Dendera music: Image is everything

Allan Chimbetu

Allan Chimbetu has all the experience to steer dendera music but his performance of late leaves a lot to be desired. The set up at his recent show was pathetic. His dancers were shabbily dressed, which is so unlike the dendera style. This is Allan, brother to the late Simon Chimbetu, who was several times voted into the top 10 of the country’s smartest men. Simon’s smartness translated on to the stage where his dancers were probably the smartest dressed during his time.

Even Simon’s son Sulumani, who took over his father’s band is arguably one of the smartest musicians today. Similarly, his band is always neatly dressed while Allan’s has suddenly fallen from the trendy standards that the late Simon set. By virtue of being Simon’s only living brother, Allan commands a degree of respect in the music fraternity.

Allan is also one of the very few men alive who drank from the same cup as his brother and is widely believed to be one of the best music mentors in the country. The reason might solely be that he is naturally talented and of course, he takes after his brother.The reflection on stage however is far from it. That prowess is now utterly invisible and he has been relegated to an ordinary musician.

Could it be that he is being unfairly treated? Is Allan trading on an unequal platform with other competitors, namely, Sulu and Tryson who are sons of his late brother? When Allan was deserted by the original Orchestra Dendera Kings six years ago, fans were split between him and Sulu and the latter eventually took the majority of fans.

They initially failed to deter him in any way as he was quick to get back to the drawing board and came up with an equally good band. But the market had already lost faith in him as a leader as he had, according to reports at that time, on numerous occasions failed to pay salaries and for various other misdemeanors like double-booking shows.

From then he had to settle for second best on the dendera scene but his popularity seems to be dwindling rapidly. That he is talented is no secret, especially considering his good performance at the Chibuku Road to Fame last year.The performance was energetic and it received immense feedback. Even the late Tongai Moyo Dhewa who played after him conceded before he went on stage that Allan had nailed it. But somehow he often misses the target.

His hope now appears to be his son Douglas whom he is grooming to take over. To Allan’s advantage, his son has a nice voice. What he requires is attention, nurturing and a bit more exposure to the competitive world. Many dendera lovers await the return of Allan from slumber. He has more experience and knowledge of the beat than many in the music industry. (The Standard)