Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
VETERAN jazz musician Tanga WeKwa Sando has been added to the star-studded line-up for the Ecobank Legends Night Africa, further deepening the event’s celebration of the country’s musical heritage.
Sando joins an already impressive bill headed by Malian music icon Salif Keita, with Zimbabwean music heavyweights Yondo Sister, Alick Macheso, Leonard Zhakata and Albert Nyathi also confirmed for the show.
The highly-anticipated concert is scheduled for September 26 at Alexandra Sports Club in Harare, with the legendary performers set to share the stage with the Intotal Band.
The addition of Tanga Wekwa Sando brings another important chapter of Zimbabwean music to an event whose central idea is to celebrate music that has stood the test of time.
Known for his distinctive jazz sound and long career in the music industry, Tanga Wekwa Sando has been part of Zimbabwe’s musical story for decades.
His journey dates back to the pre-independence era when he played tambourine and later saxophone with the Salvation Army youth band before developing his career with groups, including the Harare Mambos.
He later formed The Giraffe with producer Bothwell Nyamhondera before embarking on a solo career.
His debut album, Wake, released around the turn of the millennium, marked another chapter in a career that has continued to span generations.
His inclusion gives the Ecobank Legends Night another veteran voice while placing different generations of Zimbabwean music alongside one of Africa’s most celebrated international performers.
At the top of the bill is Salif Keita, popularly known as the Golden Voice of Africa, who recently personally confirmed his participation to Intotal Band founder member and organiser Joseph Chinouriri.
“Zimbabwe is my friend, Zimbabwe is my home and I will be there,” Keita told Chinouriri during a telephone conversation, according to the organisers.
For Chinouriri, the growing line-up demonstrates how far the Legends Night concept has travelled since its beginnings.
“We started this journey because we wanted to celebrate the music that shaped us and the legends who gave Zimbabwe its musical identity,” Chinouriri said. “Now we are bringing together different generations and different sounds, and adding someone like Tanga WeKwa Sando makes the celebration even richer.
“We are also bringing Salif Keita to Zimbabwe, so this is becoming a platform where Zimbabwean legends can meet African legends.”
The concept has its roots in a tribute to the late national music icon Oliver Mtukudzi. According to Chinouriri, the original idea began in 2019 after Mtukudzi’s death as the Tuku Show, focusing on his music. It later evolved into Legends Night as organisers sought to celebrate a wider group of Zimbabwean musical pioneers.
The inaugural Ecobank Legends Night subsequently brought audiences together through renditions of music from several generations and genres, including sungura, chimurenga, gospel, urban grooves and other classic Zimbabwean sounds.
The concept has since expanded beyond Harare. In June this year, Ecobank staged its inaugural Legends Night in Bulawayo, with performers and industry stakeholders describing the initiative as an important way of recognising musicians while they are still alive and preserving their work for future generations.
This year’s edition takes that philosophy onto a broader African stage.
With Salif Keita bringing the sound of West Africa, while Sando, Yondo Sister, Macheso, Zhakata and Nyathi represent different chapters of Zimbabwe’s musical heritage, the September show promises a meeting of styles, generations and histories.
“We want people to come and experience the music, remember where we came from and appreciate the artists who created the soundtrack to our lives,” he said.
“Legends Night is about keeping that music alive and creating a bridge between the legends and the next generation.” With Tanga Wekwa Sando now added to the bill, the September 26 gathering is shaping up as another major chapter in the expanding Legends Night story.
