It is seldom the case that people just know what they want to be when they grow up, or even more significantly, who they want to be.
BY TAWANDA TADERERA
But such was the case for rising jazz crooner Vee Mukarati, who says his father was the most influential figure in his musical career.
“I can’t name a specific person because there are so many people who inspired me, but definitely my father contributed a lot,” Mukarati told The Standard Style recently.
“We always had jazz music playing around the house and in the car when I was a child.”
He said his music teachers and his brother Tinashe, who is also a musician, also contributed to his love for music. “My career would have been nothing without my father. He paid for my music education and supported me through my early stages in the industry,” he said.
The 28-year-old musician, who was born in Harare and grew up in Bulawayo, said he started playing marimba at a tender age.
“When I was 10 years old, I was having lessons on playing the clarinet. I later did lessons on the saxophone and played jazz music when I went to high school,” he said.
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“I’ve been lucky to work with a dedicated team of musicians and to also collaborate with some amazing people, so I’m happy with the way things are going.”
Vee Mukarati has performed with Jazz Invitation and did projects with Mokoomba, Jacaranda Muse and Cde Fatso, among others.
The youthful jazz crooner at one time worked as the musical director of the Harare International Festival of the Arts. He has also facilitated workshops and training for inmates at Harare Central Prison.
The former Prince Edward School jazz band member, who polished his skills in Ireland, has collaborated locally with Hope Masike, Tariro neGitare, Bryan Kadengu, Gemma Griffiths, Amy Warn, Prayersoul, Fungai Nengare and Munyaradzi Nyamarebvu. On the international stage, he has worked with Jamaram in Germany, as well as Baron Ratif and Conception Perez from France.
“I chose jazz because it’s a genre that requires a lot from the mind and body,” he said.
Vee Mukarati is working on a video for his song titled Dear Me, off his debut album Moto. The video will be released next month.
“The song is about someone writing a letter to their future self. Basically having a conversation with that future version of yourself and in one way worrying about what sort of person it would be,” he said.
