Zanzibara 1: Safaa Musical Club CD

This new collection presents Swahili popular music from the eastern coast of Africa – Lamu, Mombasa, Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and the Comoros. Volume 1 pays tribute to Ikhwani Sxafaa, Zanzibar's oldest music club, celebrating its centenary in 2005!

"Buda Records, the superb French label responsible for the life-altering Ethiopiques series, seems set to blow minds all over again with a new series called Zanzibara... there's nothing else in the world like this phenomenal stuff." - Worldly Disorientation

"High on the triumph of the Ethiopiques series, Buda Musique heads south to soak up the sounds of Africa's predominantly Muslim east coast. The first two volumes of the new Zanzibara series tell wildly different parts of the story. Volume 1 consists entirely of modern, hi-fi recordings by the Ikhwani Safaa Musical Club, a taraab orchestra with a 100-year history in Zanzibar. The 20-member ensemble combines swirling strings and accordion with propulsive rhythms beaten out on traditional drums. The members of the four-strong vocal choir take turns at the lead, but it's really the otherworldly harmonies and group chants that are most arresting. Volume 2 heads back to the "golden age of Mombasa taarab." Like Zanzibar, Mombasa is an island trading center just off the eastern coast of Africa, and today it's Kenya's largest port. In the late 1960s and early 70s, the city had a distinctive scene built around a fusion of Arab-derived taraab and Indian film music, and several small production companies documented it. This disc collects tracks from M.J. Shah's Mzuri label, and the sound is remarkably good considering that he was recording fairly large bands with a single microphone and tape recorder. The music is excellent, if a bit sonically uniform, but with voices like Zuhura Swaleh and Matano Juma leading the way, the inherent similarities between songs melt away under the distinctiveness of the performers." - Pitchfork

 1. Vingaravyo Vyote Si Dhaha
 2. Cheo Chako
 3. Hofu Yako Londoe
 4. Waache Waseme
 5. Zinduna
 6. Mpenzi Wangu Hawezi
 7. Pendo Kitu Cha Hiyari
 8. Naomba Kwako Bibiye