Masauko Chipembere

Masauko Chipembere is a Malawian Jazz musician who was born in Malawi and raised in Los Angeles while his parents were in political exile. The artist is the son of political nationalists Henry Masauko Blasius Chipembere and Catherine Chipembere. Masauko has lived in South Africa and Malawi and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and performs all over the country. The artist regularly performs at fundraisers for non-profit organisations assisting Southern Africans with AIDS in the DC metro area. His passion for singing began in when he was seven with a barbershop quartet in primary school and this saw him studying Jazz and Opera at Cal State University Northridge in 1988.

His studies were a gateway to his journey as a musician and this was exhibited he got his first real exposure to jazz thereby developing a deep love for the art of improvisation. His songs often include improvisational jazz scatting and rapping. The artists moved to South Africa, a country that hubs quite a number of jazz artists. The jazz artist recorded his debut album with the support of Russell Pope and South African musician Neo Muyanga. ‘Blk Sonshine’ (Black Sonshine) was released in 1998 in California and the album was picked up by Fresh records and BMG music making it a success in South Africa. The album remained in the South African top 20 for 20 weeks, reaching position number 6 on the charts. The first single from the album, ‘Building’ was number one on South African radio in 2001.

The artist has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ishamel Lo, Cesaria Evora, Take 6, Talib Kweli, Black Thought (The Roots), Stanley Jordan, Hugh Masekela and even had the honor of meeting and has sang for his idol Miriam Makeba. Masauko and Neo Muyanga, his music partner, also held a tribute concert to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1998 that featured Stevie Wonder. Their follow-up album, entitled ‘Good Life’ was released in 2009 and it was recorded in Johannesburg, Cape Town, New York and Los Angeles since the duo live in separate countries. The two artists continue to collaborate on music. They also reunited for a performance in South Africa as part of a series of World Cup pre-concerts. The band also recorded two tracks with Wu-Tang’s RZA for an upcoming ‘Tekitha’ album.