| SOME OLD & NEW SOUNDS FROM ZAMBIA |
| BBALA NGOMBE , SMOKEY HAANGALA | BBALA NGOMBE streaming |
| PONTIANO KAICHE (right)click for download) | PONTIANO KAICHE (Streaming) |
| One of the most
popular singers in Zambia at the moment is
"PONTIANO KAICHE"
who isreviving the
"SINJOJO"
style,which
is a mixture of Zambian KALINDULA and
South-African DANCEHALL JIVE music, as in
the Copperbelt mining area many cultures come together.
This first track from the INSAKA album is "UWENDA EKA ALABEPA", featuring some fine guitar sounds towards the end of the clip. |
| PONTIANO KAICHE: SINJONJO (right)click for download | PONTIANO
KAICHE: SINJONJO
streaming realaudio |
| Finally I managed to get hold of some cassettes
by one of the most popular artists in Zambia at the moment:
"PONTIANO KAICHE". As Austin Kaluba writes in the Times of Zambia, Feb. 9 , 1999: SINJONJO, the music that died is being resurrected successfully by Zambia's foremost living folk maestro, PONTIANO KAICHE, whose latest album "INSAKA" has taken the country by storm. Since the death of PK Chishala, Kaiche has been holding the Zambian music banner high. He is arguably the most active and popular Zambian musician performing now. The Sinjonjo music, a crude cross between Zambian Kalindula and South African dancehall jive was danceable and captivating. The songs were about unrequited love, sex end sometimes even political themes. Whatever the subject, revelers found the music irresistible and danced late into the night during those sundown (sandauni) parties which were popular in the 50's and the 60's. The clip above is from the "INSAKA" album, side 2, the "SINJONJO" side, with Part 1- (Bana Mulenga, Sheri Wandi, Ba Selita) and *Inyimbo Ishachikaya (Kwa Mporokoso, Chingolongolo, Kolyokolyo), all tracks composed by Various Artists). |
| PONTIANO
1
(download RealAudio) |
PONTIANO
1
(streaming RealAudio) |
| PONTIANO 2 | PONTIANO 2 |
| PONTIANO 3 | PONTIANO 2 |
| From his 1997 album "KATYETYE",
which still sounds a bit more traditional are the two songs above, (1)
"KU
NGÚMBO EKWESU", (2) "SHIBANTU" .and
(3)
"DARLINGI", the last song featuring some fine examples of "Zanglish". |
| MASASU BAND, SOBONGO ( download) | MASASU BAND, SOBONGO streaming |
| MASASU BAND, NEBATEMWA ( download) | MASASU BAND, NEBATEMWA streaming |
| DISTRO KUOMBOKA : KONTA ( download) | DISTRO KUOMBOKA: KONTA streaming |
| MUNG'ANDA TAULALA ( download) | MUNG'ANDA TAULALA streaming |
| The MASASU
BAND made a CD named "TUWELELE".
Led by John Mulemena, the musical roots of this band are in the N/W Province, home of the Kaonde people and they play in the tradition of the former "Mulemena Boys" (of which a clip is included below). On this CD all the songs somehow sound the same, as they don't bother to make any variations in the rhythm, the chords etc., but if you like relaxed, soothing, but also somehow entrancing Zambian sounds going on for an hour or so, this is your CD! From Zambezi Music Publishing Co. P.O. Box 50412, Lusaka, Zambia. Tele-Fax: +260-1-228312 The latest release from MONDO MUSIC is the CD "The RHYTHM NATION PROJECT" Volume 1 Yo-Yamba featuring Zambian musicians performing Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B and Reggae sounds, Zambian style. DISTRO KUOMBOKA,
on the other hand are on their latest CD "TOTO
MITALA" returning more to their KALINDULA
roots and there are several traditional tracks on this CD, played on traditional
Zambian instruments.
|
| After many years
of relative musical silence in Zambia a new record company MONDO MUSIC
is legally (sealed cassettes!) issuing old and new Zambian music again
on cassettes and CD's.
A nice compilation of Zambian hits of the past was made by Radio Zambia's DJ Isaac Mulinda (aka Dr. Zambia) on the CD "SOUNDS OF ZAMBIA" Vol 1. |
| MASIYE BAND (right)click for download) | MASIYE BAND streaming |
| DICKSON MPONDA download | DICKSON MPONDA streaming |
| THE WITCH download | THE WITCH streaming |
| In the clips
above you can hear the MASIYE BAND
play "DZIKO LA MULUNGU"
a song in Nyanja about this world created by God, when one does good nobody
remembers, but when one does bad nobody forgets.....
DICKSON MPONDA sings "BASHI MAINI" , a more recent song (1999) about the plight of the miners in the Copperbelt and the type of work they are subjected to. In the song "JANET" a band called THE WITCH gives this advice to the young ladies: " Better choose your age mates for a partner or lover than to go for sugar daddies...." This CD can be ordered on-line HERE These are the tracks on the "SOUNDS OF ZAMBIA" CD: - UWEKA STARS : GRACE, Pt. 1 &
2
|
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comments: tropical@zeelandnet.nl
background: Moke , Africa Museum , Holland
last updated: december 2001
