The Sunday Mail
Prince Mushawevato —
SULUMAN “Sulu” Chimbetu has been a scarce commodity lately. Getting hold of the usually overly available Orchestra Dendera Kings frontman in the last few weeks has been next to impossible. He is as busy as a bee.
Forget that wedding preparations are usually viewed as a preserve of the bride and her closest confidantes, and that the groom is only needed for the heavy lifting: Sulu has been running around making sure the finer details of his big day are as enthralling as his music.
The dendera musician walks down the aisle this Saturday, December 3, at Zimbali Gardens in Greendale, Harare. And for once the dendera king is not totally consumed by music, despite fans awaiting the release of his much anticipated album, “Jamboree”.
All his attention is on doing the best for his bride, Linda Samuriwo. Still, we tried to squeeze in a few minutes with Sulu.
“I’m coming from a radio interview at Mbare Studios but I think I will be able to meet up with you after about 30 to 40 minutes. I’m sure then I will be done with one of our wedding contractors that I have a scheduled meeting with,” said Sulu as we got in touch with him for the umpteenth time last week.
Fortunately this time around, we indeed meet at his Cockpit Studios in Harare’s Mabelreign suburb. Organising an album launch alone is a mammoth task. Now imagine adding a wedding on the very same day plus a mammoth party.
Yes, Sulu will launch his album on the same day as his wedding, and then he will hold what should be a massive after party at Belgravia Sports Club in the capital. The wedding, which is expected to attract the who’s who of Zimbabwe’s social scene will be from 10am to 3pm.
Thereafter, wedding guests will flock to Belgravia to join multitudes of dendera music enthusiasts for the album launch and then a party. Sulu’s best man is the high-flying Jah Prayzah, who will lead a host of other local artistes — among them Seh Calaz, Sulu’s cousin Tryson, and Hope Masike — in launching the new album and celebrating their comrade’s wedding.
Preparing a jamboree
That Sulu has changed his studio, producer and the album title in recent times points to much going on behind the scenes. The musician used to record with Vialy Studios, owned by Munyaradzi Viya, but he has moved to his own Cockpit Studios.
“Jamboree” was recorded and produced by veteran artiste-cum-producer Clive Mono Mukundu and Oscar Chamba (who also produced former Jah Prayzah backer Pamela “Gonyeti” Zulu’s debut album “One Day”).
Mono is also among several guest guitarists featured on the album that was initially titled “Havasi Kutiziva”. Sulu explains why he has made all the changes.
“Life is not static but dynamic. You should always be in search of a winning formula at every instance. What you produce and dominate with today might not work tomorrow. Market trends determine the approach we use on each and every one of our albums.”
The dendera crooner was last week agonising over the final eight tracks out of the 14 recorded to place on “Jamboree”.
Sulu is against the idea of putting all current recordings on a single album, especially after the experience of his last offering, “Gunship”.
Critics argue that the song “Mr Benson” on “Gunship” could have easily been a lead single on another album but listeners were overwhelmed by other tracks like “Moto”, “Nyuchi” and “Phone”.
“We want to make it sweet and precise. Equal effort was put on the tracks but we are using public opinion to select eight songs to include on ‘Jamboree’,” says Sulu as he takes a brief break from album launch and wedding considerations to talk to us in his studio.
He pauses in our discussion as he once again considers which songs to have on “Jamboree”.
“It’s Not Necessary”, “Alice Mbewe”, “Mhasuru”, “Tiringwe-e” and “Katundu” appear to be sure bets for inclusion.
Many of album titles from major Zimbabwean artistes have this year pointed to a claim to superiority in the industry. Think of Jah Prayzah’s “Mdara Vachauya”, Alick Macheso’s “Tsoka Dzerwendo”, Leonard Zhakata’s “Mutunga Dzese”, Killer T’s “Bvunza Tizwe”, Winky D’s “Extraterrestrial” and Oliver Mtukudzi’s “Eheka Nhai Yahwe”.
Sulu doesn’t want any of that one-upmanship. “‘Havasi Kutiziva’ was just a working title. I’m sure when you write your stories you also do the same. Sometimes you might think of a headline which might after all not be the one used when the story finally goes to print.
The final title, ‘Jamboree’, is motivated by the contents of the album: it is indeed going to be a jamboree.” Our album sampling session in the studio reveals a new Sulu. There is a mature afro-fusion timbre that is not present in his earlier works. Sulu might be onto something with this new sound.
Wedding of the year
Away from the studio, Sulu is gearing for what very well could be the wedding of the year for his 600 guests. The bride, Linda Samuriwo, says this is the day she has been dreaming about for the seven years she has been customarily married to the dendera singer.
“It feels like a new beginning. We have been through thick and thin, and this kind of gesture after seven years of marriage and two kids, means we are indeed conquerors. I cannot wait for the day,” beams Linda.
The health insurance employee who is also an entrepreneur with a bias towards the fashion industry has been running herself ragged to ensure a dream wedding.
“We are not cutting corners in our preparations. I have engaged some of the best wedding service companies around and I’m confident, working together, we can make December 3 a memorable day,” she adds.
“The moment you make a decision and do prior planning you don’t go wrong. My wife and I are working in close co-operation thus I’m having little or no challenges. Of course, handling the two events at one go has been taxing since I personally have to attend some of the wedding and album launch meetings but I’m managing,” adds Sulu.
