grand papa diabaté

"In the late 1950s, as most African nations were gaining their political independence, Papa Diabate (born in Faranah, Guinea, 1936) was developing a new single-note style of African guitar playing based on using a plectrum rather than the thumb and index finger technique used throughout Africa.
Having learned his scales and other European musical techniques at the conservatory of music in Dakar,
Papa set about merging those techniques with Guinean music to create an original guitar style that could cut through and help power the brass-based dance orchestras that were on the rise.
He may indeed have been the first of his generation in Guinea to play the electric guitar. Certainly he was the most prominent.
The list of electric guitarists who cite him as their inspiration and teacher includes the best that Guinea had to offer in the 1960s and 70s: Manfila Kante, who ended up in Mali co-leading Les Ambassadeurs with vocalist Salif Keita, Sekou “Bembeya” Diabate of Bembeya Jazz , and Papa’s younger brother Sekou “Docteur” Diabate, who was the soloist with Bala et ses Balladins.
Although Papa Diabate trained the initial generation of Guinean electric guitarists, he himself rarely recorded commercially in his early years."

 Grand Papa Diabaté here, is accompanied by Moriken Kouyate ,Bakary Kanté,Kante Manfila,Djessou Mory Kanté, and the sublime Sona Diabaté on vocals.

 guitar,extra dry


bonus track:
Papa & Sekou Diabaté - Les virtuoses Diabaté

Mtoto Si Nguo

Like Father...Like Son
the only son,Johnstone Ouko Mukabi in the footsteps of his late father,
the legendary guitarist George Mukabi
two generations of classic Kenyan  fingerstyle guitarists  at their  finest
George Mukabi from the distant 1960
and Johnstone from the distant 1985
utterly beautiful Music



Mtoto Si Nguo

The Nairobi Sound

.....From this melting-pot of influences gradually emerged distinctively Kenyan finger- styles. In the towns, the influence of ‘Katangan’ styles, Latin American music, and two-guitar styles from Zaire were strongest. The rural finger-styles developed in parallel with the town styles, to some extent both feeding off, and feeding, the town music. The rural styles were less varied, less sophisticated, and less open to outside influences, being more strongly rooted in local traditions. The rural ‘Sukuti’ style, on the other hand, was more vigorous and more rhythmic than the town playing.
Town-based guitarists tried their luck with the young but expanding record industry. They composed Swahili songs which were sold as singles to the urban working class. Many were straight love-songs, no different from those in any other type of popular music. Others commented on the changes that town life brings, warning for example against prostitutes. Themes such as the lack of work in Nairobi also began to be common, although political songs didn’t really emerge until the 1960’s.

Some rural finger-stylists like George Mukabi and William Osale also had success in the towns, providing Swahili versions of songs that they might sing in local languages back home. The appeal of their songs lay in the fact that many town dwellers had (and still have) strong links with the land, and the themes of these songs, often conservative and sometimes nostalgic, reminded them of the old values

During the 1950% guitarists in the country were often viewed by the authorities as trouble-makers, debauchees, and rebels. This view was shared by chiefs, the church, and the colonial administration alike: by everyone, in fact, except the ordinary people who liked the new music. To some extent this criticism could be applied to any musician who got mixed up with drink and trouble: and it was not difficult to find guitarists with exotic, dangerous life-styles. Many of Tobias Oyugi’s songs are about riotous behaviour, drunkenness, and arrests. George Mukabi met a violent end as the result of a quarrel with his wife’s family. However, it went further than this: the guitarists also represented a threatening kind of change.

The typical Kenyan sound of this time is rather difficult to define. It was an attractive, clean sound, both in the guitar playing and the singing. There was plenty of variety in the solo guitar playing whether in the form of repeated set instrumental passages, or improvised riffs and variations. Compared to the heavier intensity of contemporary Zairean groups, the Kenyan sound had a lighter ‘country’ feel. Nevertheless, this was a time of vigorous exploration and development for Kenyan music.Kenyan musicians were consciously struggling to develop a truly national music and at their best produced dynamic, original and very exciting dance tunes. One of the best examples is ‘Western Shilo’ by Daudi Kabaka, playing and singing with George Agade, and, incidentally, using finger-styles. Both these men are Luhya and ‘shilo’ is a Luhya dance rhythm. ‘Western Shilo’ therefore incorporates a traditional rhythm, in triple time, into a modern guitar idiom: the song, with wonderful melody, tension and drive, was a great hit, and very popular with dancers. Kabaka made a point of telling me how proud he was that he was able to draw on the musical traditions of his people in developing a music with national appeal....

John Low -1982
 A History of Kenyan Guitar Music 1945-1980

The Sound

 

	W. John Ondolo	Kerena
	Unknown	Thum Nyatiti Solo
	Dick Ngoye	Elias Odede
	Francis Macharia	Wanjiru Wanjiru
	Unknown	Chemirocha
	Herbert Misango	Wazee Wa Kisa
	Wiliamu Osale	Vijana Niambie
	Humphrey Eshitool	Safari Kibosho
	Daudi Kabaka  & George Agade	Western Shilo
	John Mwale	Shirikisho La Afrika
	Fadhili William  & The Black Shadows	Malaika
	Peter Tsotsi  & Nashil Pichen	Mulofwa Mmoja
	Jim Lasco	Baba Kumbuka
	Jim Lasco	Wanajiita Sisi Wahumi
	Isaya Mwinamo	Ukosefu Wa Kazi
	Isaya Mwinamo	Lipa Kodi Ya City Council

Luo Roots - musical currents from western Kenya

neo-traditional Benga collection from the early nineties
focusing on Kapere Jazz Band and their collaborations with the nyatiti legend  Ogwang Lelo K' Okoth
and  with Paddy J Onono under the name of  Orchestra Nyanza Success
a certain success...

Kapere Jazz Band : William Owidi Jakapere, orutu (vièle), singer 

Polycap Otieno Ofuo, ogengo, singer

Nathaniel Ohindo, ariaga (bottle of Fanta), singer

John Ouma, nyangile, singer

Michael Owiti, singer.
Orchestra Nyanza Success : Paddy J Onono, guitare, singer

William Owidi "Jakapere", orutu ; John Ouma, nyangi le. 
Ogwang Lelo K' Okoth : Nyatiti

01-Kapere Jazz Band-Jadiyana Mageno

02-Ogwang Lelo Okoth-Jacob Omolo

03-Kapere Jazz Band-Nath Oindo

04-Kapere Jazz Band-Lando Nyajomere

05-Kapere Jazz Band-Amagy Lando

06-Kapere Jazz Band-Tuni Nyamwalo

07-Ogwang Lelo Okoth-John Wanga

08-Kapere Jazz Band-Samwel Adina

09-Kapere Jazz Band-Amisi Jamoko

10-Kapere Jazz Band-Akinyi Nyagi Essy

11-Paddy J Onono-Lynette

Roots and currents

Lucas Wamiya

                            Pure Luo nyatiti 
                        from Lucas Wamiya
                    for the next 32  joyful minutes

Songs of praise

Hukwe Ubi Zawose & Werema Masiaga Chacha

That voice still twists and ululates and induces tears in listeners;
 it is still tragic and hopeful all at once;
 it is still the voice of 120 Tanzanian tribes,
 uniting into one living, breathing whole.  

                                                                         Matt Ozga

Hukwe Ubi Zawose

and
 Werema Masiaga Chacha

in
 Wagogo and Kuria Songs

Come my child and listen to me well.
Oh, let’s go together through the whole world,
Oh, let’s go together everywhere in Africa
 Let’s all follow light and peace together

                                                                                             Dunia 



 

Chants Wagogo 1

 Wagogo

songs of the Wagogo children pdf

 

Chants 

Les Frères Cissé

our annual dose of the always amazing
Frères Cissé


 Festival

check also here and here

Molobaly Traoré

Child of Macina and high priestess of the Niono cercle

she will always  be remembered over Mali and beyond 

as the singer of the farmers,the humble laborers  of the land

who know well that soil and  water are more precious than oil and gold.

volume 2