Music legend Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi says he is not searching or grooming an heir to the Tuku legacy because he is content with what his late son Sam achieved in a short period of time.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Tuku reasserted why he is ranked as one of the greatest musicians to ever live in Zimbabwe when he gave a five-star performance at the Sam Mtukudzi concert held at Pakare Paye in Norton.
A number of musicians who included sungura king Alick Macheso, Jah Prayzah, Sulumani Chimbetu, Sam Dondo, Gary Tight and Prince Edward Jazz Band performed at the concert, which marked the sixth anniversary of Sam’s death.
Sam, who died six years ago in a road accident was viewed as the heir to the Tuku throne, but The Tozeza Baba hit-maker on Friday told The Standard Style that his son played his part and achieved so much in a short space of time. “I am still alive and my son took Tuku music to a higher level. I am not mentoring anyone, everyone’s purpose of being born is talent so everyone is talented,” he said.
Early this week Tuku told our sister paper NewsDay that his family was still learning to live without Sam. “Since I lost my son, I am, even today, still learning to live with it. It is not like a hump that you will forget about. I am learning to accept it and my wife has stood by me,” he said.
“But above all, it is through the grace of God that we have managed to console each other.”
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Tuku said he had for long kept secret the recordings of Sam’s third offering Masiirwa, which started selling on Friday. Sam is believed to have recorded close to 25 songs before he died.
Black Spirits keyboardist and producer Munyaradzi Viya, who was introduced to Tuku by Sam described the late singer as a rare talent in the local music scene.
“At a tender age, Sam composed mature music and although he was younger than me, some of the things he used to think about could only make one wonder what would happen if he got older,” Viya said.
“This concert means a lot to me considering how I worked with Sam and learnt many things from him, especially on music production. I feel honoured to be part of this.”
Meanwhile, just before his main act, Tuku joined Gary Tight and Ashton on stage as they performed Sam’s song Ishe which rekindled memories of the late singer’s lyrical prowess with its powerful emotional message.
Jah Prayzah and Macheso took the opportunity to sample songs from their forthcoming projects, much to the delight of hordes of fans who thronged Pakare Paya. Macheso releases his album Tsoka Dzerwendo tomorrow while Jah Prayzah is in the studio working on his 2016 project.
Sulu did not disappoint as he kept fans on their toes with songs from his latest album Gunship and his late father’s songs.
