musical link: Guest Post - David Ochan - When a reject is good enough …
March 6, 2010, 1:41 amLes Mangelepa was a splinter group from Baba Gaston Ilunga Wa Ilunga’s Baba National. I came to know band members of Mangelepa when they briefly lived as our neighbours at Golf Course Estates in Nairobi. They always sounded as if they were quarreling amongst themselves, but the moment they start singing, it was pure joy to hear them. And, whenever Les Mangelepa composed a song, they also invented a dance to go with that song - at least up to and including their Malawi Zikomo LP. Rumours had it that some influential residents complained that they were making too much noise. Eventually they had to move to Buru Buru Estates all the way across on the far side of Nairobi.
I attended their live shows twice while they were based at Serena Hotel near Uhuru Park.
In 1979/80 Mangelepa made a trip to Kampala after several postponements. Most people who had booked in advanced had demanded their money back from the promoters. The few of us who kept their tickets turned out to be lucky because the ticket price trebled. I bumped into Kabila Kabanze “Evani” with two of the promoters on Kampala Road. The promoters were excited and started introducing Kabila to me only to be surprised that Kabila knew me and asked me in Kiswahili what I was doing in Kampala. He then requested me to take some pictures of their performance if I still had my camera. I ended up taking dozens of their photos from their performances at Delight Cinema, Lugogo Indoor Stadium and Makerere University.
I gave all those photos to “Le Capitane” Bwamy and individual artists with the safe knowledge that I shall reprint my copies anytime I want since I had the Negatives. I retained a few poor quality “rejects”. As fate would have it, the “rejects” are the only photos with me now as my camera and all my negatives in the camera case was stolen from our car outside Cameo cinema in Nairobi. But I believe the “rejects” are still better than nothing.
Twinkale Wa Twinkale “Mtoto (Mwana) Ya Mama Maria”, nicknamed thus because he was a devout christian and always wearing a small gold crucifix and whom also happened to be the composer of Detshu did not make the trip to Kampala due to family sickness. Instead the group brought a Tanzanian musician who sang on their english and reggae numbers. They also brought a white lady, Wendy, who would do a “strip dance” to the tune of Kadgera and ended up causing a lot of commotion at Makerere University. I suspect that some of the readers of this blog who were “Freshers” in their first year at Makerere at the time can testify to this.
It is my hope is that we can gather all of Mangelepa rare hits and put together a complete collection.
(click through for higher resolution images).
Les Mangelepa - Lisapo (Kalenga Nzazi Vivi)
Thank you David for sharing this little piece of history and the photos. Please keep the guest posts coming.
- Ntwiga
—Steve | 23 comments
(posted in the Orchestre Les Mangelepa category)
musical link: TKZee - a bounty
February 26, 2010, 3:03 pmHey good people
A bounty awaits anyone who can do all of the following
- let me know the name of this track
- link me to anywhere on these inter-tubes where I can buy it
I know that the track is by TKZee and I know that it is in the both the intro and outro (that’s how good it is!) to the video of their new single Sdudla that you can find here but aside from that I know nothing.
Here is the track that the snippet comes from - TKZee’s newest single Sdudla.
An update
The track is named “Viva la pantsula” and it is from their new CD. The single is featured in a ad campaign for MTV centered around the ‘Ayoba’ theme that you can find here, here and here.
I have to say though that this is not the TKZee we knew before. If you listen to the two tracks that I have mentioned in this post, lyrics aside, the music is rock-solid. Great production and orchestration with fantastic instrumentation. Really solid music. And the Sdudla video is a very professional concept executed in near perfection.
I have been saying and writing good things about TKZee for almost ten years now, both here on this blog and other places and I think that this new release just goes to proving my point.
Another update: just found another track off their new album - Dikakapa.
I do not want to sound like a fanboy but seriously, is anyone listening to this stuff when I post it?. It is so seriously polished - the production work on this music is amazing. I still cannot find anywhere to buy this album though. It does not seem to be on sale online. Can anyone help? If you are in SA, let me know and I will drop you some cash to buy / rip / send.
Big up!
Thanks.
AOB:
Does anyone remember Smörgåsbord IV and the intense conversation that came out of that about the radio show Klankenstapper / Concertzender. Well, I only just saw an email from Robert Kroos that dropped into my mailbox about a week ago who was responsible for that show on Radio Netherlands on Kanindo Singles.
Here is the comment that you can find at this link
Hello.. I am the one who did the show of Kanindo Singles on the Concertzender. By typing the word Kanindo I got on your blog.
The music broadcasted on that particular show is from cassettes I bought in Zimbabwe. In the middle of the night on a parking place I begged a truck driver to tell me what he was playing on his soundsystem finding out it was Kanindo.
I have not read the whole thread here but if there are any specific questions I am glad to answer them.
All music on this show is taken from 3 cassettes and 1 (promo?) cd(with tape cover) from the Kanindo series.All the best: Robert Kroos
- Steve
Well, I for one have a ton of questions including how come they talk about Doug Paterson about 20 mins in and even more important than that, how did a truck driver in Zimbabwe just happen to be listening to Kisii Kanindo singles?
Any takers for Robert’s kind offer?
—Steve | 3 comments
(posted in the TKZee category)
musical link: Orchestre Safari Sound with King Kiki, Bunny Mack and Harry Belafonte
February 18, 2010, 12:32 amFor those of you who may remember Ochestre Safari Sound that eventually through splits and revolution gave us “kamanyola bila jasho“, here is some music from Kikumbi Mwanza Mpango, better known as King Kiki. (There is some back story here and more here).
Sorry for the purists among you but these are strictly fron vinyl as far as I can tell. And then, even more back story, with a heck of a disheartening ending, can be found here .
Two tracks here from a recording whose dates I can do not know Masantula and Kata Tama.
Orchestre Safari Sound w. King Kiki - Kata Tama
Orchestre Safari Sound w. King Kiki - Masantula
AOB:
+I finally found it: Bunny Mac’s Let me love you
Bunny Mack - Let me love you
+Tell me you don’t like this. I dare you, I double dare you.
Timmy Rogers - Super Soul Brother
+Back in November, while on the InterTubes (TM), I run across Alex Halperin’s The Mzungu Thing in the September 2009 edition of n+1 magazine. Take a second to read it, its a more than decent piece of work.
+Finally, I introduced my kids to the pleasures of Harry Belafonte’s Day-O using The Muppet Show.
They absolutely love it especially since Belafonte breaks down the song and explains exactly what he means.
If you are so inclined, you can pick up the video at this link or check it out on YouTube.
If someone out there has an mp3, please share. I have the LP (as you can clearly see from the photo below) but cannot share it as my turntable is now needle-less.
They have just been eating up all the old stuff I grew up on the last 6 months or so - Electric Company, Schoolhouse Rock (they are particularly fond of the skits about electricity and do the circulation), The Muppet Show and a ton of the older Disney Classics. This last month, they have been through The Jungle Book, Robin Hood and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs this last weekend.
As an aside, the heathen among us call this particular track “The Banana Boat Song”. They are stark raving mad and I actually have vinyl to prove it. See the picture of the actual honest-to-goodness album art from the original 1956 12″ I took maybe 20 seconds ago below.
—Steve | 3 comments
(posted in the Harry Belafonte, King Kiki, Orchestre Safari Sound, The Internet category)
musical link: Tabu Ley Rochereau
February 14, 2010, 9:37 pmIn the last week of October 1974, a special time if there ever was one, this was just getting to #1 in the charts in The Congo (ou, avec plus d’authenticité, Zaïre).
You can pick up a copy of Tabu Ley and Afrisa International’s “Kaful Mayay” or even the entire album here on eMusic or at here at Stern’s.
—Steve | 54 comments
(posted in the The Internet category)
musical link: Tom Browne
February 9, 2010, 12:29 amTom Browne and Tonni Smith make it do something in 1980’s Funkin’ For Jamaica.
For those of you so inclined, catch the real thing here
—Steve | no comments
(posted in the Tom Browne, Tonni Smith category)
links: Time Magazine - Then vs. Now.
February 6, 2010, 11:15 amA very interesting piece by Mike Johnston of the Online Photographer comparing Time Magazine circa 1968 with Time Magazine today.
He hits the nail on the head on the reasons I stopped reading Time/Newsweek and started (sorta) reading The Economist (albeit online).
He also posted another piece that is definitely worth the price of admission, Never meet your heroes, a take on why people important to you never turn out just the way your expected.
AOB:
+ Snow White and Prince Charming four years on.
+ The Onion seems almost prescient in their work: they post this piece on The Supreme Court allowing corporations to run for office and 3 days later, we see Murray Corp. run for office. Makes me wonder if they know when this boycott will end?
+ Finally, every back issue of Fader Magazine. The ones that have ‘.pdf’ link under the image can be downloaded - I think thats every issue starting July/August 2006’s issue #39.
—Steve | 1 comment
(posted in the The Internet category)
musical link: luvin’ naija right now
February 3, 2010, 8:55 pmI am really feeling my Naija peeps right now …
P-Square: Danger
Wale: Sweetie
Does anyone else recognize the old Bunny Mack track that we talked about last year?
Afrikan Boy: Naija Town
When he signs “I don’t need no visa”, that cracks me up big time!
Afrikan Boy - Lagos Town from afrikanboy on Vimeo.
Not sure when normal service will resume.
Or even if normal service will resume.
There are decisions to be made.
—Steve | 2 comments
(posted in the Africa, Afrikan Boy, Danger, Jams, Naija Town, P-Square, Sweetie, The Internet, Wale category)
Merry Christmas
December 24, 2009, 11:24 pmEnjoy the holiday and do not forget the meaning of it all.
I could not have said it better than they have here.
—Steve | 1 comment
(posted in the The Internet category)
musical link: Adam Solomon - President Barack Obama
December 18, 2009, 1:23 pmI got this track from Adam Solomon of Africa Guitar Summit fame almost a year ago and I just realized that I never posted it.
Adam is a genuinely nice guy whom I got to meet last summer when I heard classical rumba guitar playing in here in the subway in Toronto one morning and decided that I just had to meet the guy who playing that. I went over, introduced myself and he took the time to talk to me for almost 15 minutes in spite of the fact that I was literally just some guy off the street.
When we were done talking, I spent another 20 minutes just hanging around and listening to him play before buying the his latest release, the CD Mti wa maisha (Tree of Life) that he was there promoting.
Adam is a Juno Award winner (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) who has also won several TAMA awards and has performed and toured extensively in Canada.
Back at the start of this year, he asked that I share this press release with an included free track for download, with all of you and I am just getting around to doing it now.
Here is an excerpt from the email from Adam that accompanied the track.
Here is a Track for H.E. President Barack Obama, you may forward it to many people as you like; Permission granted Adam Solomon.
We’ll also have it on our download site. For those who would like to support my music you can always check my info @: MySpace, my main website and on CDBaby
THE TRACK: H.E. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ******
Meaning:
talking: Barack Obama Us President 2008, origin homeland Kogelo, in Kenya* We love you.
You’ve broken the record in the world , and made history among black men*
(1) Barack Obama President of the US 2008.(2) President Obama
We are asking God to protect you.(3) Barack Obama
Also your Homeland is Kogelo, in Kenya.(4) Barack Obama
Sarah Onyango Obama your Grand Mom lives in Kogelo.———————————————————-
(1) Barack Obama
Also Kogelo (division/ area/ of Kasembo) in Kenya is your homeland*(2) President Obama
H.E. with all the respected, we love you*(3) Barack Obama
In Kenya and In America we support you*(4) President Obama
You have a clean heart, and may God protect you*Chorus:
Barack Obama
——————–
I have been playing this song for a long time. I didn’t want to record it, or perform live till when the elections were over and victory was declared. The first day I performed this song in the songs everybody went crazy. I made a lot of money in the subway*
Enjoy
Adam Solomon Ndaro
2005 Juno Award Winner, 2007 Juno Award Nominee & Double Tama Awards 1997.
Please be sure to support Adam by checking out AND BUYING his music at MySpace and on CDBaby.
- Steve
—Steve | 2 comments
(posted in the Adam Solomon, Africa, African Guitar Summit, Artists, Arts & Culture, Canada, Kenya, Life, Music, The Internet, post-1990 African music category)
links: Koranteng on Franco
December 4, 2009, 1:02 pmKoranteng writes an excellent piece, “66 Ways to Franco”, on the logistics of finding music, which is the raison d’etre of this site in its current form.
I found this piece all the more germaine because it is he writes about music that I also happen to extremely fond of and the problem that is my professional life’s work, managing data and turning it into information.
Pity he did not start his search here, he would have found “Candidat” right away from you guys.
But then, we would not have had that excellent piece of writing.
AOB:
Le Sape
On an (un)related(?) note, Cool Hunting has a piece on Daniele Tamagni’s new book, Gentlemen of Bacongo just out on “Le Sape” or Les Sapeurs, a favourite topic of Kamau who writes at Forota.
—Steve | 244 comments
(posted in the Africa, Artists, Franco Luambo Makiadi & TP OK Jazz, Franco et L'O.K. Jazz, pre-1990 Congolese music category)
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