Friday oh Friday.
It gets tougher each time to figure out whats going up here.
I think that I will hold off on requests until next week so that I can go into some stuff that I want to share for this week – a little break from covering requests. If you asked for something a while back and have still not had it go up, don’t be afraid to ask again and let me know that I am slacking. Its tough to keep up and I really don’t have a system for being able to keep track of requests so be forgiving and ask often.
On to la musica, 3 tracks this week since there were a bunch of comments!
Surfing randomly around the web, I happened to land on this gem of a site at the BBC where Andy Kershaw hosts a weekly world music show. Listening to 7th track of the episode from Feb. 4th triggered memories of a group whose music has never been up here.
So today, I share the music of Les Kilimambogo Brothers with Kakai Kilonzo.
The bit rate on this recording is terrible but even that cannot take away from this piece of music.
Kakai Kilonzo & Les Kilimambogo Brothers – Baba Nipe Mali
I have had probably 3 or 4 requests for some Taarab and I remember that I also promised to post some soon so its time to get to that. Even better, this track is Tanzanian so I am getting into being a real East African site like I want to claim. And I promise even more diversity.
Here is Afro yajenga nchi, Kenyans will recognize our 1980′s corruption of this composition into a martial piece that we had to listen to at every national event.
Unknown Artist – Afro (yajenga nchi)
Finally, another B side from the Victoria Jazz Band – this is part 2 of the track Rose Rabi
Victoria Jazz Band – Rose Rabi
Finally, before I bid you adieu, goodbye, a track that you ABSOLUTELY need to listen to even if you listen to nothing else that I have posted tonight. I discovered Muki Garang & Mwafrika via a mix tape that he has up at surfacescan (another of my favorite sites!!) .
Muki Garang – Shida Zetu Za Kawaida
The track is extremely well polished and produced – I can only hope that he did not pick this up as an instrumental from some other artist. I mean, the track is solid even without the vocals. Then the icing on the cake – the lyrical skills are just A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
Another must listen to is Upuzi which has Kibaki mixed in in some fantastic soundbites – waacha upuzi!!! – unasema ili tujue wewe kumbafu!!!
Then, listen to the rest of the mix tape.
One last thing, this last track from 1988 is not East African so the “finally” that starts the section above is still valid. Our bonus track of the week defies categorization since a ton of great artists from so many genres appear on it. From Wynton Marsalis who plays a short horn solo to John Candy, Joe Williams, Celia Cruz, Willie Nelson, the NY Giants, Keith Hernandez & Mookie Wilson of the Mets, Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman, Madeline Kahn, and a ton of other folks who get down and SERIOUSLY jam!!
If you don’t know whom these people are, that tells you how old I am … if, on the other hand, you are thinking, “wow, I thought XYZ was dead!” then, maybe you might be a little older than I am.
And, believe it or not somewhere in there, we get Ladysmith Black Mambazo doing a solo! (hint: go to 2:11)
Anyway, our final track of the day: it starts a little slow but be patient. Its worth watching all the way through. And it is only 5 minutes of your life anyway.
[edit] Link updated, original link was removed by the drones at youtube [/end edit]
And we are done!
AOB:
+ See the world through a different set of eyes – rural Indian children do some photoblogging.
Strictly for fun:
+ I couldn’t make up this stuff if I tried. Students fight over who will put up no-fighting poster first at college via Improbable Research
+ Honest to a fault, I would want to think that I could do this but to be honest, I probably couldn’t
+ Map of The Internet , thanks for the link AfroMusing.
+ Corporate decision making in action: you need to use Windows to learn how to use Windows.
+ 24 lovers of the world, I give you The Jack Sack (Jack Bauer’s “man sack” in effect!)
+ Speaking of Jack, try out uselessaccount.com
Just a message from Jack Bauer’s manbag- Thanks for the love!
Thanks for introducing me to Muki Garanga. Regarding the Shida Zetu track, you’ve got to wonder, how did this guy come across the 1967 Jefferson Airplane song, White Rabbit?
I can’t figure it out the the fight over who gets to put up the no-fighting poster is profoundly human.
When I was a kid there was no Sesame Street on TV–I’m that old. Still it’s amazing how that show touches us all. Tomorrow am going to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony with Emmanuel Ax as guest soloist. Ax is hugely popular here, and I wondered aloud why all the kids in the audience? A woman sitting next to me explained it’s because he’s often on Sesame Street. He even gives the kids an hour of his time before the concerts. I saw a great line by Mark Twain:
“To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.”
Fighting over that poster suggests that there’s a critical shortage of joy abounding. Unlike say cakes or even loaves of bread, joy is something when divided increases. I thank you for increasing my joy.
Steve – speaking of Kilimambogo Brothers-correct me if my memory is wrong but when i was in primary school, KBC used to play a track “Mama Kifagio, leo nitatoboa siri yako” something like that. Then it went: “Na jambo la kushangaza nilipo uliza pesa zangu oo Mama Kifagio alizidi kuniambia nitakupa!” That is all i remember and Kakai Kilonzo was always associated with it. Is this correct – does anyone know of this track??? I could pay good money to listen to that song again
What’s really interesting in the clip from “White Rabbit,” is that Jorma Kaukonen’s guitar playing is vaguely “oriental” sounding, almost like Taarab! An inspired choice of music. I’m not that impressed with the rest of the mixtape.
Question:
Is by chance Muki Garang related to the late John Garang, one of the main leaders of the southern Sudanese resistance? It seems logical that he would have kept his family safe in Kenya, and what do you know, Muki’s mixtape even includes a “Tribute to John Garang.”
On the Afro track, I just can’t get the KANU remix out of my head esp. during the chorus
Other than that great stuff.
PS: Firefox butchered my comment.
That track by Kakai Kilonzo was truly a gem. I loved listening to Kakai and Kilimambogo Boys music when I was small kijana. More please.
Great stuff as always
A note on the song Afro…
The song appears to be by the ASYL (guessing Afro Shirazi Youth League). But that appears to be Culture Musical Club.
http://mwanasimba.online.fr/E_taarab_afro.htm
Wow! So cool to hear you talking about the instrumental to Muki and Mwaf’s track over the white rabbit guitar! I was in Nairobi working with the boys on some tracks including the labour of love track Jerusa (a hommage to a village beauty in Ugunja, just west of siaya district). They had just watched a vcd (see who can name this movie!!?) and the closing credits played white rabbit – they all jumped around, campled, looped the track, through a beat over top and Shida Zetu Za Kawaida was born. They had some fury to unload – Mwafrika especially. It’s what real hiphop moments are made of – a flash of inspiration, some scribbles of the pen and a few snips and chops in the software and a classic is born. I love it.
Steve – thanks for the props on surfacescan.com. It’s in the process of its own rebirth – I will keep in touch and we can trade some links. Thanks for putting music up! much love
harkirat. dj fisher.
Steve i really do appreciate your link on this informative page.Its quite helpful and i hope it is with such Kenyans will get to develop a reading culture.To answer your question i am not i son to the Late Hon. Dr. Col. John De Mabior Garang.I am a follower of his,one who identifies with the struggle he went through and sacrifice of all other endevours, inorder to emancipate oppressed southerners.I chose to identify with the struggle.My names originate from mythical work to trace my ancestry and to establish my aspirations as a leader.Hiphop is my guide through that part.Kudos to the nice work you are doing.
[...] The obvious question of course is if Muki is any relation to the great Sudanese patriot John Garang. On a comment left by Muki at my blog at ntwiga.net, Muki says … i am not i son to the Late Hon. Dr. Col. John De Mabior Garang.I am a follower of his,one who identifies with the struggle he went through and sacrifice of all other endevours, inorder to emancipate oppressed southerners.I chose to identify with the struggle.My names originate from mythical work to trace my ancestry and to establish my aspirations as a leader.Hiphop is my guide through that part [...]
Hey Guys,
Im a big fun of Kakai Kilonzo music. Anyone know where I can get the rest of his works apart from Best Of Kakai Vol 1 and 2 ??? Please help and get in touch at KayWilliams990@hotmail.com.
Thanks