September Sun

Debut album from Jazaranda Muse, a young quartet from Zimbabwe, who resist any kind of stylistic pigeon-holing, mixing jazz with pop, soul, classical music and the melodies of their Shona culture. ‘September Sun’ is being released on the Parisian label Heavenly Sweetness, which is fast becoming synonymous with quality music across a number of genres and whose output is regularly supported by DJs such as Gilles Peterson. Although it naturally incorporates the elements of their national culture, like the mbira (the Shona thumb piano), it is impossible to reduce the music of Jacaranda Muse to a specific genre or a geographical location. From the “English pop” melody of September Sun to the mutating jazz of Free Fall, from the “white” quality of the timbre of Vimbai’s voice to the sound of Donald’s classical cello, you will almost certainly find your preconceptions about the supposed nature of Zimbabwean music being overturned. Personnel: Vimbai Mukarati (vocals alto saxophone, mbira), Donald Chifamba (cello), Filbert Marova (piano, mbira), Tinashe Mukarati (congas, marimbas) Tracks: September Sun / Thirty Five / Let You Go / Emergency Exit / Still In Love / Kunakirwa / Coming Home / Moonlight / Free Fall / Underwater Subway !