October 24, 2009

Morogoro

I have been busy digitising another batch. Unfortunately this resulted in another 'issue' which had to be resolved: lack of disc space. But after rearranging, moving and some good old throwing away, I managed to finish what I wanted to do. The fruits of these efforts I will share with you in this blog, albeit little by little.

But this is an lp which I had intended to post earlier, but for some reason I haven't gotten round to it. It is an older lp by one of my favourite artists from East Africa, Mbaraka Mwinshehe. An earlier post was dedicated to Mbaraka with the Super Volcano orchestra. But this is from before 1973, when he was still with the Morogoro Jazz, or the "K.Z. Morogoro Jazz Band" as they are called on this album. Most of these tracks have been reissued on the 'Ukumbusho' lp's, that brilliant series on Polygram's Polydor label.
But compared to those releases, I would say that the sound of this album is perhaps slightly more open, more translucent.

As always Mbaraka is without any presumptuousness or pretension. Horns blaring, guitars skuffling, the typical vocals: I just love this guy.

More to follow soon.

Polydor POLP 502 (December 21, 2016: upgrade to 320 kbps)
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8 comments:

  1. Mwenemutapa24 October 2009 at 15:52

    O thank you for this post I was kind of wearing thin the last Mbaraka. Now let me try to find that translucency.
    "good old throwing away" in these days of $20 terabytes of space ?

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  2. Wanduni26 October 2009 at 12:23

    Outstanding quality! Amazing how you manage to preserve your LPs so well. Right now I'm listening to "Nikupendeje?" (which I once translated for AboubacarSiddikh on YT. I'm speechless, but I'll find breath to say "Asante Sana!".

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  3. trumpetaaa27 October 2009 at 16:08

    very very nice lp!! many thxs

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  4. Anonymous1 November 2009 at 20:42

    i have been looking for a video of this great musician mbaraka

    wuod k

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  5. WrldServ2 November 2009 at 00:48

    @wuod k (Anonymous, but with a name...): If you find such a video, please inform us! I have never even heard of the existence of any moving image featuring this Great Musician.

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  6. Anonymous2 February 2010 at 01:39

    Hi Stefan,

    Loved this one & been playing it for quite a while now but was wondering one thing. Couple of the tracks (Wanisikitisha Mpenzi Wangu & Kazi Ndiyo Msingi) come to a very abrupt end, no fade out or anything. Is this as per the vinyl.

    Thanks as always

    David

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  7. Anonymous11 December 2010 at 10:17

    Many thanks for the blog and insight into African music. My Dad has this album somewhere in his loft, being Kenyan, I have fond memories listening to this Album when all the UK Kenyan families got together for a boogie!

    Thanks again!

    Lawrence

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  8. David21 August 2013 at 10:57

    What a lovely album: I do love this East African jazz & here is a really good band. I hadn't realised they featured the early Mbaraka, but that's a bonus!! Thank you

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