Hussein Jumbe: Dance music has to reinvent

It is a weekend and as I stroll down the neighbourhood, a banner of  Shikamo Jazz Band announces that they shall be performing that afternoon at a nearby watering hole.

This by all measures  is one of the greatest bands in the history of dance music  in Tanzania and secondly they are supposed to be a classic and therefore not deserving to be playing in such a dusty rendezvous.

But as sad as that might be, it could be just a negligible fraction of the truth because some hardly find an audience on many occassions they play at venues where the entry requirement is a drink  to show just how low it has become and there seems to be no glimmer of hope in the fore seeable future.

On Sundays you will find Vijana Jazz somewhere atTabata Bima, whereas Bana Marques will be stroking the guitar in a spacious hall at Tabata Mawenzi.

And they are not the only ones struggling for audiences, even the later day dance bands that supposedly took over the mantle aren’t doing as well as many imagine they are, with many shows being played to empty halls.

And for some reason this capitulation  is at times blamed on local media’s failure who, they accuse of favouring Bongo Flava and foreign content.

The last decade or two has seen the rise of urban music and the re-emergence of modern Taarab,  as a result, the old guards have found themselves relegated to the periphery as the latter enjoy massive following from the youth and airplay.

Bands such as Sikinde, Msondo, Kilimanjaro and even popular new age dance bands such asTwanga Pepeta  Akudo Impact , FM Academia are struggling for the youthful audience whose preference is inclined towards Bongo Flava.

Creativity within these bands has been questionable as the quick fixes that some of the bands have sought by recruiting Congolese musicians too hasn’t  worked, many are accused of being copy cats.

The realisation of this once protected fact has driven most young fans away who are supposed to be the potential fan base for the future survival of the bands.

“For example when Akudo came with ‘Mapenzi Yako Wapi’, we realised that it wasn’t their own composition, all they did was to put in some Kiswahili words and with time fans learnt about the truth,” says a young fan who identified himself as Rajab Juma.

Most of these bands are yet to compose songs that bear their own identity and stick in the memories of fans as in most cases the story line is jumbled to the extent that one can’t tell what the song is about.

According to one pundit most of these bands are stuck with old compositions which do not address today’s issues.

“If you are going to compose a song that doesn’t relate to young people’s needs there is always going to be a problem; for example how are you going to speak about the Post office in this era of smart phones,” he says.

Regular  and uncontrolled performances in and around the city is also a fact that most fans cite as a factor that has taken gloss from the once glamourous bands that commanded large followings.

Most of these bands perform between three to five gigs weekly, for example Sikinde has five whereas Twanga Pepeta has four in a week.

Though it takes care of the income factor, but at the end of the day it leaves the band’s mental reserves depleted and therefore unable to respond to the needs of the market.

The advent of social networks such as FaceBook and Twitter hasn’t faired very well with the old guards who continued doing things in the same old way despite the fact that the new avenue provides a better marketing tool that is yet to be rivalled.

But as the blame game goes on one veteran musician has shown that it all depends on the level of reinvention and not criticising the media for lack of airplay.

Hussein Jumbe, a veteran musician who has at one point been part of both DDC Mlimani Park and Msondo Ngoma is leading by example.

Almost in the twilight of his career, Jumbe with his current band Talent a week ago launched a new album which he has titled ‘Kiapo Mara Tatu’.

Though the Kisumba settings could have been at the level of affluence that could match contemporary requirements that has become the norm by Bongo Flava musicians, it was the intent that mattered most. 

He went through his business with the precision of a true professional who has recognised the changing whims of time and what is required of him.

According to Jumbe, being stuck in the time warp has cost the genre its place in the market, a fact that he recognised by inviting some famous musicians to the launch of ‘Kiapo Mara Tatu’.

The promotional campaigns on radio stations  were hillarious, and the posters  were just like any other that you are likely to see in the streets of Dar es Salaam.

As part of his performance Jumbe even dared to take on some Bongo Flava songs such as ‘Maneno Maneno’ by Ben Pol and even Bahati Bukuku’s gospel hit ‘Waraka Wa Amani’ before taking on his own ‘Siri Ya Nini’ and ‘Nachechemea’.

His marketing tool had worked and by as early as 10pm there was hardly a seat left for the late comers, his audience was filled with both old and young fans.

In short Jumbe wanted to get his audience both young and old  from wherever they were to listen to his music and in the process identify with him.

“ We cannot maintain our status by whinning all the time seeking for mercy, this industry has become very competitive and we have to change as well,” says the ‘Siri ya Nini’ singer.

He adds that in a busy world where people are busy trying to make ends meet, music as a product has to be marketed to its consumers and in the process recruit new consumers just like any other product does.

Whether his compatriots including Sikinde who were at his show are going to follow his example is something that only time can tell.