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Language: | Swahili |
| Genre: | Traditional folkmusic Jazz |
This sextet from Dar es Salaam plays jazzed-up folk music from Tanzania. They do it so well that they won Radio France’s “Prix Decouvertes” in 1991. Since the prize was awarded in Benin the group has toured a lot, in The Netherlands and Denmark, as well as Japan and Norway. The group works a lot with finding musical material from Tanzania’s 125 folk groups that they modernise within acoustic frames, though with backing from electric bass, guitar, percussion, traditional drums and brass section.
Relevant artists: Hukwe Zawose Remmy Ongala Virunga Orchestra Super Mazembe Mradi Group
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Last Modified:
22 nov 2009
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AFROBRAZZ 
Norsk Plateselskap/1991
Tatunane’s music is characterised by good voices on top of an often compounded drum backing. Over this is laid a trumpet or saxophone improvisation. On this disk, recorded during Tatunane’s tour of Norway in 1992, they had help from Brazz Brothers’ brass group and therefore enjoyed extra strong volume and heavy brass section. This swings serviceably at times, but I feel that it sounds a little like a school corps and is also a bit distant sometimes. It’s just something fussy. The disk never takes off, not before Hukwe Zawose does his bit on finger piano and with his fantastic voice toward the end of the disk, anyway. But it is too late to rescue the project. But, no matter what, I suppose it was a lovely concert.
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“Bongoland” was recorded in Denmark, a sort of live recording in the studio. We come a little closer here than on “Afrobrazz”, something that better suits the group’s style. The whole thing sounds more organic. The best aspect of the disk is the lyrical section where Seif S. Seif’s trumpet makes some fine contributions. Otherwise, Tatunane’s style has a tendency to be a bit staccato; electric bass and percussion cut across the mood created by traditional instruments. When they move into jazz-rock it becomes simply boring. This disk is certainly not bad, but one gets the feeling that the group has not shown its true potential.
KJØP PLATE Editor: Bjørn-Erik Hanssen
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