But there is a rising star on this scene who works with a great jazz outfit and is destined for greater heights.Her name is Clare Nyakujara (pictured left) and she performs with The Other Four.She will perform at the Book Café on Tuesday night in an arrangement that would see her staging shows at the venue every other Tuesday.Clare, Buzuzi and The Other Four are no strangers to Jazz lovers and to The Book Café, having staged performances at The Mannenberg and around Harare as well as other main cities for a long time.She has a colourful curriculum vitae in music circles having performed at Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa) sharing the stage with the late Dumi Ngulube and Amagents, Mateo (of “Pamuhacha” fame) and Dino Mudondo.This year she is back again at Hifa where she is slated to perfom with the Other Four when the festival opens.“I’m very excited to be part of the artists performing at Hifa. This is a crucial stage where artists grow and fans can look forward to an exciting show considering that I have been there and have performed before at Hifa,” Clare said. Clare has also made her presence felt at the Annual Winter Jazz Festivals and is set to perform at the festival which will be held this month. She has extensively hosted club and corporate gigs in the city, giving vocal support to other upcoming and young groups in the capital.She will perform tracks from her original début album Haudi Nei, a product that reflects four years of creative writing, comprising tracks such as Gwenyambira, Mumba and Mwanasikana.“Fans can expect to dance to a lot of jazz, including classics from the 1950s up until now and songs from my début album,” she said. Clare will perform under the banner of the Female Literary, Arts Music Enterprise (Flame), a Pamberi Trust project.She started singing at the age of 10 in the church choir and soon found her way to the front and claimed the leading role. Clare found herself drawn to jazz through the influence of prominent Zimbabwean jazz artists with different styles such as Manhenga and Colour Blu.In 2008, Clare started writing her own music and also took up guitar playing lessons which opened up huge opportunities to develop her career.Her musical influences on the international scene are Kate Melua, Miriam Makeba and Aretha Franklin, and naturally her style developed from there into a unique blend of these, but rooted firmly in Africa.Just like many popular artists of the world who have grown up confined within the practice of worship, Clare’s gospel background adds a deeper dimension to her music and a more elegant delivery.Currently working on a 10-track CD which is near completion, Clare says her music is a “fusion of jazz with lots of acoustic sounds and an ethnic vibe”. “I’m currently working on another album and what I can say for now is that it will be a very good album and I am just finalising a few things before I record it.”The Other Four has enjoyed constant fame with an interesting line-up of band members that comprises Buzuzi on the guitar, drummer Conrad Masimba, Emmauel Chipa on the bass guitar and Ushe on keyboards.
