Tag: African music

Music from Kenya – Naomi Wachira

Naomi Wachira was born and raised in a musical family in a small town called Kijabe, which is located on the Kenyan Great Rift Valley. At age 5 she joined her parents’ choir, which spurred her love affair with music as a way to not only understand the world, but also express her introverted self. (Facebook info )

There’s no doubt that there’s a better future in store for Naomi, especially after her great breakout year in 2013. Named the Best Folk Singer in Seattle by alt publication Seattle Weeklyand featured on their cover, Naomi became the toast of the town ( Bio on her Homepage )……… The result isNaomi Wachira’s debut full-length, a portrait of a Kenyan artist at home in the Pacific Northwestern United States.

Here is her song ” African Girl ” (according to the lyrics she must be around 45 years old :-) )

 

Music from Kenya – Wambura Mitaru

Wambura Mitaru’s eclectic and fluid music blends funk, soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and sounds from her African background. A young, passionate singer and songwriter from Nairobi, her career began in high school with training in classical music. She attended the Kenya Conservatoire of Music for further studies until 2011. Wambura Mitaru creates a hybrid sound of groovy tunes with catchy lyrics, and wants the audience to sing along from all parts of the world of music.(berkley.edu)

Since 2008, Berklee’s Africa Scholars Programme has held auditions in Nairobi, Accra and Durban to offer talented musicians from across the continent the chance to be awarded scholarships to attend the college.

Wambura Mitaru was one of two African candidates awarded a full scholarship in 2010 for four years of study after what the interview panel described as her “natural talent and musical instincts.”

Here is her song ” Mala Mala ”

 

Music from Germany – Quadro Nuevo

Quadro Nuevo , an instrumental quartet , founded 1996 in Salzburg/Austria , a group from germany , the european answer of argentinian tango.

They won several prizes, gave already over 3000 concerts all over the world . They play in concert halls , pubs and on festivals , but they often practise their music also as street muscians.

Here is their song “Nature Boy”

 

Music from Morocco – Hamid el Kasri

Hamid El Kasri is a Moroccan performer of Moroccan Gnaoua style. He was born in 1961.

Hamid’s grandmother’s Sudanese husband was a virtuoso of Guembri also called haj’houj. Hamid El Kasri discovered Gnawa Sufi style at the very age of seven.

Later on, his powerful and clear voice made his first steps in musical scene very easy. In only few years, Hamid El Kasri became one of the most important names of Moroccan Gnaoua style. His popularity grew beyond borders and his talent won unanimous recognition.

Hamid El Kasri is an inescapable artist of Gnaoua Festival of Essaouira.

Music from Jamaica – Black Uhuru

Black Uhuru are a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru (Swahili for ‘freedom’). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick “Duckie” Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful period in the 1980s, with their album Anthem winning the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985. (wikipedia) 

Edit : just saw this one was my 750th posting on worldmusic in nearly two years :-) i´m happy

Here is their famous song “Guess whos coming to dinner ”

 

Music from Mali – Samba Toure

Recorded at Studio Mali in Bamako, in the autumn of 2012, Samba is joined by his regular band members Djimé Sissoko (n’goni ) and Madou Sanogo (congas, djembe) and guests such as the legendary, master of the soku (a one-stringed violin) Zoumana Tereta and the fast-rising Malian neo-traditional singer Aminata Wassidje Traore. Additionally, Hugo Race (The Bad Seeds, Dirtmusic, Fatalists) contributes an array of subtile atmospherics on guitar and keyboards. (youtube)

Translated lyrics:

Be Ki Don (Everybody Dance)
Song of celebration. When an artist enters a court or a village, the people gather to sing and dance.

Men know that Samba arrives
Women know that Samba arrives
Children know that Samba arrives
Everyone welcomes Samba Touré.

Why do you not talk together?
Brothers and sisters, couples, talk to each other
Not just on happy days
Life lasts only a few days, be united.

Men know that Samba arrives
Women know that Samba arrives
Children know that Samba arrives
Everyone welcomes Samba Touré.

 

Music from Mali – Tamikrest

Tamikrest (Tamashek for the node, the alliance, the future) is a band whose members belong to the people of the Tuareg. The band was founded in 2006. They  mix Tuareg music with Western rock and pop music. Her singing is in Tamashek. Main songwriter of the band’s frontman Ousmane Ag Mossa.

Here is their song “Toumast Anlet ” from their 2013 album “Chatma”

and a clip with live pictures “awesome ”

 

Music from Niger – Bombino

Omara “Bombino” Moctar is an internationally acclaimed Tuareg guitarist and singer-songwriter from Agadez, Niger. His music frequently addresses Tuareg geopolitical concerns and is sung in the Tuareg language of Tamashek. Bombino is the subject of the documentary film Agadez, the Music and the Rebellion.

Here is his song “Amidine”

Music from Morocco – Nabyla Maan

Nabyla Maan (Arabic : نبيلة معان ) is a young Moroccan singer-songwriter, born on December 6, 1987 in Fes, Morocco.

Nabyla recorded her first album in 2005 “D’nya”, in which she sings in Moroccan Arabic, Classical Arabic and French, including two reprises of Nass El Ghiwane’s famous songs “Allah Ya Molana” and “Essiniya”. Her album was sold to hundreds of thousand copies and allowed her to be showcased in concerts in Morocco and Europe. At age 19, she was the youngest Arab and African artist to perform at the Olympia music hall in Paris. (wiki )

Here ist the title song of her first album ” D´nya ”