Sulu returns to Hwenje’s Village

Sulumane

Dendera prodigy Sulumane Chimbetu makes a welcome return to Hwenje's Village where he is scheduled to stage a gig alongside jazz outfit Too Open tomorrow night. Having performed at the official opening of the joint early last month, Sulumane is no stranger to the Glen Norah B joint famed for its proximity to the popular braai hangout, KwaFatso.The show, which will fuse together dendera music and afro-jazz with a mature traditional beat, is the first gig to unite Sulu and the jazz outfit. 

Although he failed to hold last Friday's clash with Jean Masters, Sulu - with the backing of his Orchestra Dendera Kings - is expected to rock the music lovers with his soft voice and high-octane dance routines. Although his line-up of songs has almost become predictable, his forte lies in introducing every song differently and he does it with so much style and a flair of excellence, that you just can't help but admire the young man's creativity. Unlike other front men, who strum the guitar, while standing in the same position for hours, Sulu easily sways and dances along with the rest of his band members, creating a stellar choreography in the process. 

If anything, he is one guy, who will confess that he has enjoyed a purple patch this year, and had best of both worlds in terms of live shows, not only locally but internationally as well. Last Saturday he left fans asking for more at the Coca-Cola concert held in Harare and he is expected to maintain his act, and probably go a gear up. He has travelled the width and breadth of the region holding successful shows, and is now ranked among the five top musicians in the country. The youthful artiste is also tipped to be leading the pack of contenders for the artiste of the year award. 

The 29-year-old, who initially kicked off his career riding on his father's name can safely stick it to critics and say he has carved a brand of his own and established himself as an artiste of worth. His album "Non Stop" has been well received and carries songs such as "Kwedu", "Temperature" and "Dzamutsana" which showgoers have fallen in love with. 

To jazz it up, Too Open has produced five albums so far, but the group has released only two out the five albums, "Zororo" in 2004 and "Still Alive" in 2011. After releasing "Zororo", members of the group went their separate ways and regrouped in 2009. The 10-track album, "Still Alive", has songs such as "Chenjera", "Birds of a Feather" and "Separation of Thoughts" among others. (Herald)