Lay Down Your Hearts
Taking a short break this week from the daily php grind of building our new shop at work I spent a great few days mixing down the audio for a new documentary called “Lay Down Your Hearts” by a young film maker called John Simpson.
The film tells the story of the Zawose family, Wagogo musicians from Tanzania, focusing Dr Hukwe Zawose and his nephew Charles Zawose and how they came to prominence and the huge void they left after their untimely deaths.
You can see a trailer for the film at petergabriel.com.
They toured the world and released records on many labels including several on Real World Records including the amazing Assembly with Michael Brook.
The Zawose Foundation is an ongoing project by the friends and family of the Zawose’s to promote and support musicians in the Bagamoyo region of Tanzania and the Family Zawose have just released a new album to support the foundation. You can buy it online at Womadshop.com and you can catch them on tour this summer.
The film is to be shown at the Barbican in August, and at this year’s WOMAD Charlton Park Festival and is a moving hour spent learning about these amazing musicians and well worth your time.
Also, for those in the big smoke, there is a special fund raising night at Cargo on the 1st of August with DJ sets from Daddy G from Massive Attack, Zero Seven and Ross Allen. There will be two live performances that night as well from The Family Zawose and Kong Nay
