Peter Mujuru (born 15 October 1982), known by his mononym Mashasha, is a Zimbabwean musician, bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer based in the UK. He is widely regarded as an original and important new voice in African music. His debut studio album, Mashasha, which was released by Elegwa Music in 2011; it was acclaimed by critics internationally and won a Zimbabwe Music and Arts (ZIMAA) award for Best Album.
Early life
Peter Mujuru was born on 15 October 1982 in Harare, Zimbabwe, to Stellah and Lovert Mujuru. As a child, he was nicknamed "Mashasha", which in Shona means "someone with skills of a champion". His earliest exposure to music was from his father, who was an avid record collector and attending the nearby Highfield Presbyterian Church where his mother is an elder.
As a child, Mashasha frequently visited the home of neighbor and family friend Oliver Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe's most popular and influential singers, where Mashasha began teaching himself to play the bass guitar. He formed an amateur band with Mtukudzi's nephew, Tapiwa "Oliver Jr" Mtukudzi, who played guitar. The band made its professional debut in 1999, as "Oliver Jr and Friends", opening for Mtukudzi and his band.
Career
Mashasha's musicianship and skill as a bass player was quickly noted, and in 2000 he joined the band Sisonke, led by veteran singer Jonah Mutuma, best known for his work with the band The Pied Pipers, playing original Afro-jazz material and covers. Mashasha worked with this band until Mutuma's death in 2002, by which time he was recognized as a prodigious talent on the local music scene. In 2002, he co-produced and arranged the debut album "Nyarara" by Malethar (Tafadzwa Mteswa), and became in-demand as a studio and live session bass guitarist, working with Zimbabwean artists Chiwoniso Maraire, Edwin Hamma, Rute Mbangwa, Charles Summerfield, Comrade Fatso and others.
In 2003 Mashasha joined the band Too Open, led by guitarist-singer Brian Nhanhanga, playing mostly covers and some original material composed by Nhanhanga. The musicians found their original material made the biggest impact at live performances. Mashasha, Nhanhanga and drummer Sam Chagumachinyi preferred to concentrate on original material but the remaining five band members were apprehensive about the financial risk involved, believing a covers band was more employable and viable. In 2004, Mashasha, Nhanhanga and Chagumachinyi reduced the band to a trio, and from then onwards played exclusively original material, with all three as co-leaders. The subsequent album, Zororo, achieved widespread recognition and extensive airplay, especially the track "Matinda Hostel".
In 2004, Mashasha joined one of Zimbabwe's most popular bands, Andy Brown and the Storm, recording on the album "Chiedza" and touring around Zimbabwe and internationally. At the same time, Mashasha played regularly with township jazz trombone player Tanga Wekwa Sando.
Mashasha continued working with Too Open, and by 2005 the band had built a cult following among jazz audiences in Harare for their spontaneous, unpredictable, high energy live performances and the improvisation, musical creativity, and high level of musicianship of all three members. Working with Too Open, Mashasha had his first opportunity to perform his own original songs and make his debut as a vocalist. The same year, Mashasha joined the Zimbabwean rock band Bush Guru, which toured in Zimbabwe and the UK between 2006 and 2008. In late 2005, Mashasha was invited to participate in the all-star collaboration project "Hupenyu Kumusha" (Life at Home), commonly known as "The Collaboration". The project included artists from diverse musical backgrounds, including contemporary mbira player and singer-songwriter Chiwoniso Maraire, star vocalist Busi Ncube, mbira player-cum-percussionist Adam Chisvo, guitarist Roger Mbambo, and classically trained piano player Bengt Post. The album "Hupenyu Kumusha" was released in 2006, and featured two songs by Mashasha: "Spirit" and "Africa, Why War?" The songs made an impact upon their release, resulting in increased media interest in Mashasha and several interviews in the Zimbabwean press and on television. Also in 2005, Mashasha began developing and teaching bass and music workshops for high school students. He featured in two television documentaries by film-maker and music producer Eugene Ulman about the Harare performance venue The Book Café: "The Book Café Turns 10" (BBC, 2007) and "Six Nights a Week at the Book Café" (Al Jazeera, 2008)