Bongo Love

18 October 2008 - Natives of Zimbabwe, Bongo Love—a quartet of musicians that features traditional African instruments like the djembe, marimba, mbira, baritone marimba, as well as other percussive instrumentation – took the stage first as the chandeliers lighting the concert hall went dim. Playing a type of music that the band refers to as “afro-coustic”, lead vocalist John Mambira was successful from the off, winning over the crowd with the aid of dance-inducing rhythms emanating from the band’s choice of instrumentation. Throughout the set, the infectious nature of the tribal rhythms and the confidence exuded by the band made it difficult to pass up a chance to get down and let loose.

The most laid back moment arrived via a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”, and it was obvious that Bongo Love had worked very hard to ensure their rendition had as much integrity as the original. The quiet tones and melodies of the marimbas accented their stripped down version, which placed more emphasis on the poetic lyrics and created a comfortable environment that begged for a crowd sing-along. - D.J. Baker

June 20, 2008 - Thanks to the instant, worldwide connections made possible by the new frontier of online social networking, more musicians than ever are finding audiences in far-flung places.

Case in point: the Zimbabwean quartet Bongo Love, who are now traveling the U.S. on a tour that has featured a number of Boston-area stops, including a date this coming Tuesday at the South End nightspot 28 Degrees. The tour is the result in part of a growing fanbase that used a combination of new technology and old-fashioned word of mouth to get them here.

After finishing high school in 2001, group members John Mambira, Themba Mawoko, Trymore Jombo and Mpho Mambira moved from the small Zimbabwean town of Bulawayo to capital city Harare. There, they began to perfect their style, a mix of African folk music and American R&B beats played on traditional African instruments that bandleader John Mambira said they taught themselves to use.

“We call our music ‘Afrocoustic,’” he told the Banner in a recent interview. “We are music-influenced. We based our music on listening to Africans like Salif Keita, Baaba Maal and Angélique Kidjo, but we also like Tracy Chapman, Bob Marley and Seal. Paul Simon, especially, has a African feel to his music.”

In 2005, the band entered and won a contest that allowed them to travel to Mozambique, Sweden and the Dominican Republic to perform and teach their music. The overseas audiences really took to Bongo Love’s sound and began heading online to tell their friends in America about it.

The electronic promotion opened the door for the band to launch its first U.S. tour last year, a trip that saw them not only play shows, but also offer private lessons to aspiring young musicians.

Needham resident Bette Hoffman first learned about Bongo Love when they were invited to teach at Plugged In, a nonprofit youth-oriented music program that her son, Aaron, participates in after school. After seeing them perform, Hoffman wrote a post about the band on her blog to promote their music to her friends.

“I just got hooked on their music immediately,” she said. “I think they are wonderful, and I want to help them be even more successful.”

Hoffman invited Bongo Love back a few months later to surprise Aaron at his bar mitzvah. As luck would have it, on the day that they performed at Aaron’s party, the band was invited to perform at another concert in Acton a couple of weeks later.

Chad Urmston, formerly of the popular folk act Dispatch, who disbanded in 2002, also performed at the Acton show. A social activist committed to improving the quality of life in Zimbabwe, Urmston was entranced by Bongo Love’s sound, and invited them to perform with his band’s reunion concert — at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Originally slated to be a one-night-only reunion to raise funds for charities benefitting Zimbabweans worldwide, an additional two nights were added after the “Dispatch: Zimbabwe” concert sold out during the first half-hour of an exclusive presale available only to fans on the band’s MySpace page.

Two extra nights meant thousands more listeners exposed to Bongo Love’s music, and the exposure has translated into a swell of fan support. Viewer reception to Bongo Love’s Madison Square Garden performances and their live videos available on YouTube helped increase the demand that led to their current return engagement in the States.

“People really get into our music,” said Mpho Mambira. “People are amazed because they have never heard African music like ours before. Everyone has a good time when we perform.”

Bette Hoffman knows Boston public relations specialist Colette Philips through a mutual friend, who introduced Philips to Bongo Love. Also entranced by the band’s sound, Philips invited them to perform at the next “Get Konnected” networking cocktail reception she is hosting for Boston’s professionals of color.

“They represent … bringing multicultural people together,” said Philips.

As their American fanbase expands and their profile continues to rise, the band’s members said they are enjoying the ride.

“Our American fans have been really good to us,” said Jombo. “I get to perform, and so I am happy.” - Talia Whyte

November 01, 2008 - Bongo Love, a musical group from Zimbabwe, will perform 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Smith Recital Hall on the Huntington campus of Marshall University. The concert is free and open to the public.

The quartet has fused styles from all over the world with the sounds of their native Zimbabwe to create music, combining theatrics, dance and impromptu call-and-response vocal styles. Concert organizers say it will appeal to people with an interest in traditional music, jazz, reggae, pop or just a night of great dancing.

The members of Bongo Love utilize instruments native to their culture, including the mbira, an instrument with between 22 and 28 metal keys affixed to a sounding board.

Bongo Love's first CD, "Afro-Coustics," was released in 2006. They are currently working to complete their second CD, "Rwendo Rwedu" ("Our Journey"). - The Herald Dispatch

Thursday, June 7, 2007

It's unlikely anyone in attendance will ever forget Aaron Harel's bar mitzvah. Not many kids can boast a surprise performance by an internationally recognized band from Zimbabwe. The appearance of Bongo Love came courtesy of the 13-year-old's participation in a burgeoning music program called Plugged In.

Needham-based Plugged In is not your typical after-school music program. It concentrates on the nuts and bolts of being in a rock band, as will be demonstrated at a pair of benefit concerts - including performances by Bongo Love - Saturday at Mass Bay Community College.

"We'd like to think what we do has a different style. It's not like school," said Plugged In co-founder Tom Pugh. "We're giving these kids a chance to experiment. They have enough people in their lives telling them exactly how to do stuff."

Only five kids registered for Plugged In's first term five years ago. This spring it had 82, enough to form 19 bands.

"I thought it might be cool so I did one session," Harel said. "Then I got my friends to do it and now we're all in a band. You get to do songs that you like and you get a lot of confidence. It's just really, really fun."

So what does all this have to do with Bongo Love coming to Harel's bar mitzvah? Besides its School of Rock mentality, Plugged In also stresses cultural exchange and giving back. Each term the students decide on a certain charity to receive the proceeds from their end-of-term concert. A couple of years ago, they picked the Elias Fund, a Zimbabwean relief project. In learning about Zimbabwe they came across Bongo Love, and managed to get the band to Massachusetts to perform at their charity concert.

For Pugh, Plugged In's charitable and cultural-exchange aspect is as important as its band-mentoring.

"(The students) have an opportunity to actually do something with their music," Pugh said. That's one of the things we're proudest of - giving the kids a way of expressing concern and having some concrete effect on the wider world."

Harel fell hard for Bongo Love's "Afro-coustic" music when the quartet arrived. He invited the band members to his house for supper and the young drummer jammed with them after dessert.

"These guys came from halfway around the world and they're in my house," Harel said, gushing. "They're amazing people."

The appreciation was mutual.

"Cultural exchange is so important," said Bongo Love founder John Mambira from a North American tour stop."We're so glad that they really appreciate our music and are motivated to learn how to play it.'

And so in a show of gratitude Mambira and his band mates brought their marimbas and bongos to an unsuspecting Harel's Jewish rite of passage celebration.

"Aaron fell in love with our music so we surprised him," Mambira said. "I think it meant a lot to the young man. And that was our first bar mitzvah!" - Christopher Blagg - Boston Herarld

Thu Oct 02, 2008
ORLEANS - Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School was the sight of an amazing event Monday. Bongo Love, a four-man group from Zimbabwe, arrived at school at 11 a.m. from Boston, with our friend Verity Norman, just in from South Africa. They spoke to the sixth-grade about themselves, their music and their beloved country of Zimbabwe.

Even in the terrible state their country is in at the moment, John, the lead singer, talked about its beauty, and the kindness and generosity of the people of his nation. Students were amazed to hear stories of the hyperinflation that has crippled the economy. A $10 million Zimbabwe note was passed around, with the information that a cup of coffee could not even have been purchased with it.

When the story of the recent elections was shared, students wondered why President Mugabe could not be impeached. They learned some interesting lessons.

After lunch, Bongo Love entertained us at Cape Rep Theater in Brewster. The outdoor concert was electrifying, as the beat, which John called “African salsa,” moved everyone out of their seats.

“We have shared the same passion for music since we were kids," says John Mambira. “We survive through this music.”
Climbing fast in popularity, they have taught and performed in Mozambique, Sweden and the Dominican Republic. Their first major tour of the United States was in 2007 and after visiting with us, they left for a tour of Colorado and the West Coast. We were so fortunate to have them spend an afternoon with us. - Wicked Local Brewster News