The Bhundu Boys: “Jit Jive”

The Bhundu Boys formed in April 1980 in the city of Harare (translation: “death everywhere”), and took their name from the guerrillas who backed Robert Mugabe in his war to win Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain. The most commercially and creatively successful act ever to emerge from Zimbabwe, they the boys embodied the world music zeitgeist of the mid-’80s. As creators of a frenetic, guitar-dominated style, they dubbed “jit,” which fused airy melodies, shimmering harmonies, and pulsating rhythms drawn from across the African continent. Check out the video here.

The Bhundu Boys – Jit Jive

Written by Jan Midelfort