The music of Dudu Manhenga and Color Blu has been described as ‘an afro jazz adventure’ -  a fusion of genres: afro, contemporary, Zimbabwe traditional, township, jazz, afro, latino - and a cultural cross-breed of Zimbabwe’s Manica, Mashona and Matabele rhythms and melodies, spiced with some energetic stage work, and sizzling vocals.   

 

Dudu’s style is influenced by great African and jazz singers, and the dignity of her delivery is a credit to her and to her country, wherever she goes.  Her diverse repertoire draws from her original music with Color Blu from their CDs ‘Out of the Blu’ (2003), ‘Jula’ (2007), and her latest CD ‘Towards Alignment’(2009).

 

A leading figure in music circles of Zimbabwe, Dudu has earned the respect of audiences, promoters and fellow artists alike, delivering stunning performances around the capital city and further afield, and active in music rights and anti-piracy issues, gender and anti-violence activities.  She is also a major contributor to the FLAME programme for the development and promotion of women artists run by Harare-based arts organization Pamberi Trust, and leads the music worship at Jubilee Christian Centre in Harare, where she was recently appointed as a deacon.

 

Among many public and private performances in 2009, she featured at Johannesburg’s Arts Alive festival, Maputo’s Franco Mozambicana, performed alongside Italian visitors Ital-Jazz and Mozambican Chico Antonio in Harare, and featured on a continental album for the campaign-against-hunger project by Action Aid International-Africa, ‘Hunger Free, Music for Freedom and Justice 2009’.

 

This April Dudu performed with Zimbabwe’s uncles of township jazz The Cool Crooners at the delightful Harare Jazz Festival, and went on to collaborate with the visiting Italian jazz group, performing with them in Lusaka, Zambia at the Portico Italian Club, and in Ndola at The Savoy Hotel.

 

Later in May and early June, she will be joining a fascinating regional collaboration ‘FLAME!’ for performances in Maputo, Swaziland’s Bushfire Festival, Johannesburg’s Bassline club and back to Harare, with leading women artists of the region – Mingas (Mozambique), and South Africa’s Mpumie Twala and Ndithini Mbali (sax).  At the end of June, Dudu and Color Blu are billed for the famous Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa.

 

This weekend’s performances at Alliance Francaise on Fri 7 May (7pm), and The Mannenberg on Sat 8 May (6-8pm) are timed to meet a demand for early evening performances for those music-lovers who prefer an early night!