Bi Kidude Zanzibara 4 The Diva of Zanzibari Music CD

Bi Kidude is a ninety-three-year-old Zanzibari singer who is considered the undisputed queen of taarab music. Her exact date of birth is unknown, and much of her life story is uncorroborated, giving her an almost mythical status. This installment of the Zanzibara series features recordings by this “diva of Zanzibari music,” with a great set of material sung in her haunting, powerful voice over instrumentation that includes accordion, keyboards, violins, and a host of African instruments.
The series, from the same folks who brought us the fantastic Ethiopiques series, presents popular music from the eastern coast of Africa—Tunisia, Lamu, Mombasa, Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and more. The recordings on this collection date from 1988 through 2006.
Recent recordings by Bi Kidude, the “diva of Zanzibari music,” feature her haunting, powerful voice over instrumentation that includes accordion, keyboards, violins, and a host of African instruments. Extensive twenty-eight-page booklet with liner notes in English and French.
At the 2005 WOMEX conference, in the company of luminaries such as Peter Gabriel, Bi Kidude was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to world music.

“Bi Kidude is still going strong. Like many elderly African women, the wrinkles of age are slight and her bird-like figure becomes animated with the rhythms of her music.” — The Guardian

Tracks:
1. Alaminadura
2. Beru
3. Khaifu
4. Kijiti
5. Msondo
6. Jua Toka
7. Ya Laiti
8. Muhogo WA Jang'ombe
9. Pakistani
10. Suhuba Ya Dai