Masauko Chipembere

Masauko Chipembere is a Malawian Jazz musician. Chipembere was born in Malawi and was raised in Los Angeles while his parents were in political exile. He is the son of political nationalists Henry Masauko Blasius Chipembere and Catherine Chipembere.[1] Masauko has lived in South Africa and Malawi and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and performs all over the country.He frequently performs at fundraisers for non-profit organisations helping Southern Africans with AIDS in the DC metro area.[2] Chipembere began singing at the age of seven with a barbershop quartet in grade school.[3] Masauko went on to study Jazz and Opera at Cal State University Northridge in 1988.[4] It was there that he got his first real exposure to jazz and developed a deep love for the art of improvisation. His songs often include improvisational jazz scatting and rapping. After he moved back to Malawi with his mother, he decided to pursue his music interests. He had heard that South Africa was a hub for Jazz music, so he traveled by bus through Zimbabwe and Mozambique to South Africa.[5] Masauko made his first album with the help of Russell Pope and South African musician Neo Muyanga.[6] They blended their music to form the group "Blk Sonshine" to form a duo that fuses hip hop, jazz and folk with Southern African traditions.[7] His first Jazz album Blk Sonshine (Black Sonshine) was released in 1998 in California.[8] This album picked up by Fresh records and BMG music and was a success in South Africa. The album remained in the South African top 20 for 20 weeks, reaching position number 6 on the charts.[9] The first single from the album, "Building" went to #1 on South African radio in 2001. He has been able to perform with Mary J. Blige, Ishamel Lo, Cesaria Evora, Take 6, Talib Kweli, Black Thought (The Roots), Stanley Jordan, Hugh Masekela and even had the honor of meeting and has sang for his idol Miriam Makeba.[10][11] They also held a tribute concert to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1998 that featured Stevie Wonder. The musical duo now live separately but they continue their collaboration while pursuing solo projects.[12][13] Their follow-up album was released in 2009 and entitled "Good Life".[14] It was recorded in Johannesburg, Cape Town, New York and Los Angeles since the duo live in separate countries. They continue to collaborate on music.[15] They recently reunited for a performance in South Africa as part of a series of World Cup pre-concerts.[16] The band have also recently recorded two tracks with Wu-Tang’s RZA for an upcoming “TEKITHA” album.[17]