Juru growth point, popularly known as “Kwabhora”, is synonymous with merrymaking. Revellers from the capital and surrounding areas often drive to the centre to have fun over weekends.
BY GODWIN MUZARI
Popular music in such areas is largely sungura and people from the surrounds enjoy dancing to this music in pubs and shop verandahs. Rarely do merrymakers listen to jazz, but rising jazz musician Daniel Ngwira stunned many when he made Juru growth point his base for some months.
His Sunday afternoon shows started on a low note. People would just listen to a single song and walk away. However, with time, Ngwira’s music began to slowly attract attention.
He prioritised his danceable tunes to comply with his audience’s taste for fast-beat music. When Ngwira left the place for his next destination in Mazowe, many people had fallen in love with his music. Although not among the famed jazz musicians in the country, Ngwira has worked with most of the genre’s talented musicians. He is now taking the experience he got from these collaborations for his jazz outreach programme that he calls “Jazz in Transit”.
“Jazz is losing out to popular genres like sungura and reggae. There is need to spread wings and expand its reach because promoters from big cities are no longer interested in hosting jazz shows,” said Ngwira.
“Jazz is now reserved for a few venues and festivals. Even the few jazz venues are turning to other popular genres in search of revenue. “It is time to look for new markets for this type of music and going to small towns and entertainment-starved areas is a way of stretching the genre’s reach.”
Ngwira said he had worked with some promoters to host jazz shows for free in these areas.
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“People like live shows. We can lure fans this way and play a type of jazz that goes along with popular music genre in each area. “Most people do not know that jazz has various types. When they hear about jazz, they think it is always that slow laid-back music throughout the show. Trends are changing and jazz is branching into various styles that are close to new music styles.”
From Mazowe, Ngwira intends to stage shows in Concession and Chegutu, among other small towns. He will soon engage other jazz musicians in the outreach.
Besides going for his outreach shows, Ngwira stages a number of gigs in Harare.
