Is it the lyrics, the rhythm, the bass or the voice behind the music? Well, it is really hard for anyone to define Louis Mhlanga's music, even himself. He cannot define what he sings or plays.

However, one thing for sure is that Louis' music is everything about him.

He describes it as "everything that I am, which is a lot".

Of course, this would hardly be surprising, as he listens to everything ranging from Afro-jazz, pop, a bit of rock, rhumba to traditional music.

His music flirts between the boundaries of many genres with a musical flow, one which powerfully and simultaneously convey both his words and emotions.

His classical training is a strong signature with which he signs his music and the distinctive guitar skills are unmistakable evidence of this.

There is no doubt he has had good grounding from the days he played with some top Zimbabwean groups like Talking Drum, Ilanga, Mudzimu, Southern Freeway and Musik ye Afrika and stars like chimurenga music maestro Thomas Mapfumo.

His last performance at Sports Diner Club in Harare was a revelation not just to the jazz community, but to a larger crossover audience that Louis is a carefully crafted artist for the industry.

This has seen some sections of the media in the region claiming that he is South African, although that is stretching the imagination too far.

The lanky, soft-spoken guitar player is proudly Zimbabwean.

"Zimbabwe is my home this is where my roots are. Originally I'm from Chipinge, my father is Zimbabwean and my mother is South African," he said.

Louis celebrates his birthday on November 10 although he wants to keep his age a secret, many of his fans and those who grew up around him know that he was born in 1956.

"I'm as old as I feel," he said shying away from the question.

He started his musical career in Zimbabwe in the 1970s inspired by Earth, Wind and Fire while working to fuse those sounds with Shona and Ndebele musical traditions to produce an indigenous African pop groove. Here and there, he would listen to rock and roll and Jimi Hendrix as well as a lot of Congolese music.

Halfway through his secondary education, he went to Botswana where he was part of a Smanje-manje band, copying Zulu pop music from South Africa.

Coupled with regular visits to cousins in Mozambique, Louis became a man of many sounds.

While he pursued his studies in Botswana, he took a chance and left for studies in London which exposed him to West African music, which he then followed up with a residency at King Sunny Ade's Nigerian studio before returning to Zimbabwe.

Being completely self taught, he mastered the instrument by copying from Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many other bands that were very influential in the late sixties and early seventies.

Besides the Western influence through radio broadcasts, Louis investigated and studied the southern and West African guitar tradition intensively.

He transferred the traditional mbira patterns, which are well known all over Africa into a unique way of playing the guitar in an eclectic, modern way.

During his music career spanning over 28 years, Louis has worked and recorded with a number of accomplished and recognised musicians.

He worked with King Sunny Ade in Lagos, Nigeria, where he also produced with some artists connected to King Sunny Ade. This proved to be a great starting point and a solid base for his ongoing musical career.

Recently, he worked with Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Hugh Masekela, Ray Phiri, Busi Mhlongo, Caiphus Semenya, Letta Mbuli, Jonas Gwangwa, Sibongile Khumalo and Vusi Mahlasela.

These are, he says, friends who helped him settle in South Africa. He currently lives in Johannesburgs' Bez Valley.

"Who would go wrong given such good friends," he said, adding, "I kept in touch with these guys and they encouraged me to join them in South Africa although I also have relatives there."

He has collaborated with Andy Narrel from the United States, Regis Gizavo from Madagascar, Eric Van der Western from Holland and lately he has been working on a new project with Mahotela Queens.

In 1998 he went to Europe to give workshops at several conservatories to teach his mbira transferred material to students.

There he met double bassist Van der Westen with whom he recorded a beautiful duo album (dedicated to his daughter) "Song for Nomsa"in 1999.

From that album the song "Zvinoshamisa" was selected as the soundtrack of a video clip produced by Education International and NOVIB for their "Global Campaign Against Child Labour and The Right for All Children to Education".

Through this connection with the Netherlands, Louis came across less common ground when he started to play in jazz concert with the famous Dutch jazz group The Paul van Kemenade Quintet.

He recorded the album "Zvinoshamisa" with them (containing the title song of course) and toured The Netherlands in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In 1999, a live duo recording with Mahlasela resulted in the album "Vusi and Louis Live at the Bassline"and the following year, Louis produced Mahlasela's fourth album and featured on it.

He was involved with Thandi Klaassen's album "Two of a kind". This was a project initiated by Dutch Singer Stef Bos. Bos featured Louis on the album "De Onderstroom" for which he co-wrote the music of the title-song.

Louis also featured on another album called "Place of Hope" which is collaborations with George Duke, James Ingram, Al Jarreau and Diane Reeves.

Andy Narell also featured Louis on "Fire in the Engine Room", and following their South African tour they released the album "Live in South Africa."

Some of the albums released by Louis include his solo album "Mukai" and with "Music Ye Africa" in 2001, he put together a new group "The Louis Mhlanga Band" featuring musicians with a strong Jazz influence.

They were invited by SAFM (one of South Africa's national radio stations) to perform at the Grahamstown Standard Bank National Arts Festival. The recording in July 2001 has resulted in the release of "Shamwari", Louis' debut release on the Sheer Sound Label.

Louis is a well travelled artist who has been to major festivals like the Sunsplash in Austria, Music Metisses in France, Rudelstadt in Germany, Masa in Ivory Coast, Dranouter in Belgium, Tribute concert for Lady Di in England, Stranger than Paranoia and Mundial in The Netherlands.

But Louis' interest in traditional music and composing took his talent in directions far more varied than pop music.

Besides Oliver Mtukudzi, Louis can be seen as one of the main Zimbabwean musicians with an international career whose music transcends cultural backgrounds and influences. The two artists are already battling for top honours among Africa's cream of artists in the Channel O Music Video Awards.

For being one of Zimbabwe's cultural ambassadors, Louis is this week's Saturday Herald Star of the Week!

As usual The Herald will be offering cash prizes amounting to $225 000 for the month of April. Names of the winners will be published in the Saturday Herald edition of May 7, 2005.

All answers should be written on the original entry forms provided below. No photocopies will be accepted. Do not seal the envelopes.