King of the Kenyan Twist Daudi Kabaka

Above: Daudi Kabaka posing with guitar at Melodica Music Store, Nairobi, August, 2000. Photo © 2000 Douglas B Paterson	The following article appears in the February-March, 2002 issue of The Beat. One of the musical architects of Kenya's burgeoning recording industry of the 1960s, Daudi Kabaka, passed away on November 26, 2001, two days short of his 62nd birthday. Kabaka's music and lyrics captured the spirit of a newly independent Kenya and chronicled daily life and the changing social environment. His music would be instantly recognizable to most Kenyans and those in the larger Swahili speaking region within Eastern Africa. Sadly, very little of Kabaka's music is known outside of Africa today. However, fans of Kenyan music may actually have some of his work without knowing it. Throughout the 60s, he was one of the salaried musicians to work at Equator Sound Studio in Nairobi alongside other well-known musicians of the time: Gabriel Omolo, George Agade, David Amunga, Nashil Pichen, Peter Tsotsi, and Charles and Frida Songo, and Fadhili William. Daudi's guitar or voice is heard in such hits as Fadhili William's Malaika, Pole Musa by Peter Tsotsi and Nashil Pichen, Taxi Driver with Fadhili, and Gabriel Omolo's Lunch Time. For more than a generation, one of Kabaka's compositions, Harambee Harambee, was played hourly on the Voice of Kenya (now KBC). It was a signature tune, played at the end of every news broadcast.
While the use of Harambee Harambee was undoubtedly a source of pride if not income for Kabaka, he was perhaps even more pleased by his status as "King of Twist." That is, "twist" in the Chubby Checker sense. In 2000, he described to me how was he was inspired by Checker's Let's Twist Again: … but when Chubby Checker sang Twist Again, 1961… he was international… I thought, how this man challenge people to twist again [sings a little twist refrain] I said no. I should compose mine to challenge this man.[mp3] Over the next few years, Kabaka composed a series of songs with references to "twist" in the lyrics and titles, a number of which became big hits throughout East Africa: African Twist, Bachelor Boy Twist, Bush Baby Twist, Taita Twist, etc. For Kabaka and his fans, however, it wasn't the lyrics or the titles that made it twist. It was the beat. Daudi based his twist style on the South African kwela beat. In essence, it was a fast "wemoweh" rhythm. Yet, each of his songs had something unique or innovative about them. Even his Harambee Harambee is a version of twist. The melody, however, sounds like the old American chain gang song, Worried Man Blues (popularized by the Kingston Trio as, A Worried Man). While the strumming rhythm guitar provides the twist beat, the bass is walking up and down the scale on the beat, the tambourine is on the backbeat, and the lead guitar is off doing rockabilly solos. While African Twist is, as its name suggests, a twist song, it has a much different sound than Harambee. It is a more "unplugged" sound reminiscent of other finger-picking guitarists of Western Kenya. In this case, one guitar strums chords in twist rhythm and plays a bass part on the 1st and 3rd beats; a second fills-in, for the most part, in a picking style during the verses and in solos imitating the melody. That melody is in two part vocal harmony with the twist beat also being maintained by a shaker and a timing stick. Another of Kabaka's twist tunes, Helule Helule, caught the attention of the British pop group, The Tremeloes. They borrowed the chorus, added some English verses and made it to number 14 in the British charts in May, 1967. For its use, Kabaka did share a substantial licensing fee with his Equator Sound producer, Charles Worrod, though Daudi questioned why he never received any further royalties. Twist was certainly not Kabaka's only style. Kilio Kwetu has the same unplugged sound as African Twist but its beat is more like a rumba. One of my favorite songs is Western Shilo, shilo being a traditional Luhya dance rhythm. This one is an interesting mix of electric and acoustic instruments in a rhythm that is something like that of a fast trot. There is a lovely acoustic cover of this same tune spelled Chiro on Ayub Ogada's En Mana Kuoyo CD. Although Kabaka's ancestral home was Tiriki in Western Kenya, he actually spent little of his childhood or adult life there. He was born in Kyambogo Uganda (near Kampala) in 1939 (and named after Kabaka Daudi Chwa, the Buganda king who died that same year). By 1950, his father, a railway worker, had been transferred to Nairobi and Daudi came to join him and to enter St. Peter Clavers Primary School. At the age of twelve, his father found new accommodations for him with some young men who had guitars and a phonograph. This exposed him to the music of Jean Bosco, Losta Abelo, and Léon Bukasa, among others. I was listening and when I see that record playing 78 speed, I thought that I will talk and sing on this. So I was very interested to play guitar and, to do [these records], I have to be like these people and I have to sing myself.[mp3] It was only two years later, in 1954, that fourteen year old Daudi Kabaka recorded his own composition, Nie Kabaka Naimba, for the CMS label (Capitol Music Stores). He continued with music and school up to 1957 when he took a job with a hotel and catering company. However, his career as a food and beverage manager was short lived. In 1959, he began working with Equator Sound Studio and soon became a salaried member of the Equator Sound Boys. As suggested above, it was a time of close cooperation and collaboration between some of Africa's most gifted musicians. While owner/producer Charles Worrod was certainly looking after his interests in registering himself as the composer/arranger of Equator label songs, he also provided a fruitful atmosphere where his salaried staff could experiment, learn, and develop. In the late 60s, he enrolled six of his core musicians including Daudi in a two-year course at the Conservatory of Music in Nairobi to learn music notation and theory. That goodwill soon ended however for Daudi when Worrod learned of Daudi's membership in the PRS (Performing Right Society) in London. He resigned from Equator Sound and, in 1972, with some of his old Equator colleagues, they launched their own production company, African Eagles Recording, Ltd. The studio band worked under the name African Eagles Lupopo and had a number of successful releases through the mid-70s and tours through Zambia, Malawi, and Uganda. Following the demise of African Eagles Recording, Ltd., Daudi continued to record, collaborating from time to time with old colleagues and new partners like the Maroon Commandos, though during this period, the big hits eluded him. The late 80s and early 90s was a period of semi-retirement. In 1993, URTNA (the Union of Radio and Television Networks in Africa) recognized Kabaka's achievements with an honorary title of "Kenyan Cultural Ambassador." This was followed in 1995 by Kenyatta University's Distinguished Service Award. With his background as a musician and his training from the music conservatory, Kabaka later taught for several years as a Creative Arts instructor at Kenyatta University. Over the last couple of years, he started performing regularly with other veteran musicians of his generation such as Fadhili William, George Agade, and John Nzenze in Oldies Nite performances. With the passing of Fadhili and George, Kabaka had brought together a new band of younger musicians he called Wazalendo Eagles Band. Daudi Kabaka Masika was buried at his home in Muhudu, Tiriki in western Kenya on December 15th. Kenyatta University Band entertained the large congregation of mourners, playing Kabaka's own compositions. He leaves behind a reported 47 children.

A Remembrance OF Fadhili William

The following article appeared in the June-July, 2001 issue of The Beat Magazine. One of Kenya's pop music legends, Fadhili William, passed away on February 11th (2001) in Nairobi at the (reported) age of 62. His circa 1963 recording, Malaika (Angel), remains the definitive version of this now world-famous song. Although Fadhili's claim of authorship of the song is disputed among several Kenyans and Tanzanians, there is no argument that it is one of the best known songs throughout Africa. Along with Guantanamera, Malaika is in the warm-up repertoire of nearly every hotel band on the continent. Miriam Makeba had a lot to do with spreading Malaika beyond the bounds of East Africa. Her performances of the song brought it to the attention of such famous names as Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte, pop groups such as Boney M, and scores of African artists including Angelique Kidjo and the Mahotella Queens. It's even covered by Djeli Moussa Diawara and Bob Brozman on their recent Ocean Blues CD.

Fadhili William, however, was far more than a one hit wonder. He was a journeyman musician whose career spanned nearly a half-century, with some 200 compositions to his credit. He's been described as a guitarist's guitarist but, also, as one of the Kenyan musicians who brought about the downfall of the once vibrant acoustic scene. On this, Kenyan guitarist Aziz Salim lamented, "We had a traditional acoustic Kenyan music, and it lasted until people like Fadhili William came along with all this jazzy Jambo Boys stuff. That's when the whole thing started diverting (from Stapleton and May's African All-Stars, page 236)." Indeed, it did. Fadhili was among the first in East Africa to use an electric guitar. Clearly, he had a good ear for music coming from other parts of the world. His songs and arrangements mix diverse elements from robust jazz chords to American country and western sounds, from walking baselines to Latin rumbas and South African kwela. Not a lot of his music is available outside of Kenya but a few examples can be found on the (now rare) Before Benga compilations from Original Music. One can hear Latin rhythms in songs such as Mwanamali wa Maridadi (with Ester John and Fundi Konde), When You Visit Taita, and even Malaika. Other songs like his big hit Taxi Driver, combine a completely different set of musical elements: a fast version of the South African "wimoweh" rhythm, called "twist" in Kenya; walking bass (played on guitar); and a melody and guitar line with a country feel, something like the song Red River Valley in two part harmony. Born in Taita-Taveta, up-country from Kenya's coast, Fadhili took up music in primary school joining the choir. His musical talent was readily apparent to his teacher who would sometimes turn the group over to him. Fadhili says he was about 15 when his mother bought him his first guitar, a Gallotone, costing around $12 (a pretty good sum in those days). He learned by watching other musicians play but found it difficult to get his own teacher. Guitarists, he said, were jealous and didn't want to share their skills. But he must have been a quick study because he was soon recruited into Chem Chem Kids, his first group, by saxophonist Alexander Ayub. They played for weddings and parties and even made a recording for the AMC label (African Mercantile Company). They also did an extensive tour of Uganda. Returning to Kenya, Fadhili made his first recording with East African Records in 1955. Again, Fadhili's musical prowess must have made a good impression, this time with recording and sales manager Eric Blackart. Fadhili gradually worked his way into a position as Blackart's assistant. Every Tuesday, they held auditions for new artists and materials. Blackart came to rely upon Fadhili's knowledge and intuition of what might do well in the East African market. With Blackart's departure in 1956, his successor placed even more reliance upon Fadhili. In addition to his role as a talent scout, Fadhili also served as a session musician and arranger playing second guitar on many recordings. In Febraury, 1959, the Jambo Boys band was created and supported by East African Records. The group started out as a quartet with Fadhili as guitarist and leader along with string bass, trumpet, and drums. The following year, they added two more members and started performing on radio for Kenya Broadcasting Service. It was shortly after this that the studio was sold and the Jambo Boys were renamed Equator Sounds Band. In this period, Fadhili worked with most of the great musicians in and around Nairobi. The various members of Equator Sounds Band (and successors) constitute an honor roll in themselves with such names as Sylvester Odhiambo, Gabriel Omolo, Daudi Kabaka, Nashil Pichen and Peter Tsotsi. In Fadhili's own projects, the backing band is often credited as the Black Shadows, unspecified musicians from perhaps Equator Sounds or his earlier collaborations. As Kenya's benga music style gradually picked up steam in the late 60s and came to dominate in the 70s, the lighter "easy-listening" music of Fadhili and cohorts faded from the scene. Fadhili did some work with the popular Hodi Boys including a soul/funk version of Malaika with horns in the Stax/Volt tradition but he never really found a new formula to keep his name current in the changing scene. All those years in talent evaluation, producing, and engineering did not go to waste, however. After the Equator Sounds Studio closed up shop, Fadhili continued in a similar capacity in the 1970s, working for the Nairobi offices of Phonogram (PolyGram). In addition to various benga artists, Fadhili has mentioned studio and engineering work with Tanzanian greats Morogoro Jazz and Super Volcano; Simba Wanyika; NUTA Jazz; Samba Mapangala; Congolese bandleader, Verckys; and even Louis Armstrong and members of the Beatles! Following a five-year stint at Phonogram, Fadhili was invited to the United States as part of a government delegation. He stayed about a year before returning to East Africa. By the mid-eighties, he was performing in international-class hotels in Kenya and Tanzania. But, apparently frustrated by his inability to make any great headway in either the local or international scenes from East Africa, Fadhili returned to the US in 1987 to pursue his musical ambitions. Little is on record for this period in Fadhili William's life. He settled in the New York / New Jersey area where he took a second wife, also from Kenya. Their daughter, Malaika, now seven years old, lives in Kenya. While in the United States, Fadhili was preparing some studio recordings but even in this, he was thwarted. All his work was lost in a studio fire and nothing was ever released. One of the highlights of his stay in the US must have been Fadhili's participation in the 1997 tour of Kenyan-based musicians, Samba Mapangala performing with John Ngereza and Les Wanyika. Fadhili was invited to perform on their Boston date, June 27th. WMBR Radio's African music host, Ethan Bloomberg, described it as a very successful appearance saying Fadhili "delighted the crowd with his renditions of Taxi Driver, Malaika, and other familiar hits." Bloomberg was particularly struck by "his warmth, showmanship, and stage presence." Finally, he also notes that Fadhili "wore solid color suits (and) smoked Dunhills - heavily!" Later that same year, Fadhili returned to Kenya with his daughter. He once again started performing in hotels and "Golden Oldies Nite" concerts in Nairobi to the backing of such groups as Them Mushrooms and the Pressman Band. Towards the end of 2000, Fadhili's health began to deteriorate requiring three weeks in intensive hospital care for pneumonia in November. Prior to that, he had been performing on Saturday nights at Nairobi's Panafric Hotel. By mid-January this year, Fadhili's condition worsened again and he was once more admitted for hospital care. He died three weeks later, newspaper accounts citing pneumonia as the cause of death. Fadhili William Mdawida leaves behind wives in Nairobi and New Jersey, 8 children and 9 grandchildren. He was buried according to Islamic rites in Kariokor Muslim Cemetery, Nairobi. It was a bitter sweet career for the man who enjoyed immense popularity in Kenya but spent much of his life fighting for recognition and royalties (for Malaika) from the international community. He leaves a lasting imprint in Kenya's musical past and he leaves the world, Malaika.

ABOUT Samba Mapangala and Virunga

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Congolese vocalist and band leader Samba Mapangala has been a dominant figure in East African music since the mid-1970s. Arriving in Kampala, Uganda with his group, Les Kinois in 1975, they eventually made their way to Nairobi in 1977. The beginnings of the famous Virunga sound were already evident in their recordings prior to the breakup of Les Kinois in 1980. Shortly after that, Samba recorded the now famous Malako recordings in Nairobi with his newly formed Orchestra Virunga. The Malako LP (now titled Virunga Volcano) was one of the pioneering releases of the newly emerging world music scene in Europe in the mid-1980s and an instant favorite. The style was typical of other East African groups of the time: a lean sound with complex, interlocking guitar lines; rapid-fire bass; light, fast-paced percussion; with horn or sax overlays. What was different about Samba and Virunga was the quality of the product. The songs began with Samba's catchy melodic lines and evolved over a nine or ten minute period through beautiful vocal harmonies and brilliant guitar and horn soloing. Samba's voice, even today, is unique among African vocalists for its pleasing quality and versatility. For World Music editor Simon Broughton, Virunga Volcano is among the 100 Essential (World Music) CDs.
Virunga's East African roots are, no doubt, one of the primary factors that set them apart from other Congolese bands. At the same time, it is perhaps because of their East African base that they haven't really had a chance to develop on the world music scene. In the eighties, the band was hampered by work permit problems (that forced Samba to move to Kampala in 1985), Nairobi's deteriorating but expensive recording facilities, and Kenya's shrinking live music market that makes it difficult to keep a large band together. Sadly, in 1993, Samba gave up on the local night club scene and disbanded the group. Virunga as a concept continues. In 1995, Samba created a new Virunga release in Paris under the auspices of Senegalese producer Ibrahim Sylla. That CD, Karibu Kenya, features some of the top names in Parisian soukous: Diblo Dibala, Pablo Lubadika, Komba Bellow, Wuta Mayi, Bibi Den's Tshibayi, and Syran Mbenza. In the summers of 1996 and 1997 Samba toured the USA and UK backed by members of the Nairobi based group Bora Bora and other friends. The 1997 tour also featured the late John Ngereza of Les Wanyika as well as the late Fadhili William of Malaika fame.  Out of the 1997 tour came the Vunja Mifupa CD.
Samba's Ujumbe (A Message) from 2001 was recorded in Paris with some of the great Congolese session musicians based in Europe. Virunga Roots Volume 1, is a collection of recordings made in the late 80s in Nairobi and Paris. Previously, most of these songs were only available in limited distribution on cassette (the Vunja Mifupa and Paris-Nairobi cassettes listed below). Song and Dance (2006) is the latest studio offering, a solid performance with blending the East African and Parisian sounds-- superb guitar, beautiful sax, and as always the sweet voice of Samba Mapangala. The 2008 release of African Classics: Samba Mapangala & Virunga is a collection of Samba's work over a 25 year period, some of his fans' favorite tracks along with three tracks never before released on CD.
These days, Samba resides in the United States but he has a superb touring band that performs with him as he returns to East Africa, and tours Europe and the USA. His performance at the 2007 WOMAD Festival in the UK can be heard online. He was selected by the Kenyan Embassy in Washington to perform at the Pan African Inaugural party for President Obama. Noting the occasion, Marco Werman talked with Samba for the Global Hit segment of the radio news program, The World.
In February, 2009, Samba and Virunga performed at the Sauti za Busara music festival in Zanzibar and did a series of concerts in Kenya. In a follow-up recording session in Nairobi, Samba put together a tribute to the Zanzibar festival in his song "Zanzibar", which is featured on the 2011 release, Maisha Ni Matamu.

Partial Discography:
(If you know of other recordings that should be included, let me know.)

It's Disco Time with Samba Mapangala 1982 (ASLP 927)
Mabiala 1983 (ASLP )
Malako 1984 (Earthworks/Rough Trade) [The UK release of Disco Time]
Safari 1988 (Kenyan cassette)
Vunja Mifupa 1989 (CBS Kenya IVA 40 071, cassette)
Virunga Volcano 1990 (Earthworks, CD) [Malako + two songs]
Paris-Nairobi 1990 (European cassette)
Feet On Fire 1991(Stern's Africa STCD 1036, CD)
Karibu Kenya 1995 (Sun Music, CD)
Vunja Mifupa 1997 (Lusam 01, CD)
Ujumbe 2001 (Stern's / Earthworks STEW43CD)
Virunga Roots Volume 1 2004 (Samba Mapangala)
Song and Dance 2006 (Virunga Records VR002, CD)
African Classics 2008 (Sheer Sound SLCD 149)
Live On Tour 2009 (download only, CDBaby.com)
Maisha Ni Matamu 2011 [Life Is Sweet] (Virunga Records, CD)

ABOUT KENYAN MUSICS IN THE MARKET

Over the years, Kenyan music has featured in numerous compilations for the international market. Often, the focus has been on a particular genre such as classic benga, one of several rumba variants, or perhaps centering on the work of a particular artist within a genre. In the same vein as the acclaimed Soundway collections Ghana Special and Nigeria Special, Kenya Special takes a different path in that it concentrates on a collection of 32 unusual recordings that stand out as being different or unique. At the same time it includes a few standard genre classics (especially of Kikuyu guitar genre) as reference points for departure. Most importantly it demonstrates how Kenyan musicians were tuned into international sounds and all the styles around them and that, in fact, there was a tremendous amount of music experimentation and innovation during the 1970s and '80s in East Africa.
To understand where these songs come from a little background information is in order. Kenya has one of the most diverse musical environments in all of Africa. Coming out of the 1950s, there were several popular musical styles. On the one hand, there were finger-picking guitar styles by solo and duo artists from western Kenya alongside a competing finger-picking guitar style performed by Congolese guitarists from eastern Congo/Zaire based in Kenya. On the other, there were small ensembles like the Jambo Boys Band (later, reconstituted as the Equator Sound Band), hotel cover bands, company sponsored pop groups, and the like. Of course, as is often the case, the story is a little more complex than that. These bands didn't play just one style (and neither did the finger guitarists) but the Equator Sound Studio and its band were extremely influential in setting the tone for the '60s. Charles Worrod took over what became the Equator Sound Studio in 1961. The previous ownership had on staff some of the top creative names of the time including: Fadhili William (of Malaika fame) and Daudi Kabaka. Worrod kept on most of these initial members who later became The African Eagles Band (aka The Eagles Lupopo): Nashil Pichen & Peter Tsotsi-Juma (both Zambians), and Gabriel Omolo. Collaborating with Daudi Kabaka, Worrod was the creative push for twist music (by no means an exact copy of the American twist), one of the most popular beats that reigned in Kenya in the 1960s. Twist was bright, bouncy, guitar music, usually in two-part harmonies that appropriated the South African kwela beat, a fast wemoweh rhythm. The Equator guitarists (like Kabaka and Tsotsi) must have been familiar with American rock 'n'roll from the late 1950s and '60s as well. When not playing twist, their music is filled with a profusion of little riffs lifted from American pop hits. Kabaka's major hit, Harambee, recorded by Daudi with Fadhili William on guitars and Ugandan Charles Sonko on bass is a great example of the recycling a multitude of ideas to form a fresh sound. The song has a walking bass line (not common in African pop), a melody borrowed from the American song Battle Hymn of the Republic, a series of rockabilly riffs and solos, Swahili lyrics reflecting an uplifting political message of the time, and all done in the familiar two-part vocal harmony of the finger picking guitarists.
That was one aspect of the '60s. The finger-picking guitar music gradually faded out by the end of the decade and new rumba sounds from Zaire (Congo) and Tanzania were gaining traction in the record market as well. We start to hear more rumba music recorded in Kenya's local languages and Swahili, but by the end of the '60s we're also starting to hear the earliest rumblings of benga, Kenya's unique contribution to Afro-pop.
Benga originated among the Luo musicians coming from the lands surrounding Lake Victoria in western Kenya. It's most famous proponent, the guitarist/bandleader D.O. Misiani actually played with Daudi Kabaka in the Equator Sound Band for a couple of years in the mid '60s. But when he left to form his own group, Luo Sweet Voice (and later, D.O. Shirati Jazz or The D.O.7 band as on this compilation), it was the dawn of a new style that caught on like wildfire. As you listen to Misiani's H.O. Ongili, you hear the early sound of benga: in the first half of the song, the sparse instrumentation, interlocking syncopated rhythms with the guitar, bass, and snare drum, and typical Luo melody in two part harmony. Typical of benga, the end of the song opens up into a fast instrumental section and a demonstration of guitar prowess. This part is typical of the very active bass lines and the hallmark of later benga, the pulsing kick drum and, of course, some great guitar soloing.
It didn't take long before bands from other parts of Kenya were formulating their own versions of benga. One of the things you'll notice is how the melodies are tribalcentric. That is, Luo melodies are quite distinct from Kamba melodies or those of the Kikuyu musicians. The sole example of Kamba pop on the compilation, the Kalambya Boys' Kivelenge is a fabulous example of pure Kamba benga, at least for the first half. In the second alf, where we would expect the typical instrumental climax featuring the solo guitar, we're in for something completely unexpected. The solos open up to American rock influenced guitar licks and note bending that isn't normally part of "typical" Kamba benga.
The remaining benga bands on Kenya Special are all Kikuyu but, not necessarily playing straight benga music. For the best example of pure Kikuyu benga, check out the track from 1977 by The Gatanga Boys Band, Wendo Ti Mbia or the Huruma Boys' Teresia. As in other parts of Africa, the mid to late 1970s were an exciting time. Imported disco, rock and funk started to have an impact and many of the tracks featured here are peppered with innovation and experimentation. Records start to appear with genres like 'Liquid Soul' written on the labels and it's noticeable how well recorded and cut the 45s become, with local engineers getting remarkable results from the limited equipment at their disposal.
Benga groups almost always have tribal affiliations and are attached to an ancestral homeland. Thus, there are Luo bands from their home region surrounding Lake Victoria in western Kenya, Kikuyu bands are associated with the Gikuyu people in the highlands to the north of Nairobi and the home of the Kamba bands is a vast area to the east of Nairobi. Each ethnicity sings in its own regional language and mainly to fellow speakers of their language. Yet, the pulse of all this benga activity centres on multi-ethnic Nairobi, and in particular, a compact business district named for the small street that flows through it, River Road. At one time a pre-independence commercial area, in the 1960s and '70s this became Kenya's musical heart. At its peak, there were hundreds of retail record shops in River Road and a high percentage of those were owned by record producers who were churning out a vast amount of 45rpm vinyl records. This was undoubtedly the centre of the benga world. There were a few Swahili and Congolese rumba recordings from River Road but more often those styles were left to the multinational labels like Polygram, EMI, and CBS or to label proprietors of European or East Asian descent.
The singles business was well entrenched at the time of Kenya's independence in 1963 and continued through the benga boom of the '70s before cassettes came into widespread use. The fees were high but the process was fast. Musicians from the rural areas could bus into Nairobi, make a deal with a producer to record a few songs, pop into a studio for a few hours, go home the next day and a record would be pressed and ready for sale a week later. The initial pressing could be as little as 50 records, though a top selling record might sell from five to ten thousand, (or even more) copies. With hundreds of releases each month and with few long-playing full-length albums made, it is no wonder that a great many of these have been lost over time, regardless of their popularity or musical significance. Looking beyond the mainstream, Kenya Special brings new life and recognition to some little known gems and forgotten classics of Kenya's past.
During the '60s and '70s, Nairobi had emerged as the commercial centre for East Africa and the tourist portal for the region. With the rising African elite and foreign tourists came five star hotels and nightlife to match. This clientele was more interested in the pop hits of Europe and America than the music of the streets. The hotels on the Kenyan coast and in Nairobi hired bands that could play 'copyright music' (cover versions) and write their own music in a sort of international sound with African components woven in. Among the copyrights, American soul and funk as well as West African afrobeat (Fela Kuti and Orlando Julius records amongst others were pressed and distributed in Kenya and bands from West Africa often came to play in Nairobi and Mombasa) were popular and in some of the tracks included here you can hear these elements being worked into not only the music of the hotel bands, but among all the popular local genres of the time: benga, rumba, coastal sounds, etc. The Hodi Boys (both with and without vocalist Slim Ali) made a name for themselves for their straight out American influenced soul, but their track Mtoto Nyara is typical of the driving bass and percussion flowing from the chakacha rhythm. Chakacha features in the music of quite a number of the coastal tourist bands providing the perfect foundation, for example, for The Mombasa Vikings' Kibe Kibe - bold brass lines over a spacey keyboard, wahwah guitar, and solos by sax, trumpet, and guitar.
As the '70s advanced, rumba took on a bigger presence in Kenya. Tamba Tamba by Nairobi Matata is the best example here of home-grown rumba from Kenya; Swahili rumba (differentiated from Congolese rumba) is characterised by the active, yet delicate, rhythm guitar part which meshes so well with the bass, and the percussion that is concentrated almost entirely on the drummer's high hat as well as the ever present, pulsing kick drum. The Swahili language (native to the East African coast) is widely understood throughout Kenya, especially in the cities and towns. That gives Swahili rumba the added advantage of a much larger audience throughout Kenya and Tanzania who can understand the lyrics. Aside from Nairobi Matata and notable exceptions such as Kabaselleh Ochieng and the Maroon Commandos, Kenyan groups largely ceded rumba to foreign neighbouring bands. Up to the closing of the Kenya-Tanzania border in 1977, Tanzanian bands would come to Nairobi on a regular basis to record and perform. The two Tanzanian bands featured in this compilation (Super Volcano and Afro 70) made numerous recordings in Nairobi and were revered by Kenyans for their versions of Swahili rumba. Afro 70's Week End, released in 1972, is a mainstream representation of the genre but compare that leisurely rumba to the group's other two tracks on Kenya Special. Afro 70's Afrousa (Move On) from 1975 is definitely in the contemporary soul-influenced 'afro' realm with a vocal line sounding almost like Sly and the Family Stone. Cha-Umheja, on the other hand, goes to a completely different inspirational source. This is a direct afropop translation of the traditional music of the Wagogo people of central Tanzania, all be it, with added piano and wah-wah guitar. (You can hear the traditional versions of such music in the ilimba recordings of Hukwe Zawose who came from this same region).
With political and economic uncertainty in 1970s Zaire, many rumba bands from eastern Congo hit the road to take advantage of opportunities in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, and beyond. Some of these groups just kept moving until they landed in Nairobi where they found a receptive and welcoming audience. Nashil Pichen, working with Super Mazembe in Zambia was instrumental in facilitating their move to Kenya in 1975. At about the same time, Baba Gaston's Orchestra Baba National arrived in Nairobi and this paved the way for other renowned Congolese bands to settle, (such as Les Mangelepa), many of whom became hugely popular in Kenya for years to come. On Kenya Special, Gaston's Sweet Sweet Mbombo is an interesting mix and is a great example of how elements from all over Africa were forming some very unique music in mid 1970s Kenya. It starts off with what sounds like a West African highlife number on a rumba foundation but then moves into bluesy guitar and sax solos. The other Congolese number from Orchestre Vévé Star is a true departure from the classic Verckys sound. Nitarudia highlights the familiar horn parts of classic Orchestra Vévé but runs in a completely different direction with an eight minute vamp on two chords and a bass-heavy funk rhythm. The simple Swahili lyric is a reassuring "I love you" and "wherever I go I'll return to you." The fact that it was done in Swahili and English with references to Nairobi and other East African locations was clearly an effort to connect with that audience. The majority of Kenyans don't speak a word of Lingala, the language usually heard in Congolese recordings (despite many big hits of the time being sung by those bands in their mother tongue). The interesting thing about both Swahili and Lingala songs is that since these languages are not associated with particular tribal groups in Kenya, they can appeal to all Kenyans without any overtones of tribal loyalty or rivalry.
Finally, we return to the musicians of the Equator Sound Band (by the way, usually singing in Swahili). This group, so prominent in the '60s didn't simply go away in the '70s. It's true, however, that by the late '60s, their twist style had faded, displaced by the rising benga and rumba tides. In this time of musical transformation, the musicians severed ties with the Equator label and embarked on a new path for the 1970s under various 'Eagles' monikers. The core of the new band was Daudi Kabaka with Gabriel Omolo and Zambians Nashil Pichen and Peter Tsotsi. Their music defies an easy label, instead drawing on influences from far and wide. In general, we might say they joined the rumba camp, but their four tracks on this compilation demonstrate nothing of the sort. Each track seems to derive from a traditional rhythm or vocal pattern but the arrangements are truly modern in style.
The beauty of Kenya Special is that it's a treasure trove of rare and unusual compositions from some of East Africa's most revered bands, taking their music in new directions. It is a tribute to musical innovation and creativity, previously undocumented or compiled in one collection….until now.

MWILI WA NGWEA KUWASILI KESHO SAA NANE MCHANA

Kamati ya Maandalizi ya Mazishi ya Albert Mangweha tunapenda kuwaatarifu rasmi kuwa mwili wa marehemu Ndugu yetu, mpendwa wetu Albert Mangweha utawasili kesho tarehe 04/06/2013 saa nane mchana na Shirika la Ndege la Afrika ya Kusini kwenye uwanja wa ndege wa Kimataifa wa Mwalimu Nyerere (Terminal One).

Tunaomba mjitokeze kwa wingi kwa ajili ya kumpokea ndugu yetu, mpendwa wetu Albert Mangweha.

Taarifa hii kwa mujibu wa Kamati ya Maandalizi ya Mapokezi na Mazishi. Asanteni na Mungu awabariki

Jaramandia la uhalifu

Guru La saitoti

JOSEE CHAMELEON ATEMBELEA KABURI LA BLUCE LEE

Bluce lee
Kwa kizazi hiki ukiuliza ni nani mkali wa Karate wengi watasemaJackie chane or Jet lee na vijana wadogo wengi watasema ni

 mtoto wa will smith,Jaden smith aka Karate

 kid,lakin ukweli halisi mkali na shujaa wa karate ni

 marehem Bluce Lee aliyefariki  20/july/1973

Story hii haimhusu Bluce lee,inamhusu Mwanamziki tajili East Africa

Jose Chameleon ambaye

 amepata nafasi ya kutembelea na kuweka shada la maua kaburini mwa Bluce lee

Dr.Josee chameleon  akiweka shada la mauwa kaburini kwa bluce leepembeni ni kaburi la Brandon lee,mtoto wa bluce lee aliyefariki akiigiza movie

                                             Nafasi hiyo ameipata aliko nchini marekani
                                kwenye tour yake ya muziki nchini humo  iitwayo "Badirisha tour".

JE UNAFAHAMU KUHUSU MAFANIKIO YA DIAMOND PLATINUM?

Naseeb Abdul a.k.a Diamond Platinum kipenzi cha wengi, ni msanii anaeng'ara sana nchini Tanzania tangu alipoanza na single yake ya Mbagala mpaka hii leo bado anafanya vizuri tena zaidi ya jana, kiukweli jamaa amejipanga katika kila sector, anafanya Good Music na anabamba kila rika na kuwaburudisha vilivyo.

Diamond ni msanii anaepiga show nyingi sana na kwa malipo makubwa tofauti na mengine ambapo ili kuweza kumpata jamaa basi lazima ujipange na Milioni kadhaa kama 5 hivi kwa show moja na kwa sababu raia wanamkubali basi sio kesi wala pesa nyingi kwao, wadau wanaingia na kufanya nae mkataba, na inasemekana kuwa ana piga show kila week mara tatu mpaka nne sehemu tofauti tofauti. Na hivi juzi tu alitoka Kusini mwa Afrika kwa Madiba ndani ya mjengo wa Big Brother Africa kutumbuiza na kwa taarifa zisizo rasmi inasemekana jamaa alinyakua kitita cha Tanzania Milioni 30 kwa ajili ya show hiyo.

Pia ni msanii ambae ameweza kukutana na wasanii wengine wa Kimataifa

Huku akiwa na Raisi wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

Ni msanii wa kwanza kupiga show ya kipekee yenye kiingilio kikubwa, ilifanyika ndani ya Ukumbi wa Mlimani City ambayo ili enda kwa jina la "DIAMOND FOREVER".

Furaha ndio kitu kikubwa maishani

Ila kuna yale maneno ya jamaa wakisema kuwa Diamond ni mwanachama wa Freemasons, ukweli anaujua yeye so kama amesema sio basi sio raia acheni maneno ila mnatakiwa mumpe support ili azidi kufanya fresh

Msosi kitu muhimu aaaah! freeeeeeeeeeeeesh sana.

Kikubwa katika mafanikio yake ni juhudi na kujiamini pia kutokukata tamaa, Kwa wasanii wote inawapasa kuwa na ujasiri na roho ya kupenda maendeleo na sio kulewa sifa kidogo ukajiona bonge la star ama kwenda kuuza habari kwenye gazeti ili uonekane Topic kila cku hiyo ni mbaya maana inashusha hadhi yako. Chakarika ule kwa jasho lako na sio kusubiri vimeo vikutoe.

Diamond akisalimiana na mtasha kwa ishara ya Kifreemason.

Diamond akisalimiana na mtasha kwa ishara ya Kifreemason.

Stori: Shakoor Jongo na Erick Evarist
SIRI imefichukua kuwa madai kwamba ‘kichaa’ wa Bongo Fleva, Naseeb Abdul Jumaa ‘Diamond Platnumz’ ni memba wa jamii ya siri inayodaiwa kumwabudu shetani, Freemason a.k.a Wajenzi Huru zilianza kitambo lakini sasa zimeshika kasi baada ya kunaswa kwa picha inayomuonesha akisalimiana na mtasha kwa ishara ya Kifreemason, Ijumaa Wikienda linaibumburua.
Kwa mujibu picha hiyo, tukio hilo lilijiri nchini Uingereza, mwaka jana, Diamond alipokwenda huko kwa ajili ya shoo.

MAVAZI
Ilidaiwa pia kuwa mavazi ya Diamond (meusi) yalishabihiana sawia na yale ya mtasha huyo yanayoelezwa kuwa sehemu ya mavazi ya jamii ya Freemason.

ISHARA
Kingine kilichoibua maswali ni ishara ya salamu ya wawili hao ambayo ilitengeneza nembo ya Freemason ya ‘V’ au bikari kwa namna walivyogusana kwa vidole.
Kwa mujibu wa wadau walioiona picha hiyo iliyonaswa kwenye mtandao wa Twitter, Diamond amekuwa na ishara nyingine nyingi za aina hiyo hivyo kuzidi kuzua utata kama ni memba wa jamii hiyo.
“Lakini inawezekana kwa sababu nasikia ukishajiunga unapata mafanikio ya ghafla. ‘So’ kuhusu hili, sina upande wa kusimamia,” ilisomeka sehemu ya maoni kwenye mtandao huo baada ya kuibuka mjadala mzito juu ya ishu hiyo inayozidi kushika kasi mithili ya moto wa kifuu.
“Tungeshukuru kama Diamond mwenyewe angejitokeza aseme ukweli kwani akinyamaza anazidi kutuweka njia panda,” ilisomeka sehemu nyingine ya maoni hayo huku ikiungwa mkono na wengi.

UNATAKA KUMSIKIA DIAMOND? SOMA HAPA
Ili kumaliza utata wa je, Diamond ni Freemason au la, Ijumaa Wikienda lilibeba jukumu la kumtafuta ili aanike ukweli wake ambapo alikuwa na haya ya kusema:
“Unajua mwanzoni nilikuwa sikumbuki ni lini na wapi nilipiga picha ya dizaini hiyo. ‘Anyway’, isiwe kesi, nakumbuka ilikuwa Uingereza kipindi kile nilikuwa na shoo nchini humo.
“Nakumbuka walinifuata watasha wengi tofauti lakini huyo mmoja alining’ang’ania sana nipige naye picha.
“Kwa kweli alinilazimisha sana kwa sababu mwanzo nilikataa lakini baadaye nikaona isiwe ishu nikampa ushirikiano alioutaka.
“Mimi sikuona matatizo alivyotaka tusalimiane kwa kugusisha vidole kwa sababu nilikuwa sijui chochote kuhusu Freemason. Nimeijua baada ya mambo haya kuyasikia kwa sana hivi karibuni.
“Kwa hiyo inawezekana siku hiyo waliniunganisha bila mimi kujua (kicheko).”

SASA UKWELI NI UPI?
Mara kadhaa Diamond amekuwa akihusishwa na Freemason kutokana na mafanikio ya ghafla aliyoyapata na mvuto alionao kwa mashabiki wake ndani na nje ya Bongo.
Ijumaa Wikienda lilipotaka kupata ukweli kutoka kwake, Diamond alifunguka:
“Si kweli bwana, mimi nazisikia tu hizi habari kama wengine. Nasikia tu ipo hapa Bongo na kiongozi wake ni Sir Andy Chande, zaidi ya hapo sijui chochote.
“Mimi ni mtu wa swala tano na mafanikio yangu naamini Mungu ndiyo kila kitu.”

KUNA MSANII MWINGINE
Mbali na mwigizaji Jacqueline Wolper na marehemu Steven Charles Kanumba ‘The Great’ ambao wamekuwa wakitajwatajwa na mambo ya Ufreemason, Ijumaa Wikienda limetajiwa msanii mwingine ambaye yupo mbioni kujiunga akidai anakwenda kufuata utajiri.

AANZA KUPATA MAFANIKIO
Msanii huyo ambaye ni mwigizaji mwenye jina (tunalihifadhi kwa sasa) anadaiwa kuanza kupata mafanikio ya ghafla hivyo Ijumaa Wikienda lipo mzigoni na litakapomuweka kati litamrusha hewani.

Nikki Wa Pili Feat. G Nako - Bum Kubam

Fashion In East Africa

Fashion is very important aspect in our lives, looking good and unique brings out a persons personality more evidently. To me Fashion goes hand in hand with music, if you look good its like having your favorite music playing in your mind all day.

How do you feel about fashion, whats your take for fashion in east Africa, Who wore it best last year and who's leading this year?

Jackie Cliff

This are my favorite dress codes last year, whats yours, and who rocked it?

Dj kalonje bongo flava new songsmix 2013

Diamond-Suffering For Success..Alafu Mseme Nawaloga

Diamond Platnumz Posted this Picture Today on his facebook wall and wrote " Suffering For Success..Alafu Mseme Nawaloga"
 To me honest i like they way how this dude perform his shows kuanzia kuimba na hata anavyocheza na dancers wake ambao wote ni wanaume....Jamaa amejipanga sana sijaona msanii yoyote wa bongo flava aliye jipanga kama huyu......Nikilinganisha na wasanii wengine ambao wakipanda jukwaani hakuna jipya zaidi ya kuimba na kucheza kidogo.....

Sikubaliani kabisa na wale wanao sema diamond analoga...Kazi yake inaonesha dogo kajipanga...Wengine wataendelea kusubiri sana...

Diamond Platnumz Announce to Buy Another New Expensive Car

The Musician from Tanzania Diamond Platnumz through Millard Ayo Has announced to buy another new car from Japan, He said  the new car will be expensive more than the Toyota Prado which he bought it last year around June..
 Very recently the singer has completed to build the House for her mother at Tegeta Area , The house is said to cost something like two hundred and sixty millions...Big up Diamond...Those are  blessing from your mother ....We all have to learn a lesson from you-We should love our Mothers.

Izzo Bizness Aiponda TANESCO ... Asema "Ni AIBU ...

Few minutes ago, rapper kutoka Mbeya City, Izzo Bizness ameonekana kukasirishwa na kinachoendelea katika Shirika La Usambazaji wa Umeme hapa Tanzania, TANESCO ...
Izzo ambae anafanya vyema kwa sasa na ngoma yake ya BALL PLAYER, ameonekana kuchukizwa sana na kitendo cha kukatika kwa Umeme kwa muda mrefu bila taarifa na pia kucheleweshwa kurudishwa ...
Izzo, "Tangu saa nane mchana mpaka sasa umeme hakuna halafu bila aibu eti mnasema kwa kujinadi #TumejaribuTumeweza Shame. " akionekana kumaanisha ni muda mrefu umepita toka umeme kukatika ...
Lakini aliongeza kuwa, kukatika huku kunarudisha nyuma mambo mengi ya kimaendeleo ikiwa ni pamoja na mawasiliano maana kwa muda wote huu uliokatika hata simu pia zinaisha charge na watu kushindwa kuwasiliana kwa kazi tofauti ...
Shirika la umeme limekuwa likilalamikiwa sana kwa tatizo lake la kukatika kwa umeme kwa miaka mingi huku kukiwa na dalili zote za kutoshughulikia suala hilo ...

Account Ya Twitter Ya AY Yawa Verified

Account ya mtandao wa kijamii ya Twitter ya mwanamuziki maarufu Afrika kutoka Tanzania, Ambwene Yesaya yatambulika rasmi. Twitter ambayo hufanya hivyo kwa kukuwekea alama ya tick ya blue mbele ya jina lako ili kukutambulisha kwa marafiki, ndugu, jamaa, mashabiki wako wanaokufuata [followers] kuwa wewe ni mtumiaji halisi wa account hiyo walifanya hivyo kwenye account ya Ambwene ndani ya masaa kadhaa yaliyopita.
      Twitter pia hufanya hivi ili kukutofautisha na watumiaji wengine wanaoweza kutumia jina lako katika mtandao huo na wamekuwa wakifanya hivyo kwa watu maarufu katika nyanja mbalimbali kama muziki, serikali, siasa, uigizaji, dini, mitindo, uandishi wa habari, biashara n.k.
Ambwene Yesaya [@AyTanzania] amekuwa ni mwanamuziki wa kwanza kutoka Tanzania mkubwa anaeendelea kufanya vizuri duniani na kuipeperusha vyema bendera ya Tanzania katika tasnia ya muziki, for his twitter account to be verified amekuwa mmoja kati ya watanzania wachache ambao account zao zimekuwa hivyo akiwemo mcheza kikapu wa Oklahoma City Thunder(OKC) Hasheem Thabeet [@hasheemthedream], Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Mh. Dkt. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete [@jmkikwete] Flaviana Matata [@FlavianaMatata] na Waziri January Makamba [@jmakamba].

Chidi Benz azungumza kilio chake, ‘natoa ngoma hazigongwi,no shows’

Leo hit-maker huyo wa Dar Standup amewasilisha kilio chake kupitia Twitter kama ifuatavyo:

Wasanii wengi waoga kutokana na hali halisi ya maisha waliyotoka,sio wa kuchekwa.wasanii wengi wanafiki koz hawajiamini kiuwezo binafsi.

Redio zina wasanii wanaowashikilia,Redio sio yako so eiza jiunge nao au achana nao.wengi sio wakali wanatengenezwa na wanahitaji hilo.Njaa

Natoa ngoma hazigongwi,no shwz,hakuna chcht but utaskia kapigana mgomvi habadiliki,mimi ambae nimefanya kazi na wasanii woote?nawapigaje?

Mimi ni msanii wa kwanza kukusanya wasanii wengi sehem moja,tulikua na nguvu na naenda nao kokote.wadau wakaogopa wanajua nina uwezo.wanajua

Unanionea Koba Junior New music 2013 Bongo Flava Ugrecords1 ...

UTAMU - Dully Sykes ft Diamond Dimpoz New music 2013 Bongo ...

Rabbit New Video

Last evening as promised, Rabbit released the video of his jam featuring Nadu "We Miss You" at Aqua Lounge. This song had the 'blessings' of the three of the biggest players in the industry; video by J. Blessing, produced by Wawesh Mjanja and engineered by Provoke

Rabbit acknowledges that losing a loved one is the most painful thing. He says, "Music aside, losing a family member is so painful, and the worst thing is that it is irreversible. The Industry will greatly miss those i mentioned in the song, and those that i didn't. A greater sorry to their families."
One of the lines goes like, 'I think they got lost on their way back home, if you see them, tell them we miss them so much, direct them back home' portraying the strong message to Kenya's music pioneers.
Here's the video;

Big Brother Africa 8 Launch at Celeb Galore

Big Brother Africa - The Chase premiered last Sunday and the controversy emanating from the house is just mind boggling! For example, today Denzel (The Ugandan) has a fixation on his male member, Huddah Monroe (Kenya) is gearing to have s3x after Sunday and Annabel Mbaru is caught up in a love triangle in just a week!
Stella Mwangi's publicist, Tim Adeka shared with us these photos and here's your turn to nourish your eyes with the ongoings that you never get to see unless you log on to Ghafla! Enjoy:


                           Wande Coal, Stella Mwangi, Churchill "Mwalimu King'ang'i" Ndambuki




                              what could be they saying to each other?



By the way our very own Huddah Monroe is up for eviction, Save your country man by voting for her here