Orchestra Manga Kings - Swahili Hits (1977)

Coming back to Electric Jive land from Ghana via Lake Victoria and this snappy and sweet bunch of Swahili Hits - with the record pressed in Johannesburg for the Lake Victoria Label.

Doug Paterson outlines Kenyan styles of music from this era: "Although the melodies, languages, and rhythms may vary from song to song, one of the common traits ... is the preeminence of the guitars. They weave their way through the vocal portion, meshing with the melodic line or answering it and, nearly always, they finish out the last minute or two with some ear-catching solo jam."

Doug's excellent overview of Kenyan pop can be found here. Some more info on the Lake Victoria record label can be found here.

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