Category: African

Records in the very scarce Columbia AI series were released during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia after the 1935 invasion. They were pressed in Italy and sponsored by Eritrean business man Saleh Ahmed Checchia – whose last name can be seen on the right side of the label.

The song title can be translated as: “Who is the one who heals from love after loving you?” I have no information on the azmaris (troubadours) Negatua & Ferede or the specific instrumentation used as accompaniment. There is just not a lot of available information on this series and very few examples out there.

The seal of the Italian East Africa government can be seen in the runout at the bottom of the record.

This came to me in very bad shape – with many deep scratches and heavy scuffing on both sides. Because of its rarity I decided to make a transfer regardless. Better to preserve and share this, as I’m not likely to run across another copy.

Released as Columbia AI. 554 (matrix AOI.3)
Recorded circa 1939-1940.

William Osale was a fingerstyle guitarist who performed and recorded in Kenya during the 1950s and 60s. Osale was a rural musician who played in the ‘sukuti’ style – a rhythmic style of finger-style playing invented by George Mukabi that results in a light, ‘bouncy’ sound.

In his “A History of Kenyan Guitar Music: 1945-1980”, John Low writes, “Some rural finger-stylists like George Mukabi and William Osale also had success in the towns, providing Swahili versions of songs that they might sing in local languages back home. The appeal of their songs lay in the fact that many town dwellers had (and still have) strong links with the land, and the themes of these songs, often conservative and sometimes nostalgic, reminded them of the old values.”

Released as Jogoo JO 127.

The flip side can be heard at:
https://youtu.be/L6bM18-Zpdo

William Osale was a fingerstyle guitarist who performed and recorded in Kenya during the 1950s and 60s. Osale was a rural musician who played in the ‘sukuti’ style – a rhythmic style of finger-style playing invented by George Mukabi that results in a light, ‘bouncy’ sound.

In his “A History of Kenyan Guitar Music: 1945-1980”, John Low writes, “Some rural finger-stylists like George Mukabi and William Osale also had success in the towns, providing Swahili versions of songs that they might sing in local languages back home. The appeal of their songs lay in the fact that many town dwellers had (and still have) strong links with the land, and the themes of these songs, often conservative and sometimes nostalgic, reminded them of the old values.”

The title of this song, “Kusemakweli” can be translated as “To Tell The Truth”.

Released as Jogoo JO 127.

The flip side can be heard at:
https://youtu.be/lgBifuizk1k

Edouard Masengo was born in 1933 in the village of Kafubu in the Katanga province in the southern Copperbelt region of Congo – so named for the many mining camps in the region. He started playing guitar when he was eleven.

He formed a group called JECOKE – The Young Comedians of Katanga – who first sang at the Regina Hotel in Léopoldville. One of their signature tunes was a cover of “Paper Doll”, the hit song made famous in the U.S. by the Mills Brothers. Masengo ultimately ended up in Nairobi, Kenya, where he recorded extensively with Gallotone Records and partnered with advertising agencies to promote Coca-Cola as a kind of celebrity spokesperson.

Along with his cousin, Jean Bosco Mwenda, Masengo became a dominant force in the African music scene in the 1950s and early 1960s. Both were known as progenitors of the wildly popular Katanga guitar style that also went on to greatly influence the music of Kenya and Tanzania.

The Fiesta label was a Fonior / Decca France sublabel that began in 1947 specializing in North African artists. In 1950 their focus shifted to West Africa and Congo and I believe this record was released at some point in the early 1950s.

Released as Fiesta 402.

Credits:
Edouard Masengo – guitar, vocals
Unknown artists – saxophone, bass, glass bottle

The flip side of this record, “Mapendano” can be found at:
https://youtu.be/Bc6zpxgpLYA

Sources:
“Revisiting the Katanga Guitar Style(s) and Some Other Early African Guitar Idioms” by David Racanelli, Black Music Research Journal, Vol 36, No. 1. Spring 2016.

Amazing interview with Edouard Masengo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOtwTNBy1o8