Banking on beat bank, Bongo Flava bends to band music era

DAR ES SALAAM: IT was on Sunday, June 28, 2026, when a youthful bodaboda rider disrupted a quiet evening, blaring the remastered version of “Usia wa Baba”, released by Dar International Orchestra in 1982. With unknown performers, the new version, however, slightly misses the tone of its original singers; Marijani Rajab, Ally Rajab Mshangama, Fresh Jumbe and Tino Masinge, though it was almost like the original one.

Seeing it in a re-mastered version, is a testimony that Marjini Rahabu is the most sampled dance music giant and “Usia wa Baba” now joins “Zuwena” and “Siwema” as the most re-mastered works of Marijani Rajab and his Dar International Orchestra.

“Usia wa Baba” was among the Dance Music hits that dominated airplays during the Sabasaba Trade Fair in 1982, the time when live band music was frequently used to promote Sabasaba, Tanzania’s second biggest national event after the Independence Day on December 9.

What comes as a heartache in the new version of “Usia wa Baba” was the ‘missed tonality’ of the Afro Cuban-influenced horn section originally co-manned by trumpeters; Ismail Issa Michuzi, Morgan Machege and Evaristo Mivuba, who opened the song before Marijani Rajab’s voice opened its vocal part.

The new generation music that heavily relies on a keyboard, whether it is a synthesiser, sequencer, midi gadgets, or echoplex, completely fails to sound like a real trumpet or saxophone.

“Sina Makosa,” released in 1978 by the iconic East African band Les Wanyika, is the most sampled, re-mastered, live performed and remixed classic hit from East Africa to date. Like in “Usia wa Baba”, the Sijali Salum Zuwa’s trumpet and Rashid Juma’s saxophone that opened Les Wanyika’s” Sina Makosa”, have never been perfectly synthesised in modern day’s music.

As noted by trumpeter Ally Yahaya after he collaborated with Mukuna wa Mukuna Roy to perfectly perform Orchestra Veve’s “Mikolo Mileki Mingi” copy with their Super Kamanyola band at Villa Park in Mwanza in 2013, “Synthesizers often fail to sound like a real trumpet because they lack the complex, organic breath noise (air), continuous dynamic changes and physical resonance that naturally occur in trumpet or saxophone.” Adding, both tenor saxophonist Mukuna Roy and trumpeter Yahaya said Orchestra music with three types of saxophones; alto, tenor and baritone is not easily playable by a band that relies solely on a keyboard.

“A band formed by five musicians playing bass, drums and keyboard cannot to perfectly play an orchestra’s music performed by 4 vocalists, four guitarists, six horn players and four dancers,” added Ally Yahaya who formerly played for DDC Mlimani Park before joining the Mwanza-based Super Kamanyola band. Music experts explain why horn sound is hard to fit the modern era of sampling, remixing or re-mastering orchestra music as frequently seen recently.

They argue that a trumpet sounds higherpitched than a guitar or keyboard because of its shorter air column and the way the player produces sound. Unlike a guitar’s vibrating strings or the piano’s internal struck strings, a trumpet relies on the musician’s vibrating lips amplifying through a much shorter, coiled tube.

The specific reasons for this include shorter air columns since pitch is largely determined by the length of an instrument. As once noted by alto saxophonist Rashid Pembe of Vijana Jazz and Mathew Sabuni Hozza of JKT Kimbunga Stereo, “A saxophone or trumpet does not make a sound on its own; the player’s lips act as the vibrating “string”.

Experts insist that to play higher pitches, the musician must tighten their embouchure, forcing their lips to buzz much faster. Besides the horn section’s hiccup, the new version continues to heighten the status of Marijani Rajab and his Dar International Orchestra as a Tanzanian music legend with many admirers in the Bongo Flava genre through his both, sampled and re-mastered works.

Prior to the re-issue of “Usia wa Baba”, Zuwena by Mr Paul, Siwema by Lady J Dee and even the latest one, Zuwena by Diamond Platnumz, helped to bring back Marijani Rajab ’s influence.

With over 8 million viewers, Nasinzia II by Nameless featuring Marioo is among the top trend in a remix gallery today. Easily flowing without trumpet or sax accompaniment, ‘Nasinzia 11’ easily wins global audiences with additional Maroo’s flavour, but in reality, it has been sweetened by human accompaniment that, in Orchestra music, horns could have done better.

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Absent orchestra-governed instrumentation, the Wanyamwezi tribe rhythm as performed by Tabora Jazz and Nyanyembe Jazz have been sought after for a remix as evidenced through Mbosso’s “Huyu Hapa” and “Arejee” by Aslay. “Arejee”, whose guitar sound and rhythm section seem to revisit Tabora region, a home to Segere Matata, Segua Segua, Kabango, or Kasimbago dance styles that glorified the works of Tabora Jazz, Nyanyembe Jazz and Dar Salaam International Orchestra.

“Mapenzi Hayana Mganga” by Tabora Jazz, “Baba Anna”, or “Dada Emmy” by Dar International fit in this setup. Through ‘Arejee’, analysts of East African music that hit airwaves during the radio days in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, would place him close to the reign of Nyanyembe Jazz whose song ‘Rangi ya Chungwa’ remains among the greatest classic hits today.

It is brightened by a subtle guitar improvisation that later made guitarist Kassim Rashid ‘Kizunga’, in a gallery of master guitarists of the untold East African guitar.

Aslay seems to bring back what others previously labelled outdated (Zilipendwa) though, in an actual sense, classic should be the correct term. Diamond Platnumz and his Wasafi teammates had an in-depth explanation for that sentiment through his seemingly comic, ‘Zilipendwa’, released in 2017. The song features a team of WCB Wasafi artists including Diamond Platnumz, Rayvanny, Harmonize, Mbosso, Lavalava, Queen Darleen and Rich Mavoko.

In it, Diamond was seen mimicking a Gibson Epiphone ES335, a guitar that during its reign, was widely used to create all great guitar solos that dominated the music of the radio era from Franco Lwambo Makiadi to Nguza Viking and Saidi Mabera of Msondo Ngomaw whose Gibson guitar Diamond mimicked as the golden oldie. Bongo Fava artists are now back to guitar music, as Zahir Ally put it during the early days of Bongo Flava, the youths are rebels without course and he anticipated them to return to the roots of their ancestors when they grow up.

After painstakingly promoting itself to the global stage, the Bongo Flava scene has gone far ahead through massive remixes and collaborations. Some of the biggest and most iconic remixes include “Tetema Remix” by Rayvanny ft Pitbull, Mohombi, Jeon & Diamond Platnumz, This global phenomenon bridged the gap between Bongo Flava and Latin/Pop, becoming one of the most recognizable tracks across continents.

“Number One Remix” by Diamond Platnumz ft Davido has cemented the East-West Africa connection, this legendary track remains a foundational collaboration in modern African pop.

“Dah! Remix” by Nandy ft G Nako, Joh Makini, Rosa Ree, Khaligraph Jones, Moni Centrozone & Stamina is massive celebration of East African hip-hop and Afropop talent, bringing together top-tier Tanzanian and Kenyan artists. “Salome” by Diamond Platnumz ft Rayvanny was switched from Wahaya to a “remix” by modern standards.

This serves as a highly successful reimagining and modern adaptation of the classic Tanzanian song originally by Saida Karoli. “Utaniua Remix” by Zuchu ft Rayvanny is also a beautiful collaborative reinterpretation of one of Zuchu’s most prominent romantic hits.