- Audio Cassette (21 Feb 1995)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Rounder Select
- ASIN: B0000003A9
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50 |
Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Pension |
| 2. Bombalaka |
| 3. Bayeke |
| 4. Tambala Moja |
| 5. Mble Ya Kuina |
| 6. Safari Ya Mupenzi |
| 7. Kuimba Ni Mawazo |
| 8. Pole Pole Ya Kuina |
| 9. Watoto Wawili |
| 10. Masanga |
Product Description
Album Description
Jean Bosco Mwenda, usually called just Bosco for short, was
the best-known African guitarist of his generation, spearheading the
devolopment of a new kind of popular town music and in his heyday - between
1952 and 1962 - he recorded some 150 titles which sold all over Africa. The
acoustic guitar styles developed by Bosco and his contemporaries exercised
a decisive influence on young musicians all over the continent and fed
directly into the music of the early African electric guitar bands.
the best-known African guitarist of his generation, spearheading the
devolopment of a new kind of popular town music and in his heyday - between
1952 and 1962 - he recorded some 150 titles which sold all over Africa. The
acoustic guitar styles developed by Bosco and his contemporaries exercised
a decisive influence on young musicians all over the continent and fed
directly into the music of the early African electric guitar bands.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Magical
20 Feb 2000
Format:Audio CD
To cut to the chase, this is one of the most beautiful CDs I have ever heard. I stumbled onto Jean-Bosco Mwenda while listening to a CD titled "The Secret Museum of Mankind", which included a single track by this new-to-me musician. A search of amazon.com and other sources revealed "Mwenda Wa Bayeke" to be the only complete disc currently available. Upon first hearing the CD, I was stunned--transfixed, really--as I listened to track after magical track by this unbelievable talent. That initial response has not faded after many, many subsequent hearings. Recorded near the end of a long career, the voice is not as fresh and even as during his heyday (1950s and 60s). Nonetheless, the vocal quality--at turns joyous, earthy, and not-quite-melancholy--is still hauntingly beautiful, and the solo guitar is literally mesmerizing. My only "complaint" is that the final track is performed as a solo guitar instrumental. While incredibly beautiful (with an intentionally discordant lower string that is reminiscent of some of the Bach lute suites), I would rather have heard how Mwenda would have sung the piece. But that's like complaining that the tenth best sunset you ever saw was not quite as awesome as the first nine. The liner notes reveal that Mwenda was a dominant recording artist in Africa a few decades back, with around 150 titles to his credit. The customer reviewer who said that this disc changed his life got it right; it is a treasure that cannot leave you unaffected. Each playing causes me to have a somewhat empty feeling, knowing that I missed out on so much of what Mwenda had to say, musically, during his life. [Since the recording, Mwenda was tragically killed in a car wreck.] Let's hope that some enterprising music producer will seek out some of the older LPs, remaster them to CD, and make them available to us hungry fans.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
One of the best albums I have ever heardI
17 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
I accidently came across this album many years ago. Since that time I have bought it as a gift for a dozen friends and it has become a favorite for everyone that has heard it. I am not exaggerating when I say it has changed my life.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Wow
9 Nov 1998
Format:Audio CD
You know, I generally like my music to be sung in English, not being a big international music fan, but Mwenda Wa Bayeke is really the exception. I have never heard such rich music produced by one man and a guitar. For anyone who likes folk, it is a must. Before this album, I thought I had heard pretty much every way one can play an acoustic guitar, but the style developed by the African guitarists is both original and masterful, a fairly unusual combination. Mwenda is known as "the Elvis of Africa" (becuase of his popularity, not his style), and he lives up to every expectation.
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