Discothek 2

This is a runner-up in the Worst Sleeve competition, and not just because of the cheap colours. Of course Polydor Kenya has a reputation to uphold in this field, with a long line of cheap looking album covers.
In this case the cheapness is aggravated by the apparent incorrectness of the information. I mean, "8 originalhits"? Do they mean over the two volumes (there is also a volume 1*)? Or are they referring to the fact that these tracks were originally released as singles with part one on side A and part two on B (and I am not suggesting this was the case)?

Luckily the exterior lack of quality is generously compensated by the quality of the musical offerings. Four top tracks by top artists, from East ánd Central Africa. All tracks are in that rich, guitar-based East African 'rumba' style, - but this doesn't mean that there is no variety.
The album opens with "Mwenda Pole", a laid-back classic by Wilson Peter and Simba Wanyika. By contrast the second track, "Mabibi Za Watu" by the great Moreno Matamba and Moja One is nervous and charged with a dramatic tension.

Side two opens with Sam Mangwana, who although singing in swahili manages to remain one hundred percent himself: a master entertainer. My guess is that "Furaha Ya Bibi" was recorded in the same session as "Masai" on "Kweya" (which was released in the same year).
The album is rounded off by a song by Laban Ochuka and the Maroon Commandos. Their "Naenda Safari" has a determined pace befitting a band with military roots.

This album offers more proof that you shouldn't judge a record by its sleeve....

Polydor POLP 547

* which in my opinion is not as good as this second volume. But, if you like, I will post this later.

Misfortune

Some artists just seems to be born for an unfair share of bad luck. Although I have no insight into his personal situation with regards to loves and winning the lottery, Tanzanian singer Issa Juma seems to have fallen in this category. And I am speaking of the past, because this voice among voices, this Star among East-African stars has died almost two decades ago. He hadn't been too fortunate before that, having been partially paralyzed after a stroke. This happened after he had stopped performing and withdrew from music after spending six months in jail for working without a permit. And this was just one in series of mishaps.

Going by this record from 1984 I am sharing with you in this post, I get the impression Issa himself was -consciously or subconsciously- aware of his destiny. Accompanied by Waanyika, one of the many aliases of a band that had split off from Les Wanyika (see the discography by John B.), his singing is brilliant, - but definitely filled with a deeply sensed sadness. The guitars certainly contribute to confirm this impression. In the track "Utalia Na Nani" sorrow even surfaces and crying is heard....

This said, I hasten to add that this is one of my favourite East African records in the swahili rumba genre, with four tracks of outstanding quality.

And a strange thing about this record: after listening to it I always feel a lot happier. It is like the misfortune of Issa Juma acts a counterbalance to any negative emotions I might have had.......

Nyika LP-02 or Nyika LP-02