Jabulani Library

SIAMA’S MYSTICAL GUITAR THAT BRIDGED CONTINENTS

March 25, 2025 - 10:13 PM "Siama, I've missed you for 40 years. Now I can die happy because you've visited me." These were the words of Siama Matuzungidi's mother, Diambela, when the US-based musician visited her in 2010 after more than four decades abroad without setting foot at home. Though based in Minneapolis, USA, since 1996, it was in Africa—specifically Nairobi—where Siama rose to prominence in the music scene, playing rhythm guitar and composing for several top bands in the 1970s and '80s. Born in Matadi, Bas-Congo, in the 1950s, Siama made it to the big stage in the mid-1970s, performing with Orchestra Cavacha, led by Dona Mobeti and Mopero Wa Maloba. It was with this group that he composed......

DIEUDOS DUKI MAKWANZI

March 23, 2025 - 04:20 AM DIEUDOS DUKI MAKWANZI, the Soloist of Le Noir, Passes Away. Dieudos Duki Makwanzi, the renowned soloist of Le Noir, passed away on March 20 in Brussels, Belgium, where he had been residing. In the early 1970s, he performed with Le Noir in Nairobi, Kenya. The band was led by veteran musician Chuza Kabaselle and was among the few Congolese bands that returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) intact, unlike many others that either remained abroad, disbanded, or disintegrated. In addition to Chuza Kabaselle, who played the congas, Le Noir featured other notable musicians, including Negro Sax veteran Beya Maduma and Amba Zozo, who also played with Negro Success. According to Alastair......

FATHER OF AFRO JAZZ

March 20, 2025 - 07:00 PM Africa isn’t just about war, poverty, famine, and humanitarian crises, as often depicted by the international media. Africa is also a story of a people bound by kinship, deeply in love with their culture, whose story is better narrated through art than documentaries, and whose resilience is self-evident in their history. Not many artists have had the opportunity to showcase the continent’s capabilities to a global audience. However, deep in western Cameroon, a woman of the Douala tribe gave birth to a child who would help rewrite the history of Africa. On December 12, 1933, Emmanuel N’Djoke Dibango, later known as Manu Dibango, was born. He grew up in his father’s......

MUSA JUMA: THE LUNNA KIDI PROTEGE WITH A FANATIC FOLLOWING

March 18, 2025 - 05:20 PM One evening in October 1992, LUNNA Kidi was invited to perform at the funeral of Zackayo Adero in Ramba. Zackayo Adero was a prominent businessman and a great friend of Kabaselle. At that time, the manager of the band was Ogola Oyier, a physics teacher at Otieno Oyoo Secondary School. A few minutes into the performance, one of the major amplifiers blew out. It was already too late to travel to Kisumu, more than 50 kilometers away, to buy a replacement. Even in Bondo, the shops had already closed. What were the options? Someone suggested sending an emissary to borrow an amplifier from any of the bands performing in Bondo. It was estimated that, given Kale’s status, any of the......

A STORY OF PASSION & RESSILIENCE

March 17, 2025 - 06:42 AM The benefits of a palm tree are numerous. These are captured in one of the poems by Bokhoeit Amana, titled "Mti Mle." It was Awillo Mike’s love for poetry that endeared him to the poet’s works, and when the time came for him and his fellow founders of Jammazi to name their band, he suggested the name. "Mnazi" is a palm tree. It yields a juicy fruit, which is very edible and nutritious. It also carries a sap that can be fermented into palm wine, popularly known as mnazi along the Kenyan Coast. Its leaves offer a classic roofing material, and its hollow trunk can be used to make furniture, build structures, etc. The plant is very resourceful, and that’s exactly what the......

WHAT CHANGED THE ORIGINAL CONGOLESE MUSIC STYLE.

March 12, 2025 - 08:00 PM WHAT CHANGED THE ORIGINAL CONGOLESE MUSIC STYLE. The recent trend of increasingly programmed music over live instrumentation is because it's cheaper to record and release. Half the battle of making music today is done when you can program percussions, horn sections, and synths on the keyboard. Where back in the day, you had to factor in whether live horns would sync well with the guitars, keyboards, and drums. This means that music composition was the foundation of song creation, as opposed to improvising melodies on a keyboard or guitar partition and then stretching them out into songs. In order to conserve cost, rehearsals were constant and music compositions of some of our......

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

March 10, 2025 - 08:32 PM There was a beehive of activity at Maya-Maya International Airport in Brazzaville on June 28, 2023. Crowds thronged the airport, making it evident that an anticipated visitor would arrive. The Republic of Congo was filled with hope and excitement. Their revered son, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Prince Youlou Mabiala, was returning home after a long stay abroad, where he had received medical treatment. Fellow musicians, fans, family, and friends gathered at the airport long before his flight landed, following news of his long-awaited homecoming.Prince Youlou Mabiala had been in and out of several hospitals in Paris for nearly 20 years, seeking treatment after suffering a stroke in......

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

March 03, 2025 - 04:41 PM Bango bakanga biso mayele boye, (They've hoodwinked us this much) Nkisi ya bankoko bango baboyaka, (Traditional/herbal medication they declare evil) Bikeko ya bankoko bango bandimaka te, (All sculptures of our ancestors, they do not accept) Kasi na ndako ya Nzambe, biso tomonaka, (In church, we see sculptures as well) Tokosambela bikeko bitondo ndako, (We worship in churches full of sculptures, and this is right according to them) Mais bikeko yango se mindele, (But the sculptures in these churches are those of a white man) This is a translated excerpt from the song "Nakomitunaka". Ordinarily, it is credited as a Verckys Kiamuangana composition, as stated in the LP. However, Nyakwar......

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

February 28, 2025 - 05:08 PM Who is Good Enough to Replace a Guitar god? This was likely the question that troubled many Tabu Ley fans upon learning that the singing superstar, son of Bagata, had parted ways with Dr. Nico in the short-lived band, African Fiesta. The band emerged in 1963 following a significant split within Grand Kalle's African Jazz, resulting in a mass exodus. The new group was led by both Dr. Nico and Tabu Ley. However, Dr. Nico was musically more experienced and, therefore, more prominent than Tabu Ley. While Tabu Ley was a talented singer, he was considered comparable to other singers of the time, unlike Dr. Nico, whose guitar virtuosity was undisputed. Thus, when Ley and Nico separated due to......

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

February 22, 2025 - 02:00 PM CELEBRATING SAM MANGWANA'S IMPACT ON MUSIC When the 'Shakespeare of African music,' Simaro Lutumba, was asked which vocalist he felt delivered his poems best, he unequivocally stated that it was Mangwana. Indeed, Mangwana brought to life songs like "Ebale Ya Zaire", "Mabele", and "Faute Ya Commercant" in a way that captivated listeners. While Simaro had composed several songs prior, it was these two 1973 tracks that helped him gain recognition as an astute poet, with lyrics that were rich with philosophical interpretations.The fact that Simaro regarded Mangwana as the greatest, despite working with other vocalists like Josky Kiambukuta, Vicky Longomba, Youlou Mabiala, Djo Mpoyi, Malage De......

Jabulani Library

SIAMA’S MYSTICAL GUITAR THAT BRIDGED CONTINENTS

DIEUDOS DUKI MAKWANZI

FATHER OF AFRO JAZZ

MUSA JUMA: THE LUNNA KIDI PROTEGE WITH A FANATIC FOLLOWING

A STORY OF PASSION & RESSILIENCE

WHAT CHANGED THE ORIGINAL CONGOLESE MUSIC STYLE.

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

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Jabulani Library

SIAMA’S MYSTICAL GUITAR THAT BRIDGED CONTINENTS

DIEUDOS DUKI MAKWANZI

FATHER OF AFRO JAZZ

MUSA JUMA: THE LUNNA KIDI PROTEGE WITH A FANATIC FOLLOWING

A STORY OF PASSION & RESSILIENCE

WHAT CHANGED THE ORIGINAL CONGOLESE MUSIC STYLE.

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

News

Jabulani Library (252)

Artist Spotlight (24)

Editor's Choice (27)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (46)

Jabulani News Archive (32)

Music Lyrics (56)

Playlists (3)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (20)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

Programs

Jabulani Top 10 at 10

WEEKEND RHUMBA TWILIGHT MIX

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

WEEKEND ZILIZOPENDWA MIX

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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