“Nkenya is a bass player who ranks with any of new jazz’s name artists. His fluid, far reaching runs on the acoustic bass are the stirring expressions of an artist who knows no limits.” – Albuquerque Journal

A “staple of the New Mexico jazz scene” (Pasatiempo) Zimbabwe Nkenya has dedicated his life to music. A self-taught musical scholar, this St. Louis native started as a youth with the cello, but now primarily plays the upright bass, though he sometimes sets that aside to play the mbira, the African thumb piano. He has written and performed live musical scores for theatre, and collaborated with poets and vocalists. Nkenya produced/hosted KUNM’s “The House That Jazz Built”, and has performed in New Mexico for nearly 20 years.

He has been called “distinctive and innovative,” (Santa Fe New Mexican) and his music can be described as a fusion between improvisational jazz and African rhythms. Characteristically, Nkenya avoids the usual playbook of cover songs, and instead, uses the work of artists such as Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter as a springboard to dive head first into improvisation.

Zimbabwe has played with Rob Brown, Ori Kaplin, William Parker, Julius Hemphill, Fred Ho, Daniel Carter and Frank Morgan.

High Mayhem is pleased to release the long overdue debut album by this phenomenal musical force. Four of the tracks feature Zimbabwe Nkenya in a solo contrabass setting live at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, NM. The other tracks were recorded at the CCA in a dedication to the bassist Peter Kowald and feature: Chris Jonas – sax; Dave Wayne – drums; Dan Pearlman – trumpet; and Rob Brown – sax, making a guest appearance on track 8.

Limited hand-printed edition of 500 CDs.