Enjoy ‘jazzy’ night, good old Tanzania is there

DAR ES SALAAM: A lady bassist simply known as Afande Vero was a major attraction when Air Jazz (Anga Anga) entertained the audience at Travellers Park Bar in Mbezi, Dar es Salaam during Valentine’s music night.

A cool breeze from the Indian Ocean chilled a spacious bar as Afande Vero, in Valentine attire, efficiently thumbed well her Badaax headless bass guitar when supporting Rashid Sumuni, the band’s lead guitarist whose 4-octave solos carried the true colours of the lovers’ night.

The presence of Afande Vero, whose name is Veronica Haule, was most intriguing as dance music didn’t involve women instrumentalists during its reign four decades ago.

Air jazz performances and other bands owned by the Armed Force units, confirm their presence at the time when the new generation of music, Bongo Flava, has taken over the central stage.

Just 200m North of Magufuli Bus Terminal in the Mbezi suburb, Travellers Park Bar is one of the countless joints that host live band concerts every weekend and as of today, three six ‘jazz’ bands perform there on a rotational basis.

Most Tanzanians today believe dance music has ceased to exist since they no longer record, but as Afande Vero claimed most dance music bands do exist including those owned by the Armed Forces Units like Mwenge Jazz, Kimbunga Stereo, Air, Jazz, Ruvu JKT Band, Makutupora Jazz band are among the most notable.

Like many other bands performing live music, Air Jazz, Mwenge Jazz and JKT Ruvu Jazz most often play radio-era music and varieties of new generation music, most notably punchy Bongo Flava hits while also adding popular music from the contemporary stars of Congo rhumba.

It is jazz bands that don’t play jazz, according to the views of many music legends.

 “We don’t play jazz, we play Tanzanian dance music recorded earlier by the so-called jazz bands,” says the JKT Ruvu band’s leader, Captain Kigula.

Though they no longer record, many ‘jazz bands’ still exist and perform, and there are more than a dozen of them in the armed forces units still on the game for over 60 years, according to Captain Kigula who named JKT Kimbunga Stereo formed in 1964, and Mwenge Jazz created in 1968, among the oldest groups in Africa today.

“The ‘Jazz Band’ music is still adored, and Its future is very bright,” adds Mwenge Jazz singer, Hussein Mtamile during one of his band’s performances at Dagaa Dagaa Bar in Ubungo suburb, Dar es Salaam.

Adding he said: “People just called it jazz to mean music though we never played the real jazz in terms of Bop, Bebop or jazz-rock fusion,” he said, insisting the term jazz only sounds sweet in music fan’s ear.”

As some of JKT Ruvu musicians explained, their band still adhere to the ‘jazz band’ discipline in terms of playing gear and improvisational sound.

“We use Gibson Epiphone as a rhythm guitar while Fender Precision guitar governs the bass section, and this has been seen in many jazz bands too for over six decades,” notes JKT Ruvu Band’s solo guitarist, Ramadhan Cholobi, who said, he prefers Ibanez guitar on lead because its resonance feel suits the new generation.

“The past generation music was solely a Fender-Gibson dominion, but today you can see other guitar makes like Ibanez, Peavey or Yamaha on stage,” he adds.

“The live-band music has been a heaven of gentle dance lovers.” People like to hear the dance music of the 1970s and 80s while the surprise packages have been the music of contemporary stars like Ali Kiba, Diamond Platnumz, Ferre Gola, Fally Ipupa and Koffi Olomide,” JKT Ruvu’s bassist Sam Noah added after his band played Achii by Diamond featuring Koffi Olomide.

“The jazz band music era has completely gone so what we play now is the contemporary hits of the 1970s and 80s and what trends on television stations and social media outlets”, adds Cholobi.

Despite playing the music that dominated the dance floors five to six decades back, the majority of musicians who play for JKT Ruvu, Air Jazz, Polisi Jazz and many other unregistered bands are of a Bongo Flava generation, according to JKT Ruvu singer, Athumani Kibavu who added Matata by Fally Ipupa and Yope Remix by Innosy B featuring Diamond are regular on the menu as per the request of youthful music lovers.

 “People of the Bongo Flava generation seem to enjoy listening, watching and dancing to these hits,” said the singer.

But for the band to qualify as an ideal outfit for dance music, Rangi ya Chungwa, a popular classic hit composed by Juma Kitambi of Nyanyembe Jazz in 1976 must be in the repertoire.

Also among the favourites in bands’ repertoires are Georgina by Safari Trippers, Dada Remmy by Tabora Jazz, Amigo and Afro by Less Wanyika and Nawashukuru Wazazi by Mlimani Park Orchestra.

Mwenge Jazz and other bands also frequently perform Safari ya Masafa Marefu by Tancut Almas Orchestra, Kitambaa Cheupe by King Kiki, but for the military bands Wazazi Tumerudi Kishujaa penned by JKT Kimulimuli in 1979 is their main hit.

 “All bands from Tanzania armed units play Wazazi Tumerudi Kishujaa since it glorifies our commitment to serving our country and its people,” adds Mtamile.

As revealed by Abby Sykes, who once played jazz in Dar es Salaam hotels six decades back, the world first heard of jazz through the Original Dixie Jazz band which was formed in 1905.