Gito Baloi

Gito Baloi (born September 30, 1964, Matola, Mozambique – died April 4, 2004, Johannesburg, South Africa) was a Mozambican bassist, vocalist and composer. Gito Baloi first became known to South African audiences in the early 1980’s as a member of the Mozambican group Pongolo. Based in Johannesburg, Pongolo played at club and campus venues throughout South Africa, and released two albums during this period. Gito became a popular session player, working with the alternative Shifty Records (2) label. He recorded with Kenyan guitarist Simba Morri, and also with people's poet Mzwakhe Mbuli. It was however his work with Steve Newman (guitar) and Ian Herman (drums/percussion) as part of the trio Tananas, which was to earn him acclaim locally and internationally. The members of Tananas had full work rosters as individual artists, and by the mid 1990’s, the trio only came together for occasional tours or projects. Gito released his debut solo album "Ekhaya" in 1995, while continuing to contribute his performance, composition and production skills to a range of other projects. In 1999, Tananas assembled again, and recorded the album "Seed" which was released by Sony Music (SA). International touring work for Tananas followed, with performances in Europe, USA, and Singapore. Gito also toured and performed in an individual capacity. Sadly, Gito was shot dead in Johannesburg in April, 2004 during a mugging.