W
ell, if the genre called Jazz does have a hope of surviving in Zimbabwe it will be this new generation of Jazz artistes who thronged the Alliance Francaise, Harare on Saturday the 13th September, 2025 who will keep it alive. There are arguably bigger stars around, such as Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana, Jabavu Drive, Victor Kunonga, Tanga wekwa Sando, Summer Breeze and Sub Sahara Tribe (Kelly Rusike of Jazz Invitation is gone so is Dorothy Masuka) but this year”s triumphant set at the Harare Jazz Festival showed the generation-spanning appeal and star-powered determination to take Jazz to the limit.
On Saturday, September 13, the Alliance Française Harare grounds were buzzing with excitement as the 2025 Zimbabwe Jazz Festival kicked off in style. The sound was crisp, the lighting was superb, and the venue was filled to its maximum capacity. Jazz lovers who comprised all nations, Blacks, Whites, Indians and Chinese : some dancing in rhythm to the beat and others dancing off- beat, came out in full force, and there was something for everyone—from township grooves to international flair.
Golden Pilsener welcomed guests with complimentary drinks, setting the mood for a night to remember.
Organised by the Zimbabwe Jazz Community Trust in partnership with Alliance Française, the festival had strong backing from the French Embassy, Golden Pilsener, Classic 263 FM, and other international partners including the Swiss, American, and Italian embassies. Their support helped bring in Frank Salis & The Zambezi Experience, a band made up of musicians from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA. Talk about cultural exchange! This was it.
But this festival wasn’t just about performances—it was about purpose. ZJCT is on a mission to revive and preserve jazz in Zimbabwe. Two workshops were held earlier in the week: one at Prince Edward School led by Vee Mukarati, and another at Alliance Française by Alex Wasily titled “Stop Playing, Start Performing.” Both sessions drew young musicians eager to learn and grow.
I was a little late for the opening gig. I arrived at the venue after 3 pm and Filbert Marova was kind enough to fill me in with the details.
There was a huge audience but the female presence was particularly strong. I was surrounded by young girls (and their mothers) singing every word with every inflection. They lit up the venue with their cell-phone lights during the sessions.
The performances? Top-notch. According to Filbert, NokuTenda & The Legacy opened the show at 3pm sharp with a stunning version of Take Five. Then came Frank Salis & The Zambezi Experience, whose trombonist Alex Wasily wowed the crowd with a solo straight out of New Orleans.
Then when I arrived Rute Mbangwa touted Zimbabwe’s next Miriam Makeba followed with her powerful and emotive voice, her usual grace, blending originals with a heartfelt take on Footprints. Rute’s powerful and emotive voice backed by her daughter on stage astounded the audience who gave her a warm reception.
Charles ‘Mahlaba’ Banda from Bulawayo with spectacular outfits worn by his male and female vocalists brought fire and flair. They gave us a rendition of songs that I had never heard before. However their session was tight and the audience liked it.
Charles was followed by Swiss-based Zimbabwean saxophonist Vee Mukarati who delivered a soulful set that reminded us why jazz travels well. Well sequined in a matching outfit,, Vee Mukarati superbly played his horn instrument and treated us with his amazing vocal range. He even gave us his own rendition of jazzified Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds which went down well with the audience.
Mbare Jazz, a new group which I presume replaced Mbare Trio got the crowd dancing with township vibes. They opened up with a Rock& Roll song; Bhutsu Yangu Yapera Hiro (So don’t ask me why they call themselves Mbare Jazz. The only Person I recognised who used to live in Mbare was Isaac Chirwa. Filbert Marova was on keyboards and his son, Tafadzwa Marova, (who also plays bass for Winky D) are not from Mbare neither is. Buhle (aka Sharon Ndlovu) the female vocalist among these men. She is from Bulawayo. Buhle was refreshingly straight down the line, determined to do her very best to give the audience what they want.
This outfit was what I call the Stage headliner. They delivered a monster set that crossed the best of old township values with contemporary Jazz energy and brought out the big guns, all the fireworks, pyro and smoke onto their newly refurbished stage which has taken over the old bar and toilet area. Buhle left more experienced headline acts in the dust.
Josh Meck closed the night with left hand bass wizardry that left fans begging for more. Josh may have been an inspiration for this new wave of boldly lyrical jazz artistes, but compared to his festival set of old-fashioned Jazz-funk wailing and shaggy arrangements his was an incredible show. He moved into the audience with his cordless left-hand bass guitar and performed closer to them. This was a sleek master class. Such excellent musicianship gives a whole extra dimension, not to mention another set of tools to entertain his audience.
Alliance Francaise Harare is equipped with a complete: PA system, lights seated room but not big enough, big screen and a video projector which showed off different images during the festival.
The venue is now too small for that capacity of audiences. I am persuaded to think that Fanny Gauthier, the director of Alliance Francaise, Harare should now start to consider moving her outfit to a bigger venue if these Jazz festivals are to continue.
What made this festival special was the fusion—mbira, ngoma, storytelling, and jazz all in one pot.
Othnell ‘’Mangoma’’ Moyo could not be left out on this event as he showed everyone how he can embrace Jazz with traditional instruments, ngoma, mbira, marimba and hosho.
As one fan put it, “Jazz lovers are starved. Let’s hope we continue having these festivals.” Another added, “We had a great time—next year, let’s make it two days!”
The 2025 Zimbabwe Jazz Festival proved that jazz is alive and well in Zimbabwe. It’s evolving, it’s inclusive, and it’s ours. It did strike a powerful chord this year. Until next year, keep the rhythm going.
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