A RAINY Saturday could not stop reggae singer Cello Culture and Transit Crew from dishing out a high-end performance of reggae gastronomy at Gava Restaurant in Harare. It was Pablo Nakapa on bass, Arthur Timbe on guitar, Charles Mugari on drums, Raymond Mupfumira on keyboards and Cello Culture on vocals. As a starter to the mouthwatering lunch, lead guitarist Arthur Timbe tweaked elaborate melodies of reggae legend Bob Marley's songs Waiting in Vain, Stir it Up and Jam It, in addition to Will you Marry Me by UB40, among others before the man himself Cello Culture took to the stage and flavoured the meals with deep roots reggae tunes.
Cello Culture sang songs like Stick by Me (Transit), All of me! (John Kennedy), Stay with Me! (Transit), Three Little Birds! (Bob Marley), Redemption Song (Bob Marley), Destiny! (Transit), My number one! (Transit), Night Nurse! (Gregory Isaacs) and Sorry by Tracy Chapman with an amazing level of energy and warmth amid a chilly weather.
The co-ordination and blending of instrumental accompaniments from the band were top drawer and gave Cello Culture enough room to stretch his voice out with pride and comfort as he fed the audience from his palms.
Cello Culture born Tinashe Gamure Munengami on September 28, 1990, in Mbare, Harare had for years been a silent admirer of his uncle the late Culture T, a founding member of the Transit Crew.
Before joining the Transit Crew, he had put up a landmark performance as one of the top dancehall chanters through the song God Over Everything. Cello Culture and the Transit Crew were at their best when they warmed up the stage for the Jamaican Reggae Star Burning Spear not so long back.
Several attendees were singing along to match the energy of the band’s performance as the soulful voice of Cello Culture and the well harmonised accompaniment from the Transit Crew was top-notch and enchanting. The band played Transit Crew hits which include and are not limited to Stick by Me, Whatever They Say and Whatever They Do.
In the past the Transit Crew released several albums, including Sounds Playing, The Message, Money and Unity, which have all been well-received both locally and internationally. Over the years Transit Crew has lost its founding members such as Kalcha T, Munyaradzi Nyemba and Samaita Zindi. The song Destiny has remained the people’s favourite and the band continues to showcase its depth at its shows. History has it that Munya Brown a former member of the Misty and Roots Band stayed back in Zimbabwe after their tour and formed the Transit Crew Band as an academy and performing band to teach reggae music. To date the Transit Crew maintains its global appeal through nurturing talents like Junior Banton, Farai, Mannex Motsi, among others.
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