Born in Zimbabwe, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi came to Seattle for two shows at Jazz Alley, but before those performances, the songwriter stopped by KEXP for a live in-studio with DJ Darek Mazzone. Accompanied by backup singers and an electric bass, Tuku, who also works with Mahube, Southern Africa’s super group, fingerpicked beautiful melodies on his guitar. “I could listen to you all day,” said Mazzone. “You have an amazing quality to your music and your voice is something that, instantly, as I hear it, I know exactly.” Tuku’s speaking voice is scratchy and soft but his singing voice projects and floats. Beginning as a musician in 1975, Tuku has since built a strong following worldwide but admits, humbly, that working as an artist is still a “struggle”. See his joyous performance here:
Full Performance:
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