Loading details…
Artist
Shikamoo Jazz
12+ albums
africatanzaniasoukousAllunder 2000 listeners
about
Shikamoo Jazz was formed in Dar Es Salaam in October 1973 by a coterie of veteran musicians who were determined to recreate the glorious sounds of the heyday of Tanzanian jazz (dansi music) and in so doing ensure their economic livelihood at an age when elderly musicians have usually decided to hang up their horns. Shikamoo means 'Respect' in Swahili. Comprising 11 veteran stars, many of whom had been band leaders in their own right, and sponsored by HelpAge International, Shikamoo quickly established a niche in the competitive Dar Es Salaam music scene with an enormous repertoire of original material, performed by master musicians, some of whom had enjoyed more than 30 years in the music business. Indeed, a simple list of the bands that these musicians have played in reads like a short history of Tanzanian popular music. No one in Tanzania can hear the names of Kiko Kids, Kilwa Jazz, Urafiki Jazz, Western Jazz, Nuta Jazz, Dar Jazz, Bima, Orchestre Maquis, Safari Trippers, Les Wanyika, Uda Jazz, Bantu Group, Vijana Jazz or JKT without recalling the golden days of the 1960s when Independence held hope of a bright future, and when bands reflected the optimism of the period. Yet Shikamoo Jazz did not confine itself to classic cuts and, with so many master musicians in the group, almost inevitably the band began to deliver a succession of new songs reflecting the social and emotional realities of modern city life. During 1974-75 Shikamoo consolidated their reputation beyond Dar
