
certainly know Newman Chipeni.
In case you don’t know
him, let it be brought to your knowledge that this Newman Chipeni who was born
on a farm in Mutare where he learnt playing the guitar from elderly workers
composed the song Kudendere.
In fact, the song is on
the album Ngatigare Tose which Chipeni composed and was helped by the Harare
Mambos to record during the group’s tenure at Twelve Thousand Horseman Pub at
Monomotapa Hotel in the early 80s.
The Harare Mambos’ popularity
was waning and for years there had not been any recording when Chipeni joined
and tried to steer the group that was composed of some of Zimbabwe’s most
talented musicians towards fresh ground.
Being young and
adventurous, Chipeni got a contract to play in the Wine Barrel at the same
hotel and time.
“The Wine Barrel was
downstairs. They wanted someone to play folk, blues and country and western
music on an acoustic guitar,” Chipeni recalled.
It was during this period
when Chipeni met another adventurous young man who was known then as Tendai
Mupfurutsa and they started working together on a session basis.
Mupfurutsa, who now calls
himself Prince Tendai, would work with Chipeni when he formed his group,
Midnite Magic and created a new beat called Barbed Wire music as embodied in
songs such as From Zambezi to Limpopo and others.
“I would do some stuff for
him while playing at the Wine Barrel three days a week. I played instruments
and was his producer,” Chipeni said.
It is not clear what
happened between the two because at one time, Midnite Magic posted a notice in
papers disowning Chipeni who soon after released a traditional album titled
Ndinofara that carries the song Chati Huwi.
Taken from folklore, Chati
Huwi talks about a son who goes out in search of a wife. He is the only child
after all his siblings have gone away. In the song he thanks his parents for
giving birth to him but that it was his turn to help himself.
On the surface, that is
what the song is about but in the real sense of it, it is about a man’s life of
risk-taking and endurance and learning to survive in a tough world.
“We recorded that album
live in the studio,” Chipeni explained, “Usually, when a group records, people
take turns to put in vocals, guitars and drums. But with Ndinofara, we just
went in and recorded as a group.”
And indeed, Ndinofara is
just brilliant, different and fresh. But then after Ndinofara that came out in
the late 80s, Chipeni who says mabhanjo haabhadhare went underground.
“I was working with
Innocent Utsiwegota as general manager at Countryboy Records when I produced
the likes of Decibel, Nonsikelelo and Culture T among others.
Chipeni said his fourth album;
Tumai Rudo that carries a remixed version of Chati Huwi was done on an R&B
tip. The title song sounds like a plea for divine intervention since the world
is not a safe place any more. There are a lot of problems and love; Chipeni
argues in the song, is the only thing that can open hearts.
This was a solo album
where Chipeni played all the instruments and did the vocals.
“It is not difficult. The
computer does everything for you when you programme it well. The keyboard does
everything,” he said.
So now you know who Newman
Chipeni is except, maybe that you do not know how he linked up with one of
Zimbabwe’s oldest and greatest music groups, the Harare Mambos.
“My parents owned a farm
in Mutare. I grew up there and would join workers who were mostly of Mozambican
origin when they played music during the popular tea parties then.
“Later, we moved to town
(Mutare) where I teamed up with some older musicians and formed the Crazy
Union. A Roman Catholic clergyman helped us with instruments,” Chipeni
recalled.
At that time, some youths
who called themselves the RUNN Family were just starting out but had no
instruments.
“So they asked us to let
them play during our break and since they practised on box guitars at home, we
also invited them to use our equipment,” Chipeni said adding that when the
older members of the Crazy Union retired, he incorporated members of the RUNN
Family.
In search of new horizons,
Chipeni later relocated to Harare where he met and worked with Isaac Chirwa and
Bryan Paul under the name Touchy, a funky and jazz outfit that played copyright
stuff.
Later he worked with
Lannas in Talking Drum, Henry peters and Bothwell Nyamhondera.
