Mwenda Jean Bosco
Shaba/ZaireStaatliche Museen zu Berlin Preussischer Kulturbesitz CD 21, 1982
01. Bibi Mupenzi (3:26)
02. Kila Mutu Anapenda Kwabo (2:38)
03. Juu Ya Makuta Tunapata (2:37)
04. Mtoto Mwizi (2:18)
05. Bombalaka (3:58)
06. Nitafanya Nini Mbele Ya Kuwina? (2:34)
07. Ni Furaha (2:04)
08. Lle Wakati Ya Pension (2:49)
09. Kuimba Ni Mawazo (3:32)
10. Sokkochomale Zikita (2:17)
11. Bundugu (2:43)
12. Ku Mulango (3:24)
13. Usibaki Na Kisilani Rohoni Mwako (3:40)
14. Mwaami (3:09)
15. Namlia (2:46)
16. Kitambala Moja (2:30)
17. Masanga-Nija (3:39)
18. Bibi Sophia (2:40)
19. Bwana Alisema (1:57)
20. Mama Kilio Ee (3:53)
21. Bibi Roza (3:44)
22. Bibi Thereza (3:57)
West African guitar music has been a thriving genre since the early part of the 20th century. Despite this fact, and the availability of this music on 78 rpm discs as early as the 1920s, music scholars tended to discount the genre, focussing instead on less-Europeanized and more "traditional" regional styles. But by the early '50s, ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey did begin to recognize the importance of the burgeoning West African guitar music scene. Among the prominent musicians Tracey recorded at the time was a trailblazing guitarist and singer by the name of Jean Bosco Mwenda. Some 30 years later, after cutting these first tracks with Tracey and riding out a rocky career, Mwenda performed for an audience of admirers in the foyer of Berlin's Museum for Volkerkunde. Nearly the entire concert is presented here, on Mwenda Jean Bosco: Songs With Guitar (Shaba/Zaire). The 22 songs are true to Mwenda's soothing style. Dexterous fingering technique, innovative melodic phrasings, sophisticated rhythmic patterns, and somewhat gruff vocals come together in Mwenda's performance. While his songs often float on undercurrents of melancholy, there exists a buoyancy in his playing that always propels the songs. All in all, Mwenda Jean Bosco: Songs With Guitar (Shaba/Zaire) captures an exceptional performance by a stellar musician whose recordings continue to attract ethnomusicologists and enrapture fans from around the globe. ~ John Vallier
A pioneer of African finger-style acoustic guitar playing, Jean Bosco Mwenda recorded more than 150 tunes between 1952 and 1962. Although he retreated from the recording studio for more than a quarter of a century, his return in 1988 showed that he had continued to grow as a guitarist and singer (in the Swahili language) during the hiatus. Shortly after the recording session, however, Mwenda died in an automobile accident. When an album recorded during the final sessions, Mwenda Wa Bayeke, was released in 1995, -Sing Out! claimed that it "shows a variety and brilliance unmatched by any other African acoustic player." Mwenda's early recordings were pioneered by several American musicians. Happy Traum featured a transcription of his song, "Masanga," in a guitar tutorial, while saxophonist Marion Brown arranged several of his tunes for a jazz ensemble. At the invitation of Pete Seeger, Mwenda performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1960. Anthropologist Gerhard Kubik and South African musicologist High Tracey filmed Mwenda performing in the early '60s with five tunes featured in the video documentary, African Guitar - Solo Fingerstyle Guitar Music From Uganda, Congo/Zaire, Central African Republics, Malawi, Namibia and Zambia. Mwenda's musical legacy has been passed on to his son, Didier Mwenda. ~ Craig Harris
320 kbps including full 120-page booklet
http://rapidshare.com/files/150322820/MJB-SZ.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/150327208/MJB-SZ.part2.rar
