Josh Meck a treasure for Zim music

By Tawanda Matanhire

Creating a brand which people can relate with and become loyal to is a journey that takes time.
For many, the dream gets shattered along the way.
And for the fortunate few, the brand can become hard to ignore and big enough to attract good business.
For Afro-jazz musician, Josh Meck, the journey to creating a brand has been long and arduous but he is beginning to enjoy the fruits of his hard work.
While the coronavirus pandemic has reduced many artists to beggars, particularly after live shows were suspended indefinitely, Josh Meck continues to progress.
Speaking to Nhau Arts, the 37-year-old went down memory lane, narrating his journey as a music man from being a session instrumentalist to becoming band leader and later creating a solid brand of his own.
The bass guitar prodigy’s late father, Samuel, was a musician, who confined his talents to the synagogue. But through him – a young Josh would strum his first notes on the guitar at the age of six, and never look back.
“From the age of 6, I picked up my father’s guitar and I told myself I was going to be a great musician one day,” Meki said.
“That day is my greatest motivation.”
The artist has worked on improving his art, making himself not just a better artist but one of the most sought-after instrumentalists in the land and beyond.
“I’m driven by the need to be always better than what I was yesterday, therefore, I am constantly working on my craft daily, improving on what I do.
“I watch videos of my performances over and over almost every day, looking for ways I could improve myself,” he said.
Meck vows to work one day at a time to reach the best of his abilities.
“Sometimes I have crazy ideas on what I want to do and where I need to go, but financial limitations do hinder progress. But step by step I will get there.”
The Afro-jazz musician and music producer, who fuses modern instruments and contemporary jazz styles with traditional African rhythms, has worked with a number of international and local musicians.
With a career that stretches back to 2006 as a session musician and solo artist, locally Meck has worked with some of Zimbabwe`s acclaimed artists such as the late Chiwoniso Maraire, Comrade Fatso and Victor Kunonga.
His talent has crossed Zimbabwean borders and seen him work with renowned artists such as Max Wild (USA), Mike Del Ferro (Netherlands), Nomsa Mazwai (South Africa), The Muffinz (South Africa) and Asali (Kenya), just to name a few.
In 2013 Meck relocated to South Africa where he led his five-piece band, managing to get opportunities to perform in some of the biggest festivals in South Africa including Arts Alive, Jazz on the Lake 2014 and Soweto Toyota Drumbeat Festival.
He has also featured on a number of Talk Shows. In September 2014 Josh collaborated with Europe-based HAJA Madagascar, the thrilling multi-instrumentalist from the Indian Ocean Islands who confessed later that: “Working with such a skillful musician and above all, very nice human being as Josh Meck is such an honour, and a good experience.”
With such a strong CV under well-known musicians, Meck felt it was time to be his own man.
In 2015 he returned to Zimbabwe to focus on building his audience. He has wowed music lovers in many parts of the world with his extraordinary mastery of the bass guitar, and continues to surprise and impress his audiences at every turn.
Locally, he has played at the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) a record 10 times.
Abroad, the countries he has toured include South Africa; Austria; Netherlands; Estonia; Germany; Zimbabwe; Mauritius; USA, United Kingdom, Senegal, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Reunion Islands.
To date, Meck has three albums: Wanetsa (2010), Time (2012) and Fruit Salad (2018).
“Well the journey hasn’t been easy. I started off as a session bass player for different top artists in the country. Through that I learnt a lot about running a band, when I felt it was time to start my own brand of music, I had gathered enough knowledge to get me going as a band leader,” he told Nhau Arts.
“As a band leader and a brand, I have learnt to be patient, take each step at a time and never to rush things.”
The long journey has had its fails and mistakes but Meck continued on his path learning the rules of the game along the way.
“Studying my target market really helped me grow. The industry is not an easy one. It needs careful planning and execution. I have had my failures along the way, but through those failures, I have learnt to get up and correct failures and do better.”
He seems to see the bright light ahead.
“My aim is to grow my brand to world class standards. A respectable brand that will be recognised worldwide, in the process creating work for myself and others around me. One day I would love to be on the same platform amongst the biggest artists in the world as equals,” he said.
The past year has not been a good one for the arts industry in the country and abroad. Covid-19 has had a negative impact on all forms of art and the trend has not stopped.
Meck is thankful and feels spared.
“With concerts, gatherings banned, it has been tough for the creative and arts industry, musicians being affected the most. But to be honest, this year God has been faithful to me.
“He provided for me in ways I cannot really express. In the most toughest of years I managed to record two musical videos for my singles, performed two online concerts, featured in a commercial advert for EMF Medical aid Society, recorded two albums to be released this year. All I can say is I am so grateful to the Almighty for providing for me,” he said.
Josh, who survives off music alone, is married and is a father of two. Nhau/Indaba