Desert Voices II

During the 1980s, Gito Baloi formed the group Pongolo which produced two albums. He performed with Mzwaki Mbuli during his resistance concerts, which lead to the recording of two albums: Change is Pain (1986) and Unbroken Spirit (1989). In 1987 Gito performed with Kenyan musician Simba Morri. This lead to the album Was sa Mata.

In 1988 Gito, Steve Newman and Ian Herman formed a collaboration named Tananas. From 1988 until 1994 they traveled nationally and internationally, performing in Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique, France, Sweden, Japan, UK, USA, Singapore, Spain, Australia and China. Tananas produced 7 albums and were the supporting band for Sting during his national tour of South Africa in 1994.

Gito's solo projects to date are: Ekaya (1995), Na Ku Randza (1997), Yebo (1997) and Herbs and Roots (2001). The Gito Baloi Band has performed around Southern Africa, including Gito's hometown of Maputo.

Gito played in France on the albums of two renowned African musicians: Zairian Pablo and Askia Modibo from Mali. Gito also played on the albums of South African Anton Goosen and Ivory Koffi from the Ivory Coast. he toured Mozambique with the Swiss musician Peter Giger and his project Family of percussion. In June 96 Gito produced the Durban based band Landscape Prayers. In October 96 Gito's band performed as the supporting act for Tracy Chapman at her Johannesburg concert.

During the 1990s, Gito also co-ordinated the formation of two bands, Somewhere Else and Skabenga.

The Creative Arts Foundation funded a collaboration between Gito and Jason Armstrong to compose six works during 1996. This lead to them recording and distributing Desert Voices.

Gito was invited by the Namibian – French Cultural Centre in Windhoek, Namibia, to perform at an international music festival there. In September 1997 Gito and the band (with guest member Chude Mondlane) formed part of the "Arts Alive" International Music Festival in Johannesburg where he shared the stage with Tania Maria.

Gito has also played with Nico Carsten's project Boerequanga, and with a project called African Gypsies, which included Dan Chobole, Ray Phiri and Neil Solomon . The group traveled to Spain and appeared at the WOMAD festival in Benoni. They also performed with WOMAD in Australia during 1999. In 1998 Gito was invited to collaborate and perform with Herbie Mann.

Gito participated in a cultural exchange designed and funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers called Shuttle 99. During 98 Gito, Ray Phiri and Concorde Nkibinde representing South Africa, joined Stian Carstensen, Bendik Hofseth and Ricard Nettermalm, from the Nordic countries to form Shuttle Band.

1999 saw Tananas re-established, and the release of the album Seed. The Shuttle Band reunited for the second part of the Shuttle 99 project. Gito collaborated with Cameroonian master drummer Brice Wassy. Their work formed part of the Living Treasures Festival in Kwazulu-Natal. During 2000, they teamed up with Steve Newman to perform at the Jazz-a-thon annual festival in Cape Town. Tananas performed in Reading, UK, Seattle, USA, Grande Canarias, Spain and in Singapore.

Gito also performed in Germany, Poland, Spain and Australia over the next two years. He performed at WOMAD in South Africa with a new project called Mondetta, who released their first album in 2001.