Jabulani Library

SUNSET COMES FOR PRINCESS JULLY

October 13, 2024 - 05:04 AM SUNSET COMES FOR PRINCESS JULLY. At the peak of the Afrisa and OKJ rivalry in the mid-1970s, Tabuley made an experiment which gave his outfit an edge over Franco's band. He introduced a lady singer known as Marie Claire Mboyo, aka Mbilia Bell. She was a great composer, singer and dancer. She was also gorgeous, curvaceous and voluptuous. Paired with Tabuely a great showman on stage, she became an instant hit and the band's fortunes picked with shows getting packed. There seems to be magic in showbiz ladies that plays a magnet to keep me glued. Princess July, the benga song bird who died in a Migori hospital yesterday also resuscitated the dwindling fortunes of her husband the late......

BYE BYE BOYIBANDA

October 10, 2024 - 07:00 AM BYE BYE BOYIBANDA "I have found a trustworthy confidant in a tree. The tree neither gossips about others nor does it share the secrets he shares with him. When the wind blows, the tree hums in response, but doesn't utter a word. He keeps everything to himself" This is a translation of an excerpt from the late Michel Boyibanda's song 'nzete esololaka na mutu te'. The composer finds a clever way of telling off rumour mongers, whom he alleges talk like a "tchakou" (parrot). When a conservationist asked this writer which song captures an element of conservation, so that they could play it as a theme song, this was the song that came to mind. It doesn't really address......

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

October 09, 2024 - 02:05 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 - 02:16 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 TEAM THAT BLEW OK JAZZ TO SUCCESS

October 05, 2024 - 02:48 PM THE TEAM THAT BLEW OK JAZZ TO SUCCESS In our series of understanding the brains behind the success of OKJ, as part of celebrating Franco's legacy to mark the 35th anniversary of his death, we seek to closely examine the team's wind instrument section. This was an integral part of the ensemble since its inception. For beginners, Congolese rumba is most clustered into five or six generations for the purpose of study, and this is done in chronology, with the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and/ or sixth, as we have dealt with it deeply in a separate post. The sax made an entry into Congolese music during the second generation but became more prominent during the second and died......

THE BIG BRAINS

October 03, 2024 - 05:05 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 - 05:10 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 - 03:30 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 - 03:20 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 - 12:51 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......

Jabulani Library

SUNSET COMES FOR PRINCESS JULLY

BYE BYE BOYIBANDA

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST

THE TEAM THAT BLEW OK JAZZ TO SUCCESS

THE BIG BRAINS

THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI.

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

THE ATIA JOKE

MUSICAL CITADEL

News

Jabulani Library (249)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

Programs

WEEKEND RHUMBA TWILIGHT MIX

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

WEEKEND ZILIZOPENDWA MIX

WEEKEND RHUMBA MIX

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

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Jabulani Library

SUNSET COMES FOR PRINCESS JULLY

BYE BYE BOYIBANDA

BIOGRAPHY OF LE GRAND MAITRE

ANOTHER GOD OF TWIST

THE TEAM THAT BLEW OK JAZZ TO SUCCESS

THE BIG BRAINS

THE MUSICAL STORY OF DIASI KADI.

FACTS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT LUAMBO MAKIADI

THE ATIA JOKE

MUSICAL CITADEL

News

Jabulani Library (249)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

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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