Musicians Unite to Benefit Injured Artist

Dudu Manhenga

NICK NARE BENEFIT GIG
with DUDU MANHENGA & COLOR BLU
Thursday 31 July, 2008
The Book Cafe - 8.30 pm

The gifted keyboard player of the group Color Blu, Nick Nare, was recently involved in a bad car accident in which he was injured and his arm broken. Horrific medical expenses delayed his treatment, which in turn delays his chances of quick recovery and return to work.

As for many Zimbabweans today, medical cover does not always cover ever-rising costs. For anyone, breaking an arm is a traumatic occurrence which causes huge inconvenience in everyday life. For a professional pianist, the entire future hangs on proper treatment and quick recovery to strength, dexterity and full use of the hand.

In the second artists’ initiative of its kind in as many months, some of Zimbabwe’s best-loved artists will be coming together at The Book Café on Thursday 31 July to support a brother musician in his time of need, presenting a great lineup hosted by Nick’s home band, the afrojazz ensemble COLOR BLU fronted by Dudu Manhenga.

The show kicks off at 8.30pm, and guest artists billed to perform alongside Color Blu include Victor Kunonga, Patience Musa, Dave Ndoro, Rute Mbangwa with Jazz Sensation guitarist Pablo Nakapa, Hope Masike and many more.

All artists featured at the benefit have given their time freely, and all proceeds will go towards Nick Nare’s medical expenses, including a direct donation from Pamberi Trust’s Jazz Appreciation project, which works to develop jazz in Zimbabwe and is supported by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation.

COLOR BLU recently performed in Grahamstown, South Africa, where Dudu also participated in ‘Hands On! Masks Off!’ - a series of workshops and seminars for arts practitioners, an initiative by the Grahamstown Arts Festival to get arts practitioners together and try to build bridges between African artists. Dudu Manhenga has been working with Pamberi Trust’s gender programme this year, helping to conduct ‘Workshops for Women Artists by Women Artists’, and her participation in Grahamstown led to an invitation for her to do a workshop in Zambia.

The music of Color Blu is described as ‘an afro jazz adventure’, well received by our southern neighbours and this is not the first time they have enchanted South Africans with their particular, unique brand of Zimbabwean music. This time, they performed at Grahamstown’s Cuervo Music Room and Nombulelo Hall to much acclaim.

The Thursday 31 show at the Book Café promises to be a show of note with excellent music performances strengthened by the spirit of brother (and sister)hood in the music community of Harare.

- Pamberi Trust

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