Janzi Band, sometimes simply Janzi, is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

n afro-fusion, contemporary and world music group formed on 27 August 2009 by Ssewa Ssewa and friends Abraham Sekasi, Jackson Kirya and Steven Oundo. The band has a hybrid

repertoire A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform. Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...

of music, including notable

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

s as well as an original ethno-pop discography. The band has worked alongside a number of Ugandan musicians, including Lilian Mbabazi and A Pass. They are known for the creation of a new Ugandan

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

-like instrument, the Janzi. Their first album, Eka (Home) was released in on

i-Tunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

in 2017.

Background

Janzi is a

Luganda The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...

word that means grasshopper, which according to the founders Ssewa Ssewa and friends Abraham Sekasi, Jackson Kirya and Steven Oundo, means that Janzi Band flies like grasshoppers. In 2009, Ssewa Ssewa and Abraham developed an idea to start a project that could aid cultural development through music. Their ambition was to unite cultures of different regions in the world through combining music of different

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

origins.

Career

Since its inception in 2009, Janzi Band has steadily grown and has performed at different gigs in Uganda such as Zone 7 in Bugolobi, Club Amnesia, Big Mikes at Acacia Avenue and several casual and corporate functions. They have also performed at the annual Blankets and Wine festival,

Milege World Music Festival The Milege World Music Festival or just Milege Festival is an annual music festival, happening every November, organized by Milege Afrojazz Band. The festival is a celebration of world music, games, cultural dances, stories, poems, and so on. A ...

in 2013 and 2015,

Pearl Rhythm Festival Pearl Rhythm Festival is a world music festival organized by the Pearl Rhythm Foundation to celebrate Ugandan music and hosted annually at the National Theatre. The festival is the climax of all the activities in the Pearl Rhythm Foundation.. ...

, Bayimba Festival and others. In 2016, they headlined the Tokosa Food Festival with Ugandan musician Lilian Mbabazi, and in the same year collaborated with A Pass at the Chronixx Show. , their music is described on their

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page as "all-acoustic, all-traditional ensemble" as well as "an electric Afro-beat fusion band for festivals, weddings and concerts". They like the music of

Afrigo Band The Afrigo Band is a musical band in Uganda. It is the longest-lasting musical group in the history of Uganda, having existed for 44 years by August 2019. History The band was formed by a group of eight musicians led by their band leader, vocalis ...

Morgan Heritage Morgan Heritage is a Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. ...

, UB40 and Salif Keita.

Band members

Current members

the band has nine members: * Ssewa Ssewa (founder, African traditional instrumentalist, vocalist, percussionist) * Abraham Ssekasi (traditional instruments, vocalist and percussionist) * Trevor Muhumuza (music director, keyboard and vocals) * Kevin Sekasi (drums and vocals) * Jimmy Lubwama (lead vocals and guitar * Allan Okia (bass guitarist and music producer), * Joseph Kizito (saxophonist) * Hakim Kiwanuka (percussionist and African instrumentalist) * Michael Ssebulime (lead guitarist)

Past members

Discography

Albums

Eka (2017)

Eka is Janzi's first studio album and was officially released on iTunes on 7 May 2017. All the songs on the album were co-written and co-produced by the band's members. The songs on the album have however been played live by the band for many years. Eka was released under the band's label, Janzi Music.

References

External links

{{Authority control World music groups Ugandan musical groups Musical groups established in 2009 Musical quintets Indie folk groups