The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe Leisure Correspondent —
THE Ambassador Hotel has gone artistic! The hotel has now also become a hub of artistic presentations ranging from film screenings, comedy, to musical concerts.
While artistes were “crying” about lack of platforms to showcase their work earlier in the year with the closure of places such as Misty’s and Book Café, the year is set to end on a high note for them as the hotel has joined other players creating spaces for artistes such as Jazz 24/7, Time and Jazz Bar, and Theatre in The Park.
Ambassador Hotel has several spaces that can be used by artistes to showcase their works but the two main areas are Fortress 88 as well as the rooftop section. The rooftop section has hosted a number of top acts such as Mokoomba, Transit Crew, Hope Masike, Suluman Chimbetu, and Bryan Kadengu.
Fortress 88 Club is the hotels newest plush bar, which operates from Tuesday to Sunday evenings. This was built with the mature clients in mind and it is seemingly serving its purpose as a number of top business folks are seen at the joint unwinding after a busy day’s work.
This new space also hosts acoustic sets, which feature acts such as Clare Nyakudyara, Cindy, Gary Tight as well as Josh Meck – giving the audience a unique intimate experience. However, when it comes to Friday through to Sunday evenings, the club is taken over by rhumba enthusiasts as it hosts some of Harare’s top rhumba DJs.
“Judging by what is happening on Friday evening, we have established ourselves as the rhumba hub in the city,” said Evonik Events and Promotions front man, Raldane Mhike, who handles most of the events at Fortress 88 and the rooftop.
“We have been experiencing huge turnouts to our rhumba sessions and even when rhumba bands have gigs elsewhere in the city they usually come through to our joint along with their fans for their after parties.”
Mhike who recently became manager of Zimbabwe’s top rhumba outfit, Diamond Musica, signing them under his stable, revealed that they have engaged top DJs to serenade patrons at the club.
“When we say we are all for rhumba we do not mean taking some trending music off the internet, no. We actually have sources from France, Central and West Africa who provide us with fresh new material way before it reaches platforms such as DStv or YouTube. By so doing we get a mixed bag of content to play to our clients hence avoid monotony.
“To add to that we have three DJs namely; DJ Ben (Rhumba Network), DJ Buzie (Maestro) as well as DJ Dollarbill (Naija Vibes), who are well versed with their rhumba music and know how to rock a crowd. The three are all supported by Sir Agbada.
“Since we recently signed Diamond Musica, we are planning two mega gigs on the rooftop this December, which will feature top rhumba local and international acts and Diamond Musica will perform at both shows.”
Away from the music, the hotel has got the Quill club, a place popular with journalists, which is used by many filmmakers to host their film screenings.
Two weeks back Bustop TV also used the hotel’s facilities to host its second anniversary celebrations.
