Orchestra makassy biography books

East African soukous band

Orchestra Makassy were an East Africansoukous band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, consisting of musicians from Uganda and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).^[1]

About

In 1975, under the leadership of their principal vocalist Kitenzogu "Mzee" Makassy, the group moved from Kampala, Uganda to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, taking up residence at the New Africa Hotel where they were joined by guitarists and singers such as Mose Se Sengo ('Fan Fan') and Remmy Ongala.^[1] One of the band's first recordings was the song "Chama Cha Mapinduzi" praising the Tanzanian independence party, with lyrics based on the words of the country's first president, Julius Nyerere.

In 1982, the band moved to Nairobi, Kenya, to record The Nairobi AGWAYA Sessions at the CBS Nairobi studio. Remmy Ongala left the band and stayed in Tanzania where he went on to join Orchestra Super Matimila. Mose Se Sengo left the band in Kenya