 
Orchestra Makassy A legendary album that came out on Virgin records in 1982 has finally appeared on CD. It was worth the wait. In addition to the scorching music of the album, a perennial favourite in the Rhythm/muzikifan household, there are bonus tracks, those magic moments that make you glad to be alive. Orchestra Makassy was first formed in 1975 in Kampala, Uganda by Zairean ex-pats. It was a 15-man band with a nightclub gig in Dar Es Salaam when it assembled in a Nairobi studio in 1980 for some young Brits who wanted to cash in on the Afropop boom that was happening thanks to King Sunny Ade. Mzee ("Elder") Makassy was the leader and principal vocalist of the band named after him; Tshimanga Assosa of Maquis Original contributed singing and songwriting skills (the songs are in Shona, Swahili and Lingala). Mose Se Sengo a.k.a. "Fan Fan" is often mentioned in connection with the band as he had been chef d'orchestra before striking out on his own, and he co-wrote two of the songs on the album, but the guitarists on the record are Aimala Mbutu and Alfani Uvuruge. Remmy Ongalla passed through the band & you can hear the impact of these songs, particularly "Mke Wangu" and "Mume Wangu," on his own albums. The excellent, bustling Kasongo Shinga played bass, and there were two drummers, a tumbador, and four horn players, including Twalib Mohamed as trumpet soloist and Akuliake Saleh on alto sax. In short, a classic East African dance-band line-up. The opening cut, "Mambo Bado," by Assosa, did become a dance-floor hit, at least in the limited world in which I was deejaying. It still gets you going from the first note. "Kufisilika Sio Kalema" is another mover and shaker in the Virunga style. The ballad "Nakolela Cherie" that closes side one is a haunting ballad about a man whose wife has abandoned him and the kids. There is a bright guitar part in the style of "Fan Fan" and muted trumpet adding to the pathos. Most of the songs contain wry social commentary. Side Two opens with "Mosese," obviously penned by FanFan, about a man complaining to his fiancée, followed by "Athumani," a song in which a young married woman complains about her husband running around. The bass is high in the mix for the moody "Mke Wangu," another classic track in which the singer tells of a man who lavished material goods on his wife only to have her leave him. Periodically he says "No smoking!" or "Disco!" in English, seemingly exhortations to the guitarists who are working out. "Molema" by Fan Fan and Makassy originally ended the proceedings, & winds the set down beautifully, but here it's been moved up to make room for a couple of rare tracks that are not as outstanding as the nine on the album, but a pleasant extension. Now things end with "Mume Wangu," which sounds like a retake of "Mke Wangu." "Mambo Bado" should have prompted the group to international stardom but, despite the care and attention lavished on the recording (for which we are eternally grateful), Virgin failed to promote them and they broke up. Platterbugs will note that there are four tracks on Mose Se Fan Fan's "Belle Epoque" (RETRO 7CD), including "Molema," recorded in Tanzania with the band when Remmy Ongalla was frontman, and there's another album released in Kenya in 1984 MUZIKI ORCHESTRA MAKASSY that no one has! -- Alastair Johnston
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