Chartwell Shorayi Dutiro (1957 – 2019) was a Zimbabwean musician, who started playing

mbira Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...

when he was four years old at the protected village, Kagande; about two hours drive from

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

, where his family was moved by the Salvation Army missionaries during the

Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in the Shona language. The Ndebele equivalent, though not as widely used since the majority of Zimbabweans are Shona speaking, is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical terms ...

. Even though the missionaries had banned traditional music, he learned to play from his brother and other village elders. His mother also encouraged him through her singing of traditional songs. As a teenager Chartwell moved to the capital, Harare, and became saxophonist with the Salvation Army band. A little later, in 1986, he joined the world-famous band

Thomas Mapfumo Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo (born July 3, 1945) is a musician nicknamed "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" (the praise name of his clan in the Shona language) for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wields through his mu ...

& the Blacks Unlimited. Touring the world for eight years with that band, he was their arranger, mbira player and saxophonist. From 1994 until his death in 2019, Chartwell based himself in Britain where he continued to teach and play mbira. Chartwell had academic qualifications in music, including a degree in Ethnomusicology from SOAS in London where he also taught for many years. Chartwell's solo album, released in 2000, is entitled '' Voices of Ancestors''. He also has several recordings on CD in which he plays with the band Spirit Talk Mbira: ''Ndonga Mahwe'' (1997), ''Nhimbe'' (1999), ''Dzoro'' (2000), and ''Taanerimwe'' (2002). Chartwell also worked with Serenoa String Quartet to combine classical string quartet style with traditional African music. From 2016 until 2019 he was part of the band Kusanganisa, a collaboration with Leandro Maia (guitar), Chris Blanden (bass guitar) and Nick Sorensen (saxophone). They recorded a live album. In 2019 Chartwell recorded the album ''Musumo – Calling Ancestors'', together with his partner Jori Buchel. Chartwell Dutiro died in Devon, UK surrounded by loved ones on 22 September 2019. A week prior to his death he was awarded an Honorary PhD from

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...

. His dissertation was entitled 'The Power of the Voices of the Ancestors: Mbira Music of Zimbabwe'.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dutiro, Chartwell 1957 births 2019 deaths Zimbabwean musicians Alumni of SOAS University of London Place of birth missing Musicians from London