Afrika

All Vinyl Set for Miliki Soundsystem, the record players got fixed!!

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artist – song – album

King Sunny Ade      Samba/E Falabe Lewe      Juju Music
Shirati Jazz     Augustin Opiya     Benga Beat
Mahotella Queens     Zibuyile Nonyake     Izibani Zomgqashiyo
break
The Bhundu Boys     Viva Chinhoyi     Pamberi!
Prince Nico Mbarga     Sweet Mother     s/t
Hi Life International     Wish You Were Here     s/t
Segun Adewale     Yo-Pop Music     Adewale Play For Me
Konono No. 1      Paradiso     Congotronics
Mahmoud Ahmed     Bemin Sebeb Litlash     Ere Mela Mela

Senegal gained its independence from France on April 6th, 1960!

We celebrate this week with classic Senegalese musicians.

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Fist little bit features King Sunny Ade, then we get into Sierra Leone Palmwine music!

Palm Wine music, or as it’s know in Sierra Leone, Maringa, dates back to the days when Portuguese sailors introduced guitars to West Africa. Early African guitarists played at gatherings where revelers drank palm wine,  the naturally fermented sap juice of the oil palm. The music with it’s origins in the Kru-speaking people of Liberia combined elements from Trinidadian calypso with local melodies and rhythms. The music was first made internationally famous by Ebenezer Calender and his Maringar Band. He recorded dozens of records in the 1950 and early 1960’s sadly none of which are available on CD. Palm wine guitarists had a tremendous impact on most of the West African music and their influence can be heard in both High Life and Soukous guitar players. The songs were were mainly sung in Krio, the creole English spoken in Freetown. Unfortunately, Palm wine music is on the decline, the last well known exponent Sooliman (S. E.) Roogie died in 1994. The music has been kept alive by Ghanian Daniel “Koo Nimo” Amponsah and a number of expatriate musicians living in London (where S.E. Rogie  died), such as Super Combo and Abdul T-Jay, although the excellent music they have recorded is not specifically maringa. – Alisdar Birch