If you're in the market for sweet, smooth Ghana highlife music, Nana Tuffour always delivers! James Kwaku ("Nana") Tuffour was born on Valentine's Day, 1954 in Kumasi and first came to notice in Alex Konadu's band, then moved on to stints with Waza Africo and King Sunny Adé's African Beats. He released his first solo album, Highlife Romance, in 1979. Odo Ye Nteasee (KAM Records KAM 1004, 1988) is just the thing to chill out and relax to if you're stuck inside all day. Enjoy! Nana Tuffour - Menim M'Anomee Nana Tuffour - Owuo Begya Hwan Ni Nana Tuffour - Odo Ye Ntease ..read more

Mbolatiana Since posting Malagasy Divas back in January, I've been continuing my explorations of Malagasy music via YouTube, and have come to a realization: That collection was merely scratching the surface - there is a universe of talented chanteuses in the Big Island! And applying the criteria I used before - sticking with all-new artists, and only one track from each one, there is enough material for at least two more compilations. Hence this collection: Malagasy Divas 2. I hope to put together another volume in the future. Here you'll find more variations on salegy from the northern p ..read more

Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya, known as the "Evil Genius" of Nigerian Highlife music, passed away Wednesday, February 12, at the age of 89. Thus ends an era in Nigerian music. Olaiya was probably the last paladin of the classic "Big Band" highlife style, certainly one of the few remaining practitioners of highlife of any kind in southwestern Nigeria. The genre continues as a guitar-based style in southeastern Nigeria, although there it is endangered as well. The Daily Post of Lagos reports that President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria responded to the news with a statement of condolences: A sta ..read more

Sisca Many years ago, Matthew Temple's Matsuli Music blog posted a series of fifty compilations, African Serenades. Back in 2007, I assembled a two-part installment for African Serenades, Vol. 47 Pts. 1 & 2: African Divas. Later I posted them here on Likembe as African Divas Vol. 1 and African Divas Vol. 2, which you can still download (follow the links)! Our good friend Ken Abrams later weighed in with two more volumes in the series. You can get African Divas Vol. 4 here. For a long time I've been wanting to do another installment in the Africa ..read more

A while back I made a few posts devoted to to music from Anioma, or the Igbo-speaking region of Delta State in Nigeria, immediately to the west of the Niger River. This style is generally faster-paced and harder hitting than mainstream Igbo sounds. I don't want to claim too much credit, but those write-ups may have spurred some interest in the genre, including recent reissues. One of the musicians I highlighted was King Ubulu. If I may be allowed to plagiarize myself, here is something I wrote about him for Toshiya Endo's African music discography: Chief Augustine Ojinji, better known to N ..read more

We return once again to the Niger River Delta, and some more Ijaw-language highlife music in the style known as awijiri. The rather melancholy vocals and understated guitar work of this music have grown on me over the years - I can't get enough of it! I can tell you nothing about the Ebiogbo International Band other than they were from the small town of Agoloma on the Forcados River in Delta State. Here is the one album by the Ebiogbo International Band that I'm aware of, Akpoesololo (Sann Records SR 3, 1984). Enjoy! Ebiogbo International Band of Agoloma - Bayoukumo Ebiogbo Internation ..read more

Acclaimed as one of Congo's greatest female singers, Tshala Muana over four decades in the business has emerged as the international ambassadress for Mutuashi, the insistent rhythm and dance style of Kasai Province in central Congo, very different from the mainstream soukous that is usually associated with the country. She was born in Lubumbashi on March 13, 1958 and made her way to Kinshasa in 1976, where she joined M'Pongo Love's orchestra as a dancer. After recording two singles that didn't make a mark, she joined the group Minzoto Wella-Wella. It was in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, thoug ..read more

Here's a mysterious Nigerian album, Idanre Makin (Idanre Makin EILP 002) I got not too long ago - by a Yoruba vocal/percussion group led by Francis Akinde called Ẹgbẹ Irawọ Owurọ, whose name translates, as best I can tell, as "Morning Star Group." A lovely moniker, if Google Translate can be trusted! The label and liner notes say nothing about this congregation, and give little indication as to what "style" the music is. It's within the broad spectrum of Yoruba percussion styles that we've been exploring recently. Enjoy! Ẹgbẹ Irawọ Owurọ - Okungba So Gba / Ọrẹ Ma Ba Mi Je / Ibi Aiye ..read more

Footballer, guitarist and composer of many of the most memorable songs in Congolese music, Mayaula Mayoni (1946-2010) has often been overlooked. I posted one of his biggest solo hits, "Ba Chagrins", back in 2007.  The blog AfricOriginal ably summarized Mayaula's career in this post, which I reproduce here. Follow the link for pictures and further information about this well-respected musician.  Born in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) on the sixth of November 1946, Mayaula passes effortlessly through primary school. In 1962 he completed secondary education at the College of Kisan ..read more

Even if I weren't already a huge fan of Lanrewaju Adepọju, I would have bought this album for the cover art alone! Aláfọwósowópó (Lanre Adepoju Records LALPS 72, 1980) is a tribute to the cooperative movement in Nigeria: "The greatest weapon the masses have to fight the formidable forces of oppressive capitalism, mindless and the unconcerned attitude of few privileged rich overlords, is to form themselves into cooperative societies." In a previous post, I wrote of Alhaji Adepoju and his mastery of the Yoruba poetic form known as èwi, of which this LP is a fine example. Many of his com ..read more