For the first time in almost forever, Zimbabwe's spring season had a muted arrival. The Jacaranda's were still in bloom but the weather was moody, the rains 4 weeks early, and the capital's favourite music festival regarded with apprehension as Jah Prayzah (and the 3G Band) and Jnr Spragga (and the Spirit Chronicles) pulled out at the final hour.
Yet the show had to go on, and it did. Intotal Band and Takura joined the Friday night lineup, while Sylent Nqo was signed up for an extended set the Saturday night as Jacaranda made its best attempt to turn lemons into lemonade. The temperatures might have been closer to the peak of winter, but Thornpark Polo Club came alive with the city, the people and the music.
Friday night began with the R&B selections of Bulawayo's BRZE, a smooth selector who eased us into proceedings with just the right tempo. Andile Brown received the baton next, injecting Afro house into the mix as everyone found their dancing shoes.
Now while away from the stage the debate on copyrights, Zimura and cover band fees rages on, on the stage we're clearly witnessing the renaissance of live bands. This realisation arrived while watching The Travellers Band and Intotal respectively strutting their stuff. In the 80s and 90s it had always been what a band can do that decided who people went to see, and while the digital age had disrupted that, the notion has firmly returned.
We were bathed in nostalgia as The Travellers brought out Willom Tight for some of his most famous hits, and Intotal gave us the Legends Night experience. It was not only auditorial, but visual, with cleverly worked out choreography alongside drum and guitar solos that captivated.
This phenomenon of a live band's ability wasn't just exclusive to Friday night but underlied the Jacaranda experience as a whole.
On Saturday it was at the heart Spanish outfit Calequi Y Las Panteras and Nasibo's beautiful cross continental fusion that saw Calequi forming a performance circle within the crowd. It drove Feli Nandi's captivating showcase of percussion, vocal ability and choreography, and was especially present in Sylent Nqo & The Noisemakers' musical journey from the soulful to the glitzy guitars of rock and roll. The latter seeing Walter Wanyanya remove his hat as Jacaranda's festival director and join the performance on electric guitar.
It would even surprise you to find out that on a 3 day lineup with names such as Mr Jazziq, Caiiro, Njelic and Zee Nxumalo, it was Minister Michael Mahendere's praise and worship session on Sunday that made us dance the most. This is the power an artist with the right band has.
Now while the cover bands were certainly up to the task on Friday night, the stage ultimately belonged to Tamy Moyo. While the temperatures were certainly cold, it was Tamy Moyo who finally gave us goosebumps. The loops and transitions she weaved together, coupled with her stage presence made her the star of night. What she showcased was a headline performance, capped off by bringing out the Nattie College high school pipe band.
Takura closed out the night but his performance ultimately felt anticlimactic, which it shouldn't have been even if he was a last minute addition. As one of the most desired acts in the country right now a polished set should stay in his back pocket.
Now while the sunset and twilight serenades of Feli Nandi and Sylent Nqo were more than worthwhile, Saturday's crescendo arrived with Kotwane Hikwa taking over the decks. The energy went into full throttle, the atmosphere was lifted, and Afro house reverberated across the field. What he did at Carpe Diem in May was special but this was even more so.
Mr Jazziq arrived with sgija and boots amapiano selections for the aficionados, elevated in moments by hits from his catalogue such as "Katalia," "Umsebenzi Wethu," and "Fede." This would set the stage just right for Njelic to entertain the crowd both on the decks and off them. The showcase of a true free spirit.
Not to be left out was the Saturday surprise that came in the form of Larizzle, the renowned London based DJ/producer who has been taking Afro electronic music across the world. Although not on the decks for long he did justice to the Jacaranda stage in his brief cameo.
As we sailed through the 3 day programme, resident DJs Tatz Bless, Courageous and Youngvibes ensured that there wasn't a moment, alongside ZiFM's Tatenda G who was impeccable as MC.
Sunday was a case of Jacaranda saving the best for last (If Jnr Spragga had been there for Saturday we would probably be saying something different). The curation was intentional.
The voices of Enhle, Just Leo, and Mandie Mae presented us with a showcase of the future of music, one that's definitely bright. Fusion 5 Mangwiro's easy on the ear bongo flavoured sound took us to the sunset, then Minister Michael Mahendere made us dance and sing as the sun kissed the Earth. We chanted "Minister we wanna party," in an hour long praise and worship session that stood out.
Mokoomba came on next with multilingual soukous inspired tracks that reminded us of why they are always a week away from their next tour. This cascaded into Caiiro's amapiano set, which had a rhythmic finesse and was the backdrop for my favourite moment of the entire festival; A proposal while he played his beautiful collaboration with Ami Faku "Ndisize."
Nizhe DeSoul switched up the tempo to Afro house, with an energy on stage as infectious as his selections. He was masterful on the decks. The remix of Takura's "Penge Penge" that he dropped is one that absolutely needs to be released.
Zee Nxumalo, one of African house music's most important voices right now, gave the festival its summation. In a stunning red dress, the singer belted out "Mamma," "Ama Gear," "Ngisakuthanda," "Mali," and "Ngithathiwe." Not quite as good as the first time we saw her, but a worthy ending to another Jacaranda.
All through the festival the food village had kept us sustained, with the highlights being Masala Magic's hotdogs, Fire & Grill's pork and chips, and Smokey Bandit's pulled pork sandwich.
The corkage fee had felt punishing, and while we understand the economics of festivals, new regulations and pricing should always be announced at least 2 weeks before the event, so people can plan accordingly. Jacaranda is an event some save for, and a surprise 60 dollar fee across the weekend can derail that. However what another installment.
In another 12 months we await Jacaranda's 10 year celebration.
Side note: If Stanbic returns the 10,000+ of us who love Jacaranda will immediately leave all our banks for them
Greedysouth rating: 8.1/10