page_title: Mashasha
section_title: Solo album
hierarchical_section_title: Mashasha / Solo album
caption_attribution_description: English: Mashasha at work again in the studio in London
context_page_description: Peter Mujuru, 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 award for Best Album.
context_section_description: In 2011 Mashasha completed his debut album as a solo artist. Eponymously titled Mashasha, it was produced by Mashasha and Eugene Ulman. Mashasha and Ulman formed a production company Elegwa Arts and independent record label Elegwa Music to produce and release their work; "Mashasha" was the first project. The album comprises ten tracks, all of which are original compositions with music and lyrics by Mashasha. The tracks feature an international band that included Australian drummer-percussionist Robbie Avenaim, US jazz trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, piano and keyboard player Danny G. Felix (who also arranged some of the tracks with Mashasha), Senegalese guitarist Jeannot Mendy of Viviane Ndour's Jolof Band, Iranian ney master Davod Varzideh, Sam Chagumachinyi and others.
  The album received high praise from leading critics and publications in numerous countries. Martin Sinnock in Songlines magazine described it as "exceptional" and "a refreshing and sparkling debut", awarding it four stars. ABC radio presenter Doug Spencer devoted an episode of the programme "Weekend Planet" to the release, and called it the "standout African debut" of the year. The Zimbabwean "Sunday Mail" described Mashasha "a new voice in African music". Hello Harare magazine described the album as "complex, intense and unique, with each song layered with musical genius". Michael Rofe in "The Australian" called it "a revelation from a major talent". Other critics have compared Mashasha to artists Richard Bona, Rokia Traore, Youssou N'Dour, Habib Koite and Oliver Mtukudzi.
  In 2012, Mashasha released the single "Musuki" on Elegwa Music.
caption: Mashasha at work in London studio
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA", "Image Make": "OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.", "Image Model": "VR320,D725", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.6.6", "Image DateTime": "2013:07:16 10:19:49", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.6.8", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "306", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "5938", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5521", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/40", "EXIF FNumber": "21/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:09:19 11:46:17", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:09:19 11:46:17", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "317/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "787/100", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4288", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3216", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "44", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal"}