Language:

Swahili Lingala Shona

Genre:

Soukous Afrofunk Jazz

Instrument:

Male vocals El.guitar Bass Drums Brass

Articles:
Deaths of two great musicians in Tanzania
On Mose Fan Fan's "Belle Epoque"
Classical East African

On the Internet
Discography

Biography

The late seventies and early eighties were an extremely creative time for Zairean groups. This period corresponded with the beginnings of Europe's interest in African music. During this time there was a continuing flow of Tanzanian musicians visiting Kenya to record and perform. The Tanzanian variety of rumba music was extremely popular and widely accessible through radio and records in Kenya. Many stellar groups and recordings emerged from the Kenyan music scene, such as Orchestra Super Mazembe, Orchestra Mitimila (later Super Mitimila) and the Dar es Salaam-based Tanzanian-Zairean soukous band Orchestra Makassy, led by Kitenzogu "Mzee" Makassy. The group included some of the most famous names in 'Tanzanian music, such as Mose Se Senga aka 'Fan Fan', Remmy Ongala and Tshimanga Assossa.
The group's leader, Mzee Makassy was born in the early I940s, in a remote village in East Zaire. As a teenager he played bass in college groups. In 1967 he moved to Kampala and for years played regularly at the city's international hotel. He spent a year in Europe, mainly in ltaly.
In 1975 he formed Orchestra Makassy with Ugandan and Zairean musicians in Kampala. Driven into Tanzanian exile by Idi Amin's regime the Orchestra Makassy established local status through exhaustive performing. They played six nights a week to maintain subsistence, performing their shows with sober and workmanlike persistence, be it at local dance clubs or classier hotel functions. For hotel ballroom audiences they would play mainly covers; for their general circuit, though, it was their own set of tunes.
The group became one of the premier outfits in Tanzania. They signed with Kenya's AIT Records and it was through this connection, that they came to record their album ”Agwaya”, produced by Norman Mighell, with Virgin in 1982. For Makassy this was the first time that they did not play all at once at a recording. They were not used to playing one instrument at a time, but they soon came to like it. Before that they would go into a studio, record 20 songs and do a photo session, all 'done and dusted' in two days. In a "New Musical Express" interview in
September 1982, producer Norman Mighell said: ”All these fantastic parts are being played by these guys and you can't really hear them on their records. The intention with Makassy was really to record them well... exactly what they play - only now you can hear it properly. Makassy's men didn't understand multi-tracking and their equipment was in rough shape - the guitarists couldn't get decent strings. But it came together very well in the end."
Also in 1982 Makassy released a 12" single with their hit song ”Mambo Bado” on A and ”Nakolela Cherie” on the 'B' side. In 1984 an LP was released, entitled ”Muziki Ocehestre Makassy” (Label unknown). After the Orchestra had disbanded, guitarist Mose Fan Fan used some of the songs that had been recorded in Dar es Salaam with Orchestra Makassy, on his album ”Belle Epoque”.
In various comments and reviews (including the "Rough Guide") the 1982 album ”Agwaya” was said to be "- unfortunately out of print and has not yet been reissued as a CD" or "- a sweet record...lang overdue for re-release."

Relevant artists:
Virunga
Remmy Ongala
Orchestra Super Mazembe
Tatunane

AGWAYA
Virgin/AIT/1982

MUZIKI ORCHESTRE MAKASSY
Unknown/1984

THE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS  
ARC Music/2005

A great start of 2005! The long awaited and talked about album "Agwaya" by legendary Orchestra Makassy re-released!
It's one these albums you've heard about, being mentioned with great respect, as with "Virunga Volcano" or Super Mazembe's albums. You always wonder if this kind of nostalgia really gives the true picture: Some things grow better with age, memories are one of them. Very often the old stuff doesn't really sound that good when re-exposed 20 or 30 years later. But old fans of Orchestra Makassy, and also new listeners, relax; this one does!
Orchestra Makassy was one of these hotel bands that you often come across in Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, being able to play almost anything. For hotel guests they do standards, for the local incrowd they do their own and self-penned hits.
On "Agwaya" they recorded their dance floor gems for their East African fans, and it is really a pleasure to note that these songs stand the tooth of time. This album contains "Agwaya" + 4 songs, 11 in total. The sound is crystal clear, the band is in top shape. Makassy Orchestra consisted of up to 15 musicians, creating a mature and full sound. Their style was soukous based, but these skilled musicians developed their flair to it, adding a nice dose of funk and jazz, through their brass section.
The album starts with the dance floor hit "Mambo Bado" ("You'll get your things later") It still makes you move! The songs are a mix of songs in Swahili, Shona and Lingala. "Zimbabwe" catches the optimism at the beginning of the eithies, with a praise of Robert Mugabe's government. The words may sound a bit outdated, but not the music! There's lots of superb guitar playing, laid back, but moving. For instance in the song "Molema" by Mose Fan Fan and Mzee Makassy.
It is also great to hear Remmy Ongala from 1982, in the last song "Mume wangu" (My husband) in a perfect interplay between bass and solo guitars, and Remmy's lovely voice. The lyrics are translated in the sleeve, the songs tell stories of the rough realities of African city life. It does not sound outdated at all.
All together, what makes this such a great album is the perfect balance between swinging dance music and mature and moving sounds from one of East Africa's greatest bands ever.

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English: Katherine Stewart-Kreisman
Swahili: Francis Chagula (francis.chagula@malvik.kommune.no)
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