Drawing deeply on the rhumba and benga rhythmic traditions that are so important to the popular music of Kenya, Guitar Paradise of East Africa gathers singles by such local legends as Daniel Kamau, H.O. Kabaselleh, and Orchestra Super Mazembe. The selections all feature vocals prominently, but as the compilation's title indicates, the guitar plays a central role in every song; rippling, cascading guitar lines flow throughout each track, and in some cases multiple lines bounce off each other contrapuntally. This latter ...
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Drawing deeply on the rhumba and benga rhythmic traditions that are so important to the popular music of Kenya, Guitar Paradise of East Africa gathers singles by such local legends as Daniel Kamau, H.O. Kabaselleh, and Orchestra Super Mazembe. The selections all feature vocals prominently, but as the compilation's title indicates, the guitar plays a central role in every song; rippling, cascading guitar lines flow throughout each track, and in some cases multiple lines bounce off each other contrapuntally. This latter tendency is especially apparent on Kabaselleh's "Achi Maria" and on the remarkable "Odesia," a song by Les Mangelepa that features a Latin-tinged horn chart along with complex duo guitars and a throbbing, syncopated bassline. Most of these recordings come from the mid-'80s, and the sound quality isn't always top-notch, but the musical quality is amazingly consistent. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, Rovi
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