AFRIMMA award-winning Malawi songstress Hazel Mak has teamed up with Zimbabwean jazz aficionado and saxophonist Sunny Tee to release their latest joint single “Night Time Fall”.
Cap10 of Audio Garage Malawi produced the joint, and it provides a crossover appeal to fans of smooth jazz, blue-eyed neo-soul and the wider adult reggae genre.
Hazel Mak, born Hazel Makunganya, began her music career at the tender age of 11 singing and performing for various events, including Miss Malawi. Her efforts at such a young age did not go unnoticed by Malawian entertainers, and soon she grabbed the attention of international and notable standards. To this day, she has worked and shared stages with Black Motion, Lady Zamar, Prince Kaybee, Ammara Brown, Oliver Mtukudzi, Sauti Sol, Micasa and Freshly Ground.
On the other hand is Tinashe “Sunny Tee” Mukarati who has been in the music industry for twenty years, performing at various stages. Both of you will know him as Vee Mukarati’s older brother, but he is an accomplished musician in his own right. That is not even factoring the work he has done behind the scene for other artists and for the jazz scene in Zimbabwe. Just about a year ago, he ventured out as a solo artist and began exploring songwriting with singles like Sengi Ready and Maria.
Why is this important? It is crucial in the sense that it gives you a context and intricacy of the collaboration between these nonesuch acts. While “Night Time Fall” might scream reggae here all the way, it -in a big way- naturally aligns with those of a smooth jazz persuasion and there is a bit of something for everyone. From a reggae perspective, some will adore the relaxed take of the joint. There will be others who instantly connect with the eminently accessible Hazel’s vocals or with the great input from Sunny Tee that works well and at multiple levels.
Night Time Fall is available on all major streaming platforms.
