Vunja Manyumba

You will NOT believe this! Nairobi's political satire TV program XYZ Show has used "Vunja Mifupa" as the basis for this week's episode, to hilarious results! http://youtu.be/TbWXq8Miiz0

 

 

Samba's BIG news in Tanzania!

http://www.mwanaspoti.co.tz/wcreadnews.php?id=9451

Mapangala bado ajivunia A/Mashariki

Samba Omar Mapangala ANTHONY NYONGESA LICHA ya kupiga hatua kubwa barani Ulaya anakoishi, mwimbaji, Samba Omar Mapangala, bado anayo mapenzi makubwa kwa Afrika Mashariki. Hii ndiyo sababu ya yeye kurudi kurekodi nyimbo zake au kutunga vibao kusifia mandhari ya eneo hilo. Kibao chake cha juzi cha �Zanzibar�, ni uthibitisho tosha kwamba Mapangala hayupo tayari kuisahau kanda hiyo kwa vyovyote. Wimbo huo ulipigwa picha katika kisiwa cha Zanzibar akimshirikisha mwimbaji mkongwe, Bi. Kidude na msanii wa Kenya, Mike Awilo, wa kikundi cha Jamnazi Afrika. Zanzibar, Tanzania na Kenya ni sehemu ambazo nimekulia, hivyo basi ni vigumu kwangu kuzisahau kwa urahisi,� anasema mwimbaji huyo. Wimbo huo wa Zanzibar aliurekodi mwezi Septemba katika mataifa tofauti ya Afrika Mashariki. Tayari kibao hicho kimeanza kutamba. Wimbo huo utaorodheshwa kwenye albamu ya Maisha Matamu anayotazamia kuizindua mapema mwakani atapofika jijini Nairobi kwa shughuli hiyo. Kwenye wimbo Zanzibar, ninasimulia uzuri wa watu wa eneo hilo ambao ni wakarimu mno. Nilionyeshwa ukarimu wao mara ya mwisho nilipoenda huko kufanya shoo ya mwisho katika tamasha la Sauti za Busara mnamo 2009, alisema Mapangala alipohojiwa na Mwanaspoti jijini Nairobi hivi karibuni. Mapangala ndiye aliyetunga vibao maarufu vya zamani kama vile �Vunja Mifupa�, �Karibu Kenya�, �Ujumbe� na �Nyama Choma�. Kwa muda wa miaka 13, msanii huyu amekuwa akiishi Marekani anakoandaa shoo zake katika majimbo mbalimbali. Kwenye wimbo Maisha Matamu ambao pia utabeba jina la albamu mpya, msanii huyo anaangazia kuhusu namna maisha yalivyo mafupi japo kuna mambo mengi mazuri. Akizungumzia bendi yake ya zamani ya Orchestra Virunga ambayo ilivunjika mwaka 1993, Mapangala anasema ataifufua hivi karibuni. Tangu kuvunjwa bendi hiyo, amekuwa akiwategemea wasanii wa kukodi, jambo analosema sasa linakaribia kufika ukingoni. Kenya kuna wasanii mahiri mno, hivyo nikiwa Nairobi nitaandaa mipango kuhusu namna nitakavyoweza kuifufua bendi,alisema akizungumzia Virunga iliyotamba miaka ya 1980 na 1990. Miaka miwili iliyopita, Mapangala, alinukuliwa kwenye vyombo vya habari akisema anatarajia kurudi Kenya kuendeleza maisha yake, anasemaje kuhusu hilo Ni kweli, ninajiandaa kurejea nchini kikamilifu. Hata hivyo, sijaamua ni lini iwe hivyo. Kwa sasa ni kwamba niko mguu mmoja Nairobi, mwingine Marekani, kuna mambo kadhaa ninayolenga kutimiza kule pia,� alisema Mapangala. Miongoni mwa hayo ni mipango yake ya kuuvumisha mtindo wa rhumba katika mataifa ya Magharibi, ili uwe maarufu kama ilivyokuwa Afrika Mashariki miaka 1980. Mapangala mwenye umri wa miaka 55, anasema awali mtindo huo ulivumishwa Ulaya na mapromota kadhaa akiwamo Oluoch Kanindo aliyevisaidia vikundi kama vile Shirati Jazz na Kolele Maze kutambuliwa huko. Umaarufu wa Mapangala ulimwezesha kuteuliwa kuwa Balozi wa Heri Njema wa Kituo cha World Wildlife Fund (WWF) kinachojishughulisha na hifadhi ya mazingira, misitu na wanyama waliomo hasa sokwe mtu. Tayari ametoa kibao cha Les Gorilles des Montagnes kinachoelezea umuhimu wa kuwalinda sokwe katika misitu ya Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasi ya Congo na sehemu nyinginezo barani Afrika. Alikuwa miongoni mwa wasanii waliompigia debe Rais Barack Obama katika kampeni za Marekani za mwaka 2008. Aliimba �Obama Ubarikiwe�. Kibao hicho pia kilipendwa mno hapa nchini. Mapangala alizaliwa katika Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasi ya Congo mwaka 1956 na alikulia huko alikoanzia pia shughuli za muziki. Aliimbia bendi mbalimbali zikiwamo Bariza, Super Tukina, Super Bella Bella na Saka Saka. Mwaka 1975 alihamia Kampala, Uganda kwa mwaka mmoja kabla ya kuja Nairobi alikoanzisha bendi ya Orchestra Virunga mwaka 1981. MWISHO.

Warm souvenirs from Stone Town

Winter is settling in now in northern North America, and my cold feet are wishing for the warm Indian Ocean waters. Surfing the Internet in lieu of the sea, I re-discovered these lovely memories on the website of  the Sauti za Busara festival to share with our fans, along with our hopes to be returning there soon. Meanwhile the "Zanzibar" video has gone impressively viral, with 4,500 views in less than 2 months, and seen in unexpected corners such as Japan, India, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Dominican Republic, Finland and Serbia! We'll be playing it again and again as the snow starts falling.....

ABOVE: The Busara crew celebrates the grand finale of the festival on stage following Virunga's monumental closing performance. BELOW: Samba in full flight, accompanied by backup vocalist Teddy Sukami.

photo by Masoud Khamis

Video of the Week: Zanzibar by East African Star Samba Mapangala

The Zanzibar video is getting great response! I sent out a press release last week and the YouTube view count jumped by 2500 in a couple of days, and it's still climbing. This posting by World Music Central should give the view count another quantum leap! The great camerawork by Adam Juma in Zanzibar and Patrick Ondiek in Nairobi, plus Andy Jones' kind donation of the Sauti za Busara footage of Bi Kidude, Samba and Awillo's patience and great good nature while filming, and Sam Epstein's skill in editing and resolving various technical issues, all contributed to the final, stunning results. Thanks to World Music Central for the coverage, and everyone else who has featured, shared, posted, and watched this great clip!

Video of the Week: Zanzibar by East African Star Samba Mapangala

Zanzibar is the second video from Samba Mapangala‘s latest album Maisha Ni Matamu (Life Is Sweet). Filmed in Zanzibar and Nairobi, the videoclip presents scenes of the island’s many charms: the mysterious alleys and bustling markets of Stone Town, the gorgeous beaches and quaint dhows of the Indian Ocean, colorful people and sensuous dancers. At the same time, it pays tribute to the venerable Zanzibari icon Bi Kidude and the annual Sauti za Busara music festival.
Alongside Samba’s sweet soaring voice, “Zanzibar” features a guest vocal by Awillo Mike of Kenya’s Ja-mnazi Afrika band, and a Congolese guitar solo by Zaiko Langa Langa’s Beniko Popolipo.
Samba Mapangala was born Congolese but it was in Kenya where Samba’s career took off. With Samba writing and singing songs in Congolese Lingala and Kenyan KiSwahili, his Orchestra Virunga rapidly became the top band in Nairobi.

New video clip for "Zanzibar" song just released!

Brilliant write-up from Robert Ambrose's Rhythm Connection

Asante sana, Roberto!

Rhythm Connection

Longtime favorite singer Samba Mapangala recently unleashed a killer new album with a fortified Orchestra Virunga. Maisha Ni Matamu (Life is Sweet) covers broad sonic territory, including reggae and other Caribbean influences, but the bedrock Congolese rumbas are, and have been for decades, the band's foundation. Mapangala's Congo roots are enhanced on this release with crucial contributions from guitarists Popolipo, Syran Mbenza, and Huit Kilos, and Komba Bello Mafwala on drums.

The opening title track is straightforward soukous that will fill any dance floor, while the acoustic "Tupendane" is at the other end of the spectrum, a gently swinging, acoustic appeal for harmony among people everywhere. "Tupendane" features John Bashengazi, a musician from the Eastern Congo who plays all of the instruments and sings along with Samba. Other songs range from celebrations to exhortations to care for the environment and each other. "Tupende Miti (Let's Plant Trees)" offers its wisdom in multiple languages, giving a tribute to Wangari Maatai, the Kenyan Nobel Prize winner responsible for widespread reforestation in her country and beyond.

Mapangala has been based in the U.S. for years, but he built his career in Kenya after leaving the Congo. Doug Paterson has a good biography and appreciation here. His many recordings always feature wonderful guitar and his emblematic singing. While this record captures the veteran in good form and the production sounds first-rate, there are no nine-minute rumba classics comparable to those that kept Mapangala at the peak of popularity in East Africa for decades. He is more worldly now, and so is his music, and that is a mixed blessing for this listener.

I was going to post an audio snippet of "Maisha Ni Matamu," but found this fun video that has the whole song, with the gentleman trying to keep up with the young women, on the cold streets of NY. I thought: Enjoy!

P.S. I've decided to start including reviews of new releases on this site, reviving in this format my earlier activity with The Beat magazine. I'll sprinkle them among the sharing posts, looking a bit different; I hope you find them useful. Maisha Ni Matamu (Life is Sweet) can be purchased for download at CDBaby, Amazon and iTunes, if a low bit rate is okay for your ears. Full-bandwidth CDs can be found here.

WRIR-FM's Bill Lupoletti reviews Maisha for his Global A Go Go site

http://www.globalagogo.com/2011/06/samba-mapangala-orchestra-virunga.html

Maryland-based Samba Mapangala is held in the highest regard by fans and musicians as one of the classic singers of soukous, the guitar-driven dance music that swept from the Congo to East Africa in the 70s and across the world in the 80s.  Mapangala has been keeping the flame burning with frequent international tours (he played at the Richmond Folk Festival in 2009) and a series of independently-released recordings.  He attracts some of the top players in the business -- guitarists Beniko Popolipo (Zaiko Langa Langa), Huit Kilos (Afrisa International) and Syran Mbenza (Quatre Etoiles) contribute solos and mi-solos; singers Wuta Mayi (Kekele), Ballou Canta (Soukous Stars) and Suzanna Owiyo (a major Kenyan star) add vocals.  This is an excellent addition to the catalog of a man whose recorded output is consistently strong.  The high-energy numbers here are 1 and 4, 2 and 5 are mid-tempo rumba congolaise, 6 is acoustic and 3 is reggae-influenced.  Soukous certainly isn’t the flavor of the week in African music, but for the literally millions of worldwide fans of this music, Samba Mapangala delivers the goods as always.