Jabulani Library

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

October 09, 2024 - 04:05 AM BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE Franco Luambo Makiadi, the Congolese legendary musician, continues to hold a special place in the hearts of millions of music lovers across the globe, 35 years into his death. His music sells in shops across the continent and beyond, in Latin America, the USA, and Europe. Online applications created long after his death are also dominated by his music. His fan base has continued to swell with younger fans, probably born after his death, getting hooked, more than three decades into his death, with fans and musicians marveling at how magical he was to head a band that stayed intact for 37 years, churning out chart-topping records, estimated to be slightly more......

ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST

October 07, 2024 - 04:16 PM JOHN NZENZE, ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST The advancement in technology that allows the use of computer programs to create beats has seriously eroded creativity in music.' John Amutabi Nzenze, a big name in Kenyan music, once reported Kelvin Ogome of KUTV. In his estimation, musicians nowadays no longer learn how to play instruments, i.e., guitar, saxophone, trumpets, etc., and this has encouraged laziness in music, with wannabes releasing 'hits' that can't stand the test of time. When a detailed history of Kenya's music is finally written, twisty will feature prominently as a genre that took the country's entertainment by storm in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, among the names......

THE BIG BRAINS

October 03, 2024 - 07:05 PM THE BRAINS BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF FRANCO As the clock ticks towards his 35th anniversary, musicologists and lovers of music are still marveling at how this legendary musician managed to achieve this rare feat of growing such a magnificent stature in the world of music. It is worth pointing out that as much as there is a consensus that Franco was immensely talented; there is consensus that music is generally teamwork and he wouldn't have achieved a fraction of his success if he had not surrounded himself with a team of talented and dedicated musicians, scattered in several specialties. Who are these, and what were their contributions to the band's success? SIMARO LUTUMBA......

THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI.

October 01, 2024 - 07:10 AM THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI. First his popular project was released in 1991, helped by his long-term friend, Kanda Bongo Man.Title: DIASI KADI.Tracks:(1) Alle Diata.(2) Souci Ya Motema.(3) Likambo.(4) Paradis.(5) Nabanzi.This project featured some of the best Soukous musicians of the time..they include Kanda Bongo Man, Solo Sita, Shimita and Pompon Kuleta on vocals.Guitar section: Dally Kimoko and Nene Tchakou on Solo, Mimi Kazidona on Rythm, Remy Sahlomon on Bass.Drums: Komba Bellow. The songs 'Souci Ya Motema' and 'Paradis' become the most favourite at that time..a duet made of Diasi and Kanda, the two who have almost similar vocal ranges! Diasi Kadi's Musical career:He......

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

September 26, 2024 - 05:30 PM GRAND MAITRE: IN BRIEF These are interesting facts you might not know 1. Grand Maitre always walked with a notebook and a pen. He was always writing a new song. 2. He had 18 children from 14 mothers. 3. He puffed but in hiding. He never wished his band members to know. 4. Franco didn't drop out of school for lack of fees as often said. He was never interested in education. 5. Franco recorded his first song on November 17th, 1953 at Loningisa studio, backed by Watam band. 6. That song was titled Kombo ya Loningisa. By then he was 15 years old. 7. Isaac Musekiwa, a long-time Franco saxophonist put the number of OKJ songs at 3000 and also said 50% of the songs......

THE ATIA JOKE

September 26, 2024 - 05:20 PM ATIA, MAMA ANAKUITA I had previously asked here why Atia Jo, the Super Mazembe legendary bassist was also known by the sobriquet 'mama anakuita'. I've just called the only surviving of the Super Mazembe legends, Bua Mangala aka Loboko Passie, and he gave a long hysteric laughter before responding. Apparently, the question evoked nostalgic memories of their days. His response was that women naturally hunt musicians and there was a specific one who was madly attracted to Atia Jo, and he kept pestering him even while on stage. She kept sending emissaries who delivered the message "Mama anakuita" very frequently. It came to be a joke within the band, everyone chiding Atia,......

MUSICAL CITADEL

September 24, 2024 - 02:51 PM COASTAL KENYA: THE CITADEL OF THE COUNTRY'S MUSIC The death of Teddy Kalanda further lays bare the pivotal position that the Kenyan Coast has played in the country's music as the citadel of talent. Picture this: One of Them Mushroom's long-term guitarists, Willy Mazera, was once, in the early 1980s, a LUNNA KIDI soloist. In that era, the Ochieng Kabaselle lead band also featured Adam Ndaro Solomon and John Jilo on rhythm guitar and bass, respectively. Adam Ndaro Solomon, presently a resident of Canada, shuffled solo and rhythm with Willy Mazera, and possibly John Jilo played bass and drums as well. With such development, it means that in those days, the LUNNA Kidi, a supposedly Benga band......

NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

September 24, 2024 - 02:40 PM FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE 'Hey there, some biscuits for you here.' These are someone's words to a young daughter of his neighbor. Apparently, the young girl was born just recently, as everyone knows, but now that she has a tiny bulge on her chest in the form of developing breath, this hungry tiger has seen a potential lover in her. This man winks at her at every opportunity, and he also drives around with sweets and biscuits in his car, to distribute them to her each he encounters her. This is a narration of Ntesa Dalienst in his song 'Losolo ya Adamu' which he recorded with OK Jazz of Franco in the late 1970s. Ntesa was a prolific composer and vocalist with OKJ......

THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND

September 23, 2024 - 07:36 AM IMPORTANT BITS ON THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND. 1. Teddy Kalanda conceived the idea of composing 'hakuna matata' after he heard a European tourist attempt a conversation while performing in Mombasa in 1980. He made a song from it and recorded it at Polygram in Nairobi while the band had its first tour of the city. 2. Hakuna Matata, could be Kenya's most popular song in the history of music recording in Kenya. The song has been redone by dozens of big names across the globe, the song sold 200,000 thousand copies and the line became so popular that I remember t-shirts emblazoned 'hakuna matata' becoming popular in the late 1980s or thereabouts.A few of the......

TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT

September 18, 2024 - 04:09 AM TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT By Jerome Ogola Teddy Kalanda, the founder of the sibling band Them Mushrooms, is dead, aged 73. According to sources, Teddy died yesterday at his home in Kaloleni Giriama, after battling ill-health since 2018, when he became paralysed. At the time of his death the composer, singer, band leader and saxophonist had lost his eyesight and was also confined to a wheelchair. Teddy was the eldest of the Mushrooms quintet, that also included John Katana who plays keyboard, composes and sings, Billy Saro who composes, sings and plays bass. The other were the late George Ziro who died in 2015 and Denis Kalume who died in 1992. George Ziro was a very......

Jabulani Library

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST

THE BIG BRAINS

THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI.

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

THE ATIA JOKE

MUSICAL CITADEL

NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND

TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT

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Jabulani Library

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST

THE BIG BRAINS

THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI.

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

THE ATIA JOKE

MUSICAL CITADEL

NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND

TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT

News

Jabulani Library (230)

Artist Spotlight (23)

Editor's Choice (17)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (43)

Jabulani News Archive (22)

Music Lyrics (52)

Playlists (4)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (18)

Jabulani Swahili (8)

Rumba Chronicles (24)

Programs

Weekend Rhumba Twilight Mix

Weekend Soukous Odyssey

Benga Blast

Rhumba Revival

Weekend Zilizopendwa Mix

Weekend Rhumba Mix

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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