The Legacy of Tanzanian Musicians Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka: Rhumba Kiserebuka!

by Frank Gunderson Florida State University, Hassan Rehani Bitchuka (Foreword by)

Overview

Muhidin Maalim Gurumo and Hassan Rehani Bitchuka are two of Tanzania’s most well-known singers in the popular music genre known as muziki wa dansi (literally, 'music for dancing'), a variation of the Cuban-based rhumba idiom that has been enormously impactful throughout central, eastern, and western Africa in the contemporary era. This interview-based dual biography investigates the lives and careers of these two men from an ethnomusicological and historical perspective. Gurumo had a career spanning fifty years before his death in 2014. Bitchuka has been singing professionally for forty-five years. The two singers, affectionately called mapacha (“the twins”) by their colleagues, worked together as partners for thirty years from 1973-2003. This study situates these exemplary individuals as creative agents in a local cultural context, showcasing interviews, narratives, and nostalgic reminiscences about musical life lived under Colonialism, state Socialism, and current politics in the global neoliberal democratic milieu. The book adds to a growing body of work about popular music in Dar es Salaam and shines a light on these artists’ creative processes, the choices they have made regarding rare resources, their styles and efficacy in conflict resolution, and their own memories regarding the musical art they have created.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498564403
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	08/24/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	356
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Frank Gunderson is associate professor of ethnomusicology at Florida State University.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Hassan Rehani Bitchuka

Introduction
“Jembe Hilo Limeondoka” (“That Hoe has Departed”)—Farewell to Muhidin Maalim Gurumo
Scope of the Book
Approaches
Sources and Evidence
Organization and Layout

Chapter 1: Introducing Muhidin Maalim Gurumo and Hassan Rehani Bitchuka
“Gurumo the Great”—A Reluctant Star in Dar es Salaam
Muhidin Gurumo’s Mitindo (Styles) and the Practice of Tanzanian Dance Music Branding
“Bitchuka the Bold”—A Transcendent Voice in Tanzanian Popular Music
Hassan Bitchuka’s Cross–Dressed Vocal Persona
Hassan Bitchuka’s and Muhidin Gurumo’s Compositional Aesthetic

Chapter 2: Setting the Stage—The Cultural History of the East–Central African Rhumba Scene
The Spread of the Congolese Rhumba
The Emergence of Muziki wa Dansi
Sikinde Live! –The Tanzanian Rhumba Scene in Dar es Salaam

Chapter 3: Muhidin Gurumo’s Musical Development and Work with Nuta Jazz Band
Muhidin Gurumo—The Formative Years (1939–1959)
Muhidin Gurumo's Stints with Kilimanjaro Cha Cha Jazz Band, Rufiji Jazz Band, and Kilwa Jazz Band (1959–1964)
The Origins and Early Years of NUTA Jazz Band
Safari of NUTA Jazz Band and their Emerging Fan Base
Growing Mtindo wa Msondo (Msondo Style)
Considering Provenance(s)—The Case of the Song “Nimwokoe Nani?” (Whom shall I rescue?)

Chapter 4: “Mtoto Mtundu” (“Precocious Child”)—Hassan Bitchuka’s Early Musical Career
Hassan Bitchuka—The Formative Years (1956–1973)
Hassan Bitchuka Joins NUTA / JUWATA Jazz Band
State Song Patronage—The Case of the Song “Nidhamu ya Kazi” (Work discipline)

Chapter 5: Mlimani Park Orchestra—The “Classic Period” (1978–1985)
Origin Stories
Hassan Bitchuka Joins Mlimani Park Orchestra
“Hapa Tunapangusa Almasi”(“Here We Polish Diamonds”)—Band Practice during Ramadan
The Black Warriors Recording Project
Mlimani Park Orchestra’s Rise to National and International Visibility

Chapter 6: The International Orchestra Safari Sound Era (1985–1987)
Businessman Hugo Kisima’s Coup de Tat with International Orchestra Safari Sound
Mtindo wa Ndekule (Ndekule Style)
Hassan Bitchuka’s Return to Mlimani Park Orchestra (1987–1991)
The “Kumi Bora” (“Ten Best”) Piracy Scandal

Chapter 7: The Ottu Jazz Band Era (1991–2004)
From JUWATA Jazz Band to OTTU Jazz Band
“Baba wa Muziki” (“Fathers of Music”)
Hassan Bitchuka’s Scandalous Departure from OTTU Jazz Band
The Msondo—Sikinde Clan Battles Intensify
“Wachawi Wapo, na Wanaua Watu” (“Witches are There, and They Murder People”)

Chapter 8: Msondo and Sikinde in the Era of Kujitegemea (Self–Reliance)
The Msondo—Sikinde Clans Respond to the Free Market Economy
Sikinde—“Ngoma ya Ukae” (“The Music of Home”)
Mashindano! (Contest!)
Zilipendwa (They Were Loved)—Golden Oldies and Musical Nostalgia

Chapter 9: Muhidin Gurumo’s Retirement and Passing
Retirement Plans (M. M. *Gurumo 2010b)
Bitchuka and Gurumo Reunited Onstage
Eulogy for a Musical Hero

Concluding Remarks: The Legacy of Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka

Appendix I: Glossary

Appendix II: Government–Related Acronyms

Appendix III: Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka Band Chronology

Appendix IV: Extended Interviews with Muhidin Gurumo
A Conversation with Muhidin Gurumo about Mitindo
A Conversation with Muhidin Gurumo about Composition

Appendix V: Online Discussion: “Bitchuka ana Mafumbo Mengi Yake” (“Bitchuka has his Many Mysteries”)

Appendix VI: Documented Msondo / Sikinde Studio Sessions at Radio Tanzania—Dar es Salaam
NUTA Jazz Band
JUWATA Jazz Band
Mlimani Park Orchestra

List of Interviews Cited

Archives Visited

Discography

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Finally! Rhumba Kiserebuka firmly situates musical biography in the center of the ethnomusicological canon. Gunderson’s comprehensive ethnographic study of two great Tanzanian musicians and the trajectory of their careers—from governmental and government-affiliated parastatal affiliation to independent musicians—is a tour de force and will quickly become the standard for all historical work in ethnomusicology.

Gregory Barz

Much of the scholarship on African music tell readers a lot about African musical styles and genres, but very little about the human subjects who create, perform, and use them. By examining the life, musical output, and style of Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka, while broaching along the way issues of politics, economics, and spirituality, Gunderson unpacks in a singular text a uniquely Tanzanian musical lifeworld that is rooted in an African worldview. This is a must-read text, and a pointer to an important new direction in African musicology.

Austin C. Okigbo

The Legacy of Tanzanian Musicians Muhidin Gurumo and Hassan Bitchuka is an essential book about east African popular music. Through storytelling that integrates compelling ethnographic accounts and secondary sources, Frank Gunderson meticulously examines the creative lives of two masterminds behind the popular muziki wa dansi scene. He unveils a rare archive of the undocumented history and practice of Tanzanian rhumba music.

Damascus Kafumbe