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Wazimbo & Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Moçambique
Nwahulwana (Piranha)
$17.99
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The official bio:
After the independence of Mocambique from Portugal in 1975 Wazimbo worked with the big band of the national radio station, "Radio Mocambique". He became the lead vocalist of "Orchestra Marrabenta Star De Mocambique" in 1979 and worked with various members from the the big band of RM.
"Orchestra Marrbenta Star de Mocambique was a talented group made up of the best musicians, singers and dancers from the south of the country. They were one of the few groups that flourished during this period due to their close relationship with the only national radio station at this time "Radio Mocambique". They were the main band for the radio station as well as favorites of the ruling politacal party "Frelimo". Led by the main vocalist Wazimbo, "Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Mocambique" developed a full and funky style of marrabenta featuring electric guitars, powerful horn lines and soulful vocals.
In 1988 Wazimbo recorded with "Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Mocambique" the popular "Harare Sessions" in Simbabwe as Mocambique did not offer any music industry. During a recording brake Wazimbo played his legendary "Nwahulwana ballad" while the tape machine was still running, discovered later in London when the mixing took place. What a magical birth of a song. Later used by Microsoft for a commercial and the Soundtrack for the American film "The Pledge" in 2001, directed by Sean Penn.
After becoming extremely popular at home in Mocambique, they toured in Europe and released two CD's on Germany's "Piranha label". Both showcased a varied mix of dance styles plus the occasional, strikingly soulful ballad. The 90´s saw a return to peace in Mozambique, but by then there were no recording studios or music venues and the group finally disbanded in 1995. Marrabenta was the rough-edged, urban dance music of Mozambique which emerged in the 50´s. It included a fast folkloristic rhythm called "Majika" as well as a kind of "Calypso" and Angolan "Merengue" and emearged as an energetic dance-music. It became strongly associated with the struggle for independence and was almost completely wiped out (along with Mozambique's music industry) by the bitter civil war, which raged throughout the country during the 80´s. Accompanied by the controversial social vocals sung in "Ronga" and "Shangana", "Marrabenta" was played on self constructed guitars from fuel canisters and fishing wire, often struck so hard the strings snapped. Thus "Marrabenta" got its name: "arrabentar", which is Ronga and means "breaking".
Wazimbo started his musical career in 1964 with the Silverstars (1969) and continued as a singer with the Geiziers, performing a colonial mix of international pop music with a Brazilian tinge in Mocambique´s capital, Maputo. Maputo's relationship with South Africa was comparable to Havana's reputation as a "casino hotspot" for the inhabitants of Miami before the Cuban Revolution.
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