Do you know that 1989 BBC double CD, ‘Under African Skies’?
When it first came to my ears I was blown away by one song specially.
It is the last track on the album but it made an incredible impression.
The voice of Bezawork Asfew is the most extraordinary, first time I heard
it, it sent shivers down my spine, spontaneous goosebumps, tears,
words can’t express how that felt, ever since I’ve been looking around to find
her music. All paths seem to lead to the CD this track comes from. If anyone
can help us to find something, anything she made, that would be super.
With the help of the great series on Buda Musique, ‘éthiopiques’, I made a
compilation of different versions of ‘T’zeta’ or ‘Tezeta’, a traditional
that practically all Ethiopian musicians seem to have played, listen.

After receiving all your tips, it seemed appropriate to post this fantastic
Youtube movie, thank you very very much for enlightening me !!!

tracks;

1 Bezawork Asfew – T’zeta
2 Mahmoud Ahmed – Tezeta
3 Mulatu Astatqe – Tezeta
4 Sèyfou Yohannès – Tezeta
5 Menelik Wèsnatchèw – Tezeta
6 Either/Orchestra – Soul Tezeta
7 Tèsfa-Maryam Kidané – Tezeta
8 Mahmoud Ahmed – Tezeta, long version
9 Gétatchèw Kassa – Tezeta, slow
10 Gétatchèw Kassa – Tezeta, fast

Robson Banda is a Congolese musician in Zimbabwe. He worked with
Thomas Mapfumo, Jonah Moyo and many others. Although Congolese,
Robson sings his music in Shona language and brings it close to genuine
Chimurenga. Including mbira-based guitar licks and elements of Jit.

tracks;

1 Ngoma ngairire
2 Dziva renjuzu
3 Kafira mbira
4 Ndiwe wega mwanangu
5 Baba Vachipo
6 Tofara sei

Another fine album by the great Ebenezer Obey, the label of the LP
tells us it’s from 1976 but the cover says 1977. One way or the other,
I think it’s a fine recording and very much worth a few spinnings.
Pay attention to the drummers on this one, outstanding team of players.

tracks;

1 Eda to mose okunkun
– Aiye mi a toro
– Oluwa gbemi leke
– Bowo fun baba ati iya re
– Igbagbo ati imale
– Kaluku lo nse odun
2 Kini ti ma se aiye yi si
– F’eso j’aiye
– Rora rora
– Omoluwabi ni mo feje
– Kaka ki gbajumo jale
– Eledumare a segun elegan

Pépé Kallé was big in more than one way. Part from being a giant
in size, he was a great singer with a fantastic voice. This is a production
on Verckys’ Vévé label, with this team nothing can go wrong. The cover may
be a bit vague, the music certainly isn’t. Class A material
from Kinshasa, Zaïre. Enjoy ‘La Belle Étoile’.

tracks;

1 La belle étoile
2 Paralyse bis
3 Nunu tresort
4 Aziza

Did you like the works of Ramito and Chuito ? You’ll probably
like this too, German Rosario is another Jibaro from Puerto Rico
and his music covers multiple styles. Milonga, Seis Rompetables,
Controversia, Aguinaldo, Seis, Mapayé and Llanera. Enjoy
German Rosario con Maso Rivera y sus Jibaros.

tracks;

1 Historia de mi guitarra
2 Cuando yo era pelotero
3 Promesa matrimonial
4 El jolgorio en el batey
5 Historia de Maria
6 Vaticinio
7 Querella de amor
8 Pipiendole a un pobre
9 El cabro que yo tenia
10 Caidos en Vietnam
11 A la hembra mia
12 El raton y el fiscal

After the tragic death of Bavon Marie Marie on august 5, 1970, it was
Leon Bholen himself who compiled this wonderful LP. It contains some
of his own favourites with Bavon. Some time ago I already posted this_one .
An ode to the music of Franco’s younger brother, Siongo Bavon Marie Marie.

tracks;

1 Maseke ya meme
2 Bilamba ! Mbongo ya mani ?
3 Yalimbisa bijou
4 Libanga na libumu 1re partie
5 Libanga na libumu 2e partie
6 Nadendela mibali
7 Nakata serment ya bolingo

United Kingdom, 1981, after releasing his hitsingle ‘Rat a cut bottle’,
Lion Youth came with his debut LP, ‘Love comes and goes’. It contains
the follow up single and dancefloor raver ‘Chant ina dance’. From the first
tones, this album rocks you off your socks, so throw aside the chairs and
table, turn up the volume and dance across the room, sweeeeet reggae…

tracks;

1 Love comes and goes
2 I want a girl
3 What would you do ?
4 Señorita
5 Easy skanking
6 Frustration
7 Natty bring the cochi
8 Chant ina dance
9 Its ashame
10 Decelia

Tonight’s album is for the juju lovers among us. Sunny Adé, without
King in those days, has always been one of the most popular juju
artists in the field. I have no idea how many records he made through
the years but this is No. 16 here already. Being from 1977, this is one of
the older Sunny Adé’s here. The master mixed and produced it himself so
I suppose we can say it sounds exactly how he meant it to.

tracks

1 Emi agbadura
2 Igbagbo ndupe

Yesterday no post, today two. Oriental Brothers International are
back with a short but fine album at the GG. These guys really love
one another, photo’s didn’t lie back in those days. The brothers Satch,
Dan, Godwin and Warrior scored hit after hit during the 70’s. This ’87 LP
is, if you count Warriors albums aswell, their eighth album here.
I’ve always had a certain weekness for this oriental highlife.

tracks;

1 Onye egbula nwanne ya
2 Anyi abiala ozo

If you collect worldmusic it is like exploring unknown terrain all
the time. One is learning new names and forms and remains
a student forever. I first learned about chimurenga through the
music of Thomas Mapfumo and fell for it straight away. Then slowly
I started to discover artists like Four Brothers or Oliver Mtukudzi
and Jonah Moyo. Only recently I learned about Simon Chibetu & his
Orchestra Dendera Kings. When I visited Gent in Belgium last week,
I found this LP and some other interesting Zimbabwean music to be
posted soon. To be honest I have not found the difference between
the Zimbabwean styles yet. There’s chimurenga, jit and mbira. The
music of Simon Chimbetu, being Congolese, is also called party rumba
or Zim Rhumba. What coincidence to find my collegue posting this
same time. I guess it was meant to be, enjoy.

tracks;

1 Usandisiye
2 Future
3 Musoro wachena
4 Pakati pegungwa
5 One way
6 Bvuma mukwasha