At this point in life, I have things written down in various places: notebooks, phone notes, and random scraps of paper, all of which make it hard to remember exactly what is what. Written on one such paper were the words “Orchestra Makassy- Legends of East Africa.” Certainly, I could decipher that this was some kind of album, but I was completely unfamiliar with the group. (Also, I most likely spelled it wrong originally, so I had to dig around a bit on the internet.)
And on to the music…
Ordering it via Discogs, I placed it in my CD player, and wonderful noise emitted. Starting with the first track, “Mambo Bado,” the album has an excellent danceable groove. The band was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, playing in the soukous style of music. Soukous stemmed from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and is an upbeat, highly appealing blend of melody, with guitars, a rhythm section, horns at times, and harmonies. Certainly, just as with the highly-lauded The Indestructible Beat of Soweto compilation of South African music, one can see the influence on Paul Simon’s Graceland album, or the modern band Vampire Weekend.
Some History
The band consists of musicians from Zaire and Uganda, but the group moved to Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania due to the reign of Idi Amin in Uganda. The group was led by Kitenzogo “Mzee” Makassy and included other well-known musicians such as Mose Se Sengo and Remmy Ongala. Eventually, the band moved to Kenya to record this album in 1982 and disbanded in 1984
This album was their debut, Agwaya, reissued in 2005 with two additional tracks and renamed Legends of East Africa. Each track is strong from “Athumani” to “Molema.” It’s highly recommended for any fan of world music, African music, or just simply music. The upbeat rumba soukous style would be a perfect accompaniment to an outdoor backyard BBQ or just relaxing at home.
For more Backyard Road Trips music reviews, check out Planet Waves or the Grieg/Schumann Piano Concertos. Check out Orchestra Makassy Legends of East Africa on Spotify or buy it on Discogs.
