[Music] ZEAL ONYIA-TRUMPET KING ZEAL ONYIA RETURNS. — dereksmusicblog

Zeal Onyia-Trumpet King Zeal Onyia Returns. Label: BBE Music. It was none other than Louis Armstrong who upon hearing Zeal Onyia for the first time described him as: “the highlife hep cat of Nigerian jazz trumpet’. Like so many others before him, Louis Armstrong was captivated by the combination of Zeal Onyia’s unique tone, rhythm […]

via ZEAL ONYIA-TRUMPET KING ZEAL ONYIA RETURNS.  — dereksmusicblog

[Music] Siti & The Band – Fusing the Roots

Tanzania, as a whole, has amazing musical diversity.  Siti & The Band hail from Zanzibar, and you can hear the deep Arabic influence in their music.  From their Bandcamp website:

Zanzibar, the mystic island and home to world renowned musicians Siti Binti Saad and Bi Kidude as well as the Festival Sauti za Busara and Zanzibar International Film Festival, is proud to have born new voices to carry on the cultural legacy and mystic connected with this island:

Siti & The Band – a unique live experience, fusing traditional Taarab instruments, melodies and rhythms with western influences, are releasing their album “Fusing the Roots” early next year and are looking forward to tour in EA to present a very special musical experience!

“Fusing the Roots” is recorded evidence of the timelessness of Zanzibar’s traditional and contemporary music. The high quality recording, empowering lyrics and unique musical compositions of the album have beautifully entangled contemporary rhythms with Zanzibar’s most loved classical genre.

“I have been watching them play over the last several months and their progress is stunning. Siti and the Band are a group of musicians who know what they are doing and who are doing it well. Remembering the past and facing the present without fear is the only way tradition can remain vibrant. The music of Siti and the Band puts this idea into action.” Adrian Podgorny, Director Dhow Music Academy

“A wonderful performance and amazing experience: especially to hear this accomplished musicians and great arrangements in Fumba where Siti Binti Saad was born almost 150 years ago and we are building a new town now, is something I didn’t expect to happen”
Tobias Dietzold, COO Fumba Town Development, Zanzibar

[Music] Bandcamp Daily: Ifriqiyya Électrique’s Healing Sound Melds Tunisian Banga Ritual With Post-Industrial Noise

April 5 will be a big day in this house, as the French-Tunisian troupe Ifriqiyya Électrique will be dropping a new album.  Bandcamp Daily’s Catalina Maria Johnson does a fine job prepping us for this momentous event.  To be honest, I’m surprised more music isn’t coming from Tunis, a place which has a rich musical heritage.  If there are more musicians like this running around Tunis or in the diaspora, it’d be great to hear them.

[Music] Various Artists – Hot Casa Records: Togo Soul 70 Edits & Rarities


One of the beautiful things about scouring the net, including sources like Bandcamp, Youtube and Soundcloud, is that you’ll run into scenes of music you had no idea existed just a few years ago.

A fine case in point is this 4-track EP of edits from Hot Casa Records. This compilation features tracks from the West African country of Togo’s disco scene, and it holds its own when compared to heavyweights from the US and Europe during the 1970s.

Bosq and DJ Pushin Wood remix the first two tracks, and the others are previously unreleased according Hot Casa’s Bandcamp page.