Description
Book SynopsisThis work examines the creative lives and careers of Muhidin Maalim Gurumo and Hassan Rehani Bitchuka, two of Tanzania’s most well-known singers in the popular music genre known as muziki wa dansi (literally, "music for dancing"), through an ethnomusicological lens.
Trade ReviewThe Legacy of Tanzanian Musicians Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka is an essential book about east African popular music. Through storytelling that integrates compelling ethnographic accounts and secondary sources, Frank Gunderson meticulously examines the creative lives of two masterminds behind the popular muziki wa dansi scene. He unveils a rare archive of the undocumented history and practice of Tanzanian rhumba music. -- Damascus Kafumbe, Middlebury College, author of Tuning the Kingdom: Kawuugulu Musical Performance, Politics, and Storytelling in Buganda
Much of the scholarship on African music tell readers a lot about African musical styles and genres, but very little about the human subjects who create, perform, and use them. By examining the life, musical output, and style of Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka, while broaching along the way issues of politics, economics, and spirituality, Gunderson unpacks in a singular text a uniquely Tanzanian musical lifeworld that is rooted in an African worldview. This is a must-read text, and a pointer to an important new direction in African musicology. -- Austin C. Okigbo, University of Colorado, Boulder
Finally! Rhumba Kiserebuka firmly situates musical biography in the center of the ethnomusicological canon. Gunderson’s comprehensive ethnographic study of two great Tanzanian musicians and the trajectory of their careers—from governmental and government-affiliated parastatal affiliation to independent musicians—is a tour de force and will quickly become the standard for all historical work in ethnomusicology. -- Gregory Barz, Vanderbilt University, President, Society for Ethnomusicology
Table of ContentsForeword by Hassan Rehani Bitchuka Introduction “Jembe Hilo Limeondoka” (“That Hoe has Departed”)—Farewell to Muhidin Maalim Gurumo Scope of the Book Approaches Sources and Evidence Organization and Layout Chapter 1: Introducing Muhidin Maalim Gurumo and Hassan Rehani Bitchuka “Gurumo the Great”—A Reluctant Star in Dar es Salaam Muhidin Gurumo’s Mitindo (Styles) and the Practice of Tanzanian Dance Music Branding “Bitchuka the Bold”—A Transcendent Voice in Tanzanian Popular Music Hassan Bitchuka’s Cross–Dressed Vocal Persona Hassan Bitchuka’s and Muhidin Gurumo’s Compositional Aesthetic Chapter 2: Setting the Stage—The Cultural History of the East–Central African Rhumba Scene The Spread of the Congolese Rhumba The Emergence of Muziki wa Dansi Sikinde Live! –The Tanzanian Rhumba Scene in Dar es Salaam Chapter 3: Muhidin Gurumo’s Musical Development and Work with Nuta Jazz Band Muhidin Gurumo—The Formative Years (1939–1959) Muhidin Gurumo's Stints with Kilimanjaro Cha Cha Jazz Band, Rufiji Jazz Band, and Kilwa Jazz Band (1959–1964) The Origins and Early Years of NUTA Jazz Band Safari of NUTA Jazz Band and their Emerging Fan Base Growing Mtindo wa Msondo (Msondo Style) Considering Provenance(s)—The Case of the Song “Nimwokoe Nani?” (Whom shall I rescue?) Chapter 4: “Mtoto Mtundu” (“Precocious Child”)—Hassan Bitchuka’s Early Musical Career Hassan Bitchuka—The Formative Years (1956–1973) Hassan Bitchuka Joins NUTA / JUWATA Jazz Band State Song Patronage—The Case of the Song “Nidhamu ya Kazi” (Work discipline) Chapter 5: Mlimani Park Orchestra—The “Classic Period” (1978–1985) Origin Stories Hassan Bitchuka Joins Mlimani Park Orchestra “Hapa Tunapangusa Almasi” (“Here We Polish Diamonds”)—Band Practice during Ramadan The Black Warriors Recording Project Mlimani Park Orchestra’s Rise to National and International Visibility Chapter 6: The International Orchestra Safari Sound Era (1985–1987) Businessman Hugo Kisima’s Coup de Tat with International Orchestra Safari Sound Mtindo wa Ndekule (Ndekule Style) Hassan Bitchuka’s Return to Mlimani Park Orchestra (1987–1991) The “Kumi Bora” (“Ten Best”) Piracy Scandal Chapter 7: The Ottu Jazz Band Era (1991–2004) From JUWATA Jazz Band to OTTU Jazz Band “Baba wa Muziki” (“Fathers of Music”) Hassan Bitchuka’s Scandalous Departure from OTTU Jazz Band The Msondo—Sikinde Clan Battles Intensify “Wachawi Wapo, na Wanaua Watu” (“Witches are There, and They Murder People”) Chapter 8: Msondo and Sikinde in the Era of Kujitegemea (Self–Reliance) The Msondo—Sikinde Clans Respond to the Free Market Economy Sikinde—“Ngoma ya Ukae” (“The Music of Home”) Mashindano! (Contest!) Zilipendwa (They Were Loved)—Golden Oldies and Musical Nostalgia Chapter 9: Muhidin Gurumo’s Retirement and Passing Retirement Plans (M. M. *Gurumo 2010b) Bitchuka and Gurumo Reunited Onstage Eulogy for a Musical Hero Concluding Remarks: The Legacy of Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka Appendix I: Glossary Appendix II: Government–Related Acronyms Appendix III: Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka Band Chronology Appendix IV: Extended Interviews with Muhidin Gurumo A Conversation with Muhidin Gurumo about Mitindo A Conversation with Muhidin Gurumo about Composition Appendix V: Online Discussion: “Bitchuka ana Mafumbo Mengi Yake” (“Bitchuka has his Many Mysteries”) Appendix VI: Documented Msondo / Sikinde Studio Sessions at Radio Tanzania—Dar es Salaam NUTA Jazz Band JUWATA Jazz Band Mlimani Park Orchestra List of Interviews Cited Archives Visited Discography Bibliography
