Passings: Tshala Muana and Stella Chiweshe The past month has seen a string of significant losses in our musical world. It began with Tshala Muana, the Congolese Queen of Mutuashi, who died in late December, 2022. In her 64 years, she championed the seductive style of the Kasai region in an era when Kinshasa rumba variants ruled the Congolese scene, and indeed, the continent of Africa. Tshala Muana's music broke through all of that with its rich melodies and profound rhythms, deeply rooted in pre-colonial traditions. Today, January 20, we learned of another monumental passing. Zimbabwe's Stella Chiweshe was the first woman to come to national and international prominence on the Shona mbira. Her highly productive career included long, serene solo performances and recordings, beginning with radio recordings in the 1970s, as well as forays into popular formats, including with members of 3 Mustaphas 3 on the landmark album Ambuya in 1990. Read the commemorations from Banning Eyre here. |
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