BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO SOUTH AFRICA-BASED rising versatile artiste Master Shekkor and Afro-jazz musician Innocent Kufakunesu’s recent instrumental collaboration, Mashambanzou, is set for release next week. Master Shekkor, real name Panashe Chamboko, told NewsDay Life & Style that the collaboration helped to produce a very good piece of music that listeners would love. “On September 3, I will be dropping an energy-invoking instrumental titled Mashambanzou that I worked on with Innocent. The track jump-starts your day with its very artistic nature. It gets you into a jovial mood, especially in these hard times. It’s a perfect painkiller,” he said. “There comes a point when vocals can ruin a perfect piece of music or art. Imagine if Louis Mhlanga’s Distant Lover (soundtrack on Mai Chisamba Show) had vocals? That would have been perfect art ruined. Just like our track, it’s a story told through creative use of instrumentals. It’s a fusion of Afro-house percussion, modern electronic dance music elements and jazz.” Master Shekkor was full of praise for Kufakunesu whose skills on the acoustic guitar he compared to those of the late superstar Oliver Mtukudzi. I created drums, percussions, violin strings and other sounds that you hear on the track,” he said. Kufakunesu, who released his debut album Sarungano, The Storyteller last year, described the collaboration as worthwhile. “It’s always great to collaborate because you learn elements that you can add to your sound. Master Shekkor approached me with his idea and one thing led to another. It was a great experience working together,” he said. Master Shekkor is an Afro-house music producer, musician, songwriter and a disk jockey.