Jabulani Library

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......

KOFFI OLOMIDE EARLY MUSICAL CAREER

September 11, 2024 - 06:58 PM KOFFI OLOMIDE EARLY MUSICAL CAREER BRIEF Biography of Olomide, Koffi (Agbepa Mumba, Antoine), Congolese singer and band leader; born Kisangani, Congo-Kinshasa, Aug. 13, 1956. Growing up in Kinshasa Olomide played a little guitar and listened to the music of the day including the great Tabu Ley whose style he admired. As a teenager he followed the band Zaiko Langa Langa, eventually striking up a friendship with singer Papa Wemba. By the time Olomide finished secondary school in the late seventies, Wemba had his own band, Viva la Musica. Olomide hung out with the band and contributed backing vocals on a few of its recordings.In 1978, with help from a Kinshasa promoter, Olomide cut a......

LES MANGELEPA - NYAKO KONYA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

September 09, 2024 - 05:30 PM LES MANGELEPA NYAKO KONYA LYRICS WITH TRANSLATION Motema mpe mabanzo - My heart [is full of] thoughts (literally: my heart and thoughts)Mabanzo ekotinda ngai namela poison - thoughts will drive me to take poisonSoki nakufi bandeko - when i die, my brothersBokamwa te - don't be surprisedNzela na ngai ya bomoi - my life pathEkei pamba - has been in vainMotema moto moto - my heart is on fireMabala ya bomwana - childish marriagesEleki makambo - are full of problemsBampasi nakomona - i'm in such painNalembi kobondela - [that] I'm weary of asking for helpMotema mpe mabanzo - my heart [is full of] thoughts (literally: my heart and thoughts)Nameka kopesa mokongo - I try to turn my back on itnamemi......

HOW JOSKY FOUND HIS SINGING EQUILIBRIUM

September 08, 2024 - 04:12 PM JOSKY KIAMBUKUTABy The Monk Josky Kiambukuta, who died on March 7, 2021, in a clinic in Ngaliema, found his musical home at Franco's OK Jazz (OKJ) after two stints with Nico’s African Fiesta Sukisa in the late 1960s and Orchestre Continental in 1971 and 1972. Sampling three songs he performed, one with each of the three bands, clearly shows why OKJ was his ultimate musical home. The first song is Orchestre Continental’s "Mama na Nicole," a composition by Bopol Mansiamina dedicated to his girlfriend. Josky sings lead vocals, backed by Wuta Mayi. The second song is "Bolingo ya Sens Unique," his own composition with African Fiesta Sukisa in 1969, performed as a solo. The......

Biography of the "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

September 03, 2024 - 04:34 PM Kabasele, Joseph "Le Grand Kalle" (Kabasele Tshamala), celebrated Congolese singer and band leader; born Matadi, Congo-Kinshasa, Dec. 16, 1930; died Kinshasa, Feb. 11, 1983.Kabasele was born to a prominent Congolese family that included Joseph Malula, who rose to become a cardinal in the Catholic church. As one of the period's better-educated Congolese—he completed secondary school—Kabasele gained employment as a typist at a succession of commercial firms in colonial Léopoldville (Kinshasa). Music was his true calling, however, and he found an opportunity to pursue it around 1950 at a new recording studio called Opika. There he joined the aggregation of session musicians......

Biography of Sam Mangwana.

August 28, 2024 - 09:16 PM Biography of Sam Mangwana. Superb Congolese singer and songwriter; was born on 21 February 1945 in then Leopoldville, now Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the largest city in that country. His father was a native of Zimbabwe and Sam's mother was a native of neighboring Angola. Mangwana made his professional debut in 1963 with a brief turn at the mic behind Tabu Ley Rochereauin the Congo-Kinshasa rumba band African Fiesta. Almost immediately the wanderlust that would mark his career and earn him the epithet "pigeon voyageur" began to surface. He crossed the Congo River to Brazzaville where he formed a short-lived group called Los Batchichas and worked with......

Powerful Man Who Jailed Franco

August 23, 2024 - 03:25 PM STORY OF A POWERFUL MAN WHO BRUSHED SHOULDERS WITH FRANCO Franco's longest stint in prison was not because of a political song. It happened in 1978 when Franco released two songs on Cassette. The two songs Helene and Jacky were deemed shocking and immoral. He was summoned by the then Attorney General Kengo wa Dondo to explain himself. Franco defended himself vigorously suggesting that there was nothing immoral about the songs. They then summoned his mother Mbonga Makiesse to determine if the songs were immoral. Franco is said to have pleaded with them not to involve his mother. Mama Makiesse listened to the songs and reacted in shock. Franco was sentenced to 6 months. Ten of his musicians,......

Jabulani Library

MUSICAL CITADEL

NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND

TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT

KOFFI OLOMIDE EARLY MUSICAL CAREER

LES MANGELEPA - NYAKO KONYA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

HOW JOSKY FOUND HIS SINGING EQUILIBRIUM

Biography of the "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

Biography of Sam Mangwana.

Powerful Man Who Jailed Franco

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Jabulani Library

MUSICAL CITADEL

NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

THEM MUSHROOMS LEGEND

TEDDY'S SAX GOES SILENT

KOFFI OLOMIDE EARLY MUSICAL CAREER

LES MANGELEPA - NYAKO KONYA LYRICS WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

HOW JOSKY FOUND HIS SINGING EQUILIBRIUM

Biography of the "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

Biography of Sam Mangwana.

Powerful Man Who Jailed Franco

News

Jabulani Library (234)

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 (21)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

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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