Chartwell Dutiro
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Chartwell Shorayi Dutiro (1957 – 2019) was a Zimbabwean musician, who started playing
mbira Mbira ( ; ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal Tine (structural), tines, played by holding the instrument ...
when he was four years old at the protected village, Kagande; about two hours drive from
Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...
, where his family was moved by the Salvation Army missionaries during the
Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in Shona. The Ndebele equivalent is not as widely used since most Zimbabweans speak Shona; it is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical terms, it also refers to the Ndebele ...
. Even though the missionaries had banned traditional music, he learned to play from his brother and other village elders. His mother also encouraged him through her singing of traditional songs. As a teenager Chartwell moved to the capital, Harare, and became saxophonist with the Salvation Army band. A little later, in 1986, he joined the world-famous band
Thomas Mapfumo Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo (born July 3, 1945) is a Zimbabwean musician. He is nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wie ...
& the Blacks Unlimited. Touring the world for eight years with that band, he was their arranger, mbira player and saxophonist. From 1994 until his death in 2019, Chartwell based himself in Britain where he continued to teach and play mbira. Chartwell had academic qualifications in music, including a degree in
Ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...
from
SOAS The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
in London where he also taught for many years. Chartwell's solo album, released in 2000, is entitled '' Voices of Ancestors''. He also has several recordings on CD in which he plays with the band Spirit Talk Mbira: ''Ndonga Mahwe'' (1997), ''Nhimbe'' (1999), ''Dzoro'' (2000), and ''Taanerimwe'' (2002). Chartwell also worked with Serenoa String Quartet to combine classical string quartet style with traditional African music. From 2016 until 2019 he was part of the band Kusanganisa, a collaboration with Leandro Maia (guitar), Chris Blanden (bass guitar) and Nick Sorensen (saxophone). They recorded a live album. In 2019 Chartwell recorded the album ''Musumo – Calling Ancestors'', together with his partner Jori Buchel. Chartwell Dutiro died in Devon, UK surrounded by loved ones on 22 September 2019. A week prior to his death he was awarded an Honorary PhD from
Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshi ...
. His dissertation was entitled 'The Power of the Voices of the Ancestors: Mbira Music of Zimbabwe'.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dutiro, Chartwell 1957 births 2019 deaths Zimbabwean musicians Alumni of SOAS University of London Place of birth missing Musicians from London