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Carrying the torch

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:57:20 +0000

Funny how things pop up. I spotted a lone single on the 45Cat website on the Mwenge label and that let me to a batch of recordings by Luo artists in AIT’s master catalogue on the same label.

Miles Cleret, Alan Wheeler and Fredrik Lavik have all recently sent in information of recordings on other labels too.

Fredrik has alerted me to the exist of yet more new labels - Coconut Records, Thum Mor, Les Volcano, Super Funzo and Kiru Brothers Sound - as well as recordings on Ba-Mbute, Wachezaji, Edition Salongo and African Eagles.

Miles, who runs the excellent Soundway record label, tipped me off abut a Kilwa Jazz single on CMS.

Alan pointed out a Nuta Jazz Band single on Philips that I failed to spot when it appeared on Ebay recently. he also sought my advice about a Orch Mokano single on another new label, BIEM. The band are Congolese and also recorded for Hit Parade. The question is, Are they connected to Orch Super Mazembe, who had a hit with a song called Mokano?

If you know anything about the band, lput Alan and myself out of our misery and let us know.

Mystery RECORD: CAN YOU HELP?

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:16:01 +0000

Ayo Arlo, who runs Spinning45rpm, a Flickr photoblog about crate-digging for 7in singles has asked for help identifying the record illustrated above.

A-side is Belinda Mama; B-side is Ewe Fatuma

The band name appears to be Afro-Tus and the songwriting credit is to Charlie. The label, as you can see is Afro, catalogue number AFRO 001.

I haven’t been able to help Ayo with any information about the record,which he describes as very mellow with nice picking guitar work on both sides, but thought one of the site’s knowledgeable visitors might know something about the band and/or the label.

A QUICK SHOUT

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:46:35 +0000

I am a bit remiss in celebrating two matters of note to East African music fans.

One is the latest release in Doug Paterson’s series of compilations for Sterns that draw on the AIT catalogue. This features the music of Tanzania’s Vijana Jazz Band. Like previous releases devoted to Western Jazz Band, DO Misiani’s Shirati Jazz and Issy Juma’s Super Wanyika Stars, it features excellent remasterings and authoritative sleevenotes.

You can get a taste of the new release here. Listen then go out and buy the CD. You know it makes sense.

The second cause for celebration is that Fredrik Lavik, owner of what is probably Europe’s largest collection of East African 45rpms, has set up a blog that will offer a chance to listen to some of his records. It is early days for the blog, but you can find it here.

A BUSY MONTH

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:44:50 +0100

I blogged about Norway’s Fredrik Lavik last month and he has very kindly sent in details of more records from his amaazing collection, including ones on five labels that haven’t appeared in this discography before: Munyaka Sounds, Atinga, Magoma, Waingo and Zimb.

This month I also discovered by chance that Berlin’s Ethnological Museum has an African music collection, so I have added more than 30 from that source. Again, lots of new labels - Makonde Music, Elimu, Comet Productions, Avocados, Kenya Stars Jazz, Fadhili Sound - as well as additions to familiar labels such as Melodica, Waanyika, African Beat, AGS, Doromy and Polydor.

Museums and libraries catalogue their holdings in very different ways and sometimes it can be difficult to sort out what is going on. One of the Berlin records is a case in point. It is on the Kotengo Entertainment Arts label and is in the museum’s catalogue as “African Weavers, Kulutu Pts 1 & 2, Samba Mapangala”. So are African Weavers the band being helped by Samba Mapangala or performing a song written by him or is it a record by him? If any readers can shed any light on this mystery, I would be very grateful to know what is going on.

Finally, Miles Cleret of the very wonderful Soundway Records kindly took time to send in information about records on Mercury, Atlantic, Kumi, African Eagles, Athi River, African Beat, Sirocco, Polydor and Pathe. Soundway specialises in lovingly assembled reissues of African, Latin and, most recently, Asian music. Check out its website here.

AUTUMN UPDATE

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:39:35 +0100

Inspired by my trawl of the University of Mainz catalogues, I’ve been spending a fair amount of time researching and updating this discography in recent weeks. Firstly, I’ve added records from the US Library of Congress collection that have filled a few gaps in the Melodica and Angel listings and, more intriguingly, have added a new label to the discography. Light & Sound is the only label I have encountered so far dedicated to releases in the Somali language.

JFK’s Wanamuziki wa Tanzania blog also recently ran a post on Orchestra Fauvette that provided information on 10 singles by the band on the Stranger of the 70s label.

Earlier this year Fredrik Lavik, a DJ based in Stavanger, Norway, discovered a collection containing about 25,000 singles in Mombasa, bought the lot and shipped them home. He has spent the summer sorting and cleaning this collection and has very kindly begun to send me details of records in this cache. So far, I have added details from him of records on the Sawa Sawa Sound, CBS, KBS, City Boom, Kalambya Sounds, N.G. Dound, Editions d’Ivoire, Obwogo Jowanya and Holy Ghost labels. I am sure there are many more to come.

Here’s an article in Norwegian, about Fredrik’s crate-digging discoveries and look out for his online auctions on Ebay.

Lastly, do explore the links to other blogs and websites on the Home Page of this website. While I don’t currently offer downloads, many other sites do and there has been a steady flow of great East African records posted in recent weeks.

DISCOVERIES IN GERMANY

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:22:05 +0100

A couple of weeks ago I remarked how the University of Mainz’s African Music Archive had pushed the total of records in this discography past the 5,000 mark. I have since completed adding to this website as many records from the archive as I could find - almost 350 in total.

What’s great about the Mainz archive is that it fills in many missing titles from important labels. More than 80 titles have been added to the Equator listings and more than 60 to those for Polydor, for example, as well as important additions to the Philips, Pathe, Mzuri and Moto Moto discographies.

In addition, German record collector Martin Fuchs stumbled upon the site and has very kindly took time to send in details of East African records in his collection. These include discs by top Congolese bands on ASL as well as recordings on two new labels, Editions Boyoma and Swaga. The latter is a single about a controversial moment in Kenyan history that still reverberates in political circles.

a milestone of sorts

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:42:00 +0100

I recently discovered the African Music Archives of the University of Mainz in Germany and have spent the weekend trawling though it, looking for new additions to add to the website. My German is just about adequate enough to order a meal and get directions but no more, so navigating the archives online catalogue has been a bit hit and miss. I’d hoped to find all the East African records in one convenient place that I could cross-refer to entries already on this website. No dice. Instead I have made a start at trawling through by individual label and artist, which is a much more time-consuming business.

But it’s worth it as the university collection is large and full of records I haven’t encountered before, including no less than 16 45rpms by Mbaraka Mwinshehe on Polydor. I’ve added lengthy listings to the Equator Records, Moto Moto and Polydor pages in particular, as well as a couple of new labels, Simba wa Bara and Border Guards.

Along the way I realised that the website now has more than 5,000 records listed, a target I have been carrying around in my head for a while. So I shall have a glass of wine tonight to celebrate and consider what’s a reasonable target to aspire to hit in the next few months.

KEEPING TRACK

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:04:58 +0100

Peter Toll in the Netherlands has very kindly sent in details of a further 30 records to add to this website. These include additions to the listings for the following labels: Apollo, December Raha, Editions Bikos, Edition Jaca, Furaha, Gor Mahia, Lamore, Matata, New Thika Success, Sango, Taifa, Takota, Tsavo, Upendo and Zeze.

These new additions bring the total of records listed on this website tantalisingly close to 5,000. One last push and we’ll reach that target.

A quick heads-up that the Awesome Tapes from Africa blog has recently posted a couple of tapes of East African music: what looks like an oldies compilation by Solomon Manori and Chemaner Band and a turn of the millennium tape by Prince Khonjo. You can find them here.

Another website to check out is Raw Music International, a new TV station and blog that aims to record underground and little-known music from around the world. The first show was recorded in Kisumu and features everything from traditional players to young rappers. A highlight for me is the picking of Olima Anditi, who as far as I can tell recorded for Ogaja Jazz, a band that had one single that I know of on the Upendo label in the 1970s. Check out the Raw Music International website here.

Beavering away

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:27:35 +0100

If I haven’t blogged much in recent months, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. In fact, thanks to Sofiane of Groovy Record in Paris, Alan Wheeler in the UK, Cheeku Bidani in the USA, Friedrhart Riedel in Germany and Fredrik Lavik in Norway, a further 300-plus records have been added to the website in recent months.

Here’s a rundown of labels old and new that have had records added to them:

Nyandarwa Sounds, ASL, Mlima, Gari Ocha Thim, Philips, Mwangaza, Kasanga, Ratego, Bungoma, Editons Chris, City Boom, Sululu, Joy Sounds, Apollo, N-Toguo Sounds, Polydor, Murango Mweru, Maua, Mil Polo, Edition Salongo, Editions By Law, CBS, Wasi Wasi, Editions Mau-Mau Afrique, Les Kilimambogo, Kalamindi, Rugwiti Sounds, Luanda Magere, Kundi, Ingwe, Umoja, Sound of Music, Gabbytone, Edition Bonga, Editions Suplov, Aida, Edition Bana Likasi, Duol, GMS, Sango, Melodica, Wich Jawil Piyo, Mach Marewa, Sounds Express, Wela Wa, Editions Tobina, Blue Shade Records, Marina, Rachier Wuon Kiri, Okok Rachar, Kasuku (Wuoyo), Saba Saba, Lake Victoria, Editions Nyamwanda, Jachan Jakinda, JA, Ken-Tanza, Gweno Rayier, Palla Sonic, Oscar Productions, Makao, Edition Malembe, Editions Patu, Ngai, Nyalando, Studio Sawa Sounds, Babukusu, Editions Les, Utukufu, Survivors, Wa Munene, Kiwiro Dag Mach, Equator, Kasungwa, Sunga Ok Cham, J Sila Super Sounds, Mututeithia No Ngai, Kihingo Sounds, Eunice Harmonic Sounds, BBS, Karure Filbert, Wat Kiyiere, Soni Sounds, Disco Sounds, Kamaru, CMS, Ruw Rurina Muoyo, Peacock records, Chieng Ja Mondo, New Mwania Sounds, God Wire and a whole lot more.

I think you get the picture. An amazing amount of new labels and new records have been added. So all I can suggest is you explore the website and the indexes for yourself.

Cheeku Bidani flagged up a project that I would like to draw people’s attention to: the Tanzanian Heritage Project. This is a scheme to digitize the archives of Radio Tanzania Dar-Es-Salaam that are now held by the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation. This is an incredibly important collection of music that needs to be preserved. Find out more about it here.

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:47:59 +0100

Maybe because the weather is finally warming up north of the Equator but there have been a lot of African records turning up on blogs and Ebay in recent weeks and I’ve been doing my best to keep tabs on them.

As a result I have added fie new labels to this discography: Chieng Ja Mondo, Special Baruti, Makwetu, Self Help and Omweri Nyoka. There have also been new additions to the Moto Moto, Philips, AIT, African Beat, Hit Parade and CBS labels.

The Hit Parade records are especially interesting as they stray from the Audio Productions label’s usual output. Most Hit Parade records are by Jimmy Monimambo, but these feature one Congolese band and one Kikuyu band that have no apparent connection with him and have catalogue numbers that don’t follow the usual HP-prefix sequence.

Also interesting is CBS (K) 7048 by the Victoria Fives Band, The Late Hon. Dr Robert John Ouko Pts 1 & 2. The Ebay seller catalogued this as a 1990 release and he is undoubtedly right, because that was the year Kenya’s Foreign Minister was murdered, an unsolved crime that is still causing political shockwaves. Tip of the hat to the seller for doing his homework.

The website now contains details of more than 4,550 records. It would be great to top 5,000 before the end of summer so keep sending in any information that you can contribute.