Okkkkkk, taarab music of the very special sort, from Tanzania, I believe (although the tape has Burundi scrawled on it). Thanks to Tom in NYC for this! Likembe wrote about this joint ages ago, so I am behind as usual, but the real treat link wise today is this discography of East African dance band recordings. Taarab perfectly illustrates the point that Zanzibar and the Islam-tinged East African coast have a lot in common musically with Middle East/Asia by way of melody and melismatic vocal styles. Kool. Also learn about why the recording sounds so seemingly crappy but is actually as good as possible given the process by which the tunes were extracted using the olde tyme studio technology available and brought to your computer today.
If you’re really on some shit—tinckly guitar and farfisa organ-wise—also burrow yourself into the amazing discogaphy of East African dance band music by Prof. Endo (sticky name, cough).
Side A
Side B
9 Comments
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
STEVE FUCKS WIT DIS HEAVY
AWESOME!
Wonderful post and I found out that the tape is actually from Burundi. In her book on taarab, PERFORMING THE NATION, ethnomusicologist Kelly Askew notes: “Although we do not know the current state of taarab in Burundi, given the recent turmoil, there were at least three taarab bands in the 1980s, all established by former members of Tanga’s own Lucky Star Musical Club. They were Jasmin, Shani, and New Stars Musical Clubs” (348).
This is a typical burundian taarab. For instance the last song on face B have bee recorded by the woman who later became my mother. Hafsa Yussuf
[…] Tapes from Africa.” You can click here to hear the tape. I don’t like the production on some of the more modern stuff as I feel it loses […]
Thanks to remind use the good music Taarab I grow up in the cuty were this was among our culture.very emotionally.
Wooow wooow wow I can’t believe that I leason to this beautifully taarab from Burundi
wah wah – muziki taarabu nzuri, kabisa !! And this is a particularly good tape, with guitars as well, as modern taarab, the kind that one often hears in the streets of Dar and elsewhere has largely morphed around the keyboard and synth drums. Thank you !
is also interesting to know taarab was/is in Burundi.Tanga is clean across Tanzania from Burundi, so its quite a ways to go. Also I didn;y come across Taarab in Rwanda, so all the more cool.