Name: The Jam Jar Presents: The Zawose Queens
Start: 2026-06-19T20:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-19T23:00:00+01:00
Location: The Jam Jar Bristol

Mesmerising Tanzanian sounds - polyphonic vocals and raw rhythmic power 🔥
There is spirit and fire in the music of The Zawose Queens. There are the vibrations of the ancestors, coming through on traditional instruments - soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder - and voices that go deep, high and out there. There's the connection to nature, to ceremony and ritual, in their dance-inspired fusion, their blend of the organic, harmonic and modern-day electronic. There are lyrics that tell, in their native kigogo, of the passion for music, the wonders of life. Of pride in environment, in tradition. In their East 🌍 African roots.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗺 𝗝𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗮𝘄𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀
+ 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁
𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲
𝟴𝗽𝗺 - 𝟭𝟭𝗽𝗺
𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗺 𝗝𝗮𝗿, 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹
🔥 ZAWOSE QUEENS (cont.)
The legacy of Tanzania’s Real World Records giant Hukwe Zawose, Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of central Tanzania. 🇹🇿
🔥 Maisha, the debut album by The Zawose Queens, marks the first time that women from this famous musical family take the lead as vocalists and performers. Emboldened by workshops in songwriting and music production with visiting UK-based producers Oli Barton-Wood (Jordan Rakei, Obongjayar, Nilufer Yanya) and Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, Onipa), The Zawose Queens began writing their first ever songs. The resulting collection of songs range from the stripped back and traditional-sounding to those treated with subtle electronic elements, with beats and drops and found sounds and switch-ups.