DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra (Mlimani Park for short) has been one of the most popular
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
n
muziki wa dansi bands.
Mlimani Park Orchestra was founded in 01-Aug-1978 by former
Juwata Jazz Band members Muhiddin Maalim, Abdallah Gama, Cosmas Chidumule, Joseph Mulenga Michael Enoch and Abel Balthazar; they were later joined by Hassan Bitchuka and Suleiman Mwanyiro from
Juwata Jazz Band. They started as the resident band of the Tanzania Transport & Taxi Services owned Mlimani Park Bar in Dar es Salaam, the organization that also managed the band. When Tanzania Transport & Taxi Services went bankrupt around 1982, the bar and management of the band were taken over by the Dar es Salaam Development Corporation (DDC), part of the city council, and the band became DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra.
In the 1980s, Mlimani Park released a string of very popular hits, mostly written by Bitchuka, Cosmas Chidumule, and Shaaban Dede.
With respect to other muziki wa dansi bands of the 1980s such as
Vijana Jazz, that was known for its technical innovations (e.g.,
electronic instrument
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into ...
s) or and
Orchestra Maquis Original
Orchestra Maquis Original is a Tanzanian muziki wa dansi band, originally from DR Congo. Founded in 1970 and still in activity, it is one of the most long-lived dansi bands.
History
The band was founded in 1970 in Lubumbashi (then Zaire, now DR ...
, that frequently changed their (style), Mlimani Park stuck with the dansi tradition. The
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
of the band was ("the home dance"). In their long career they remained faithful to a single , called , which in turn was inspired by traditional Tanzanian dances ().
Partial discography
;Albums
* ''
Sikinde'' (collection of hits,
Africassette 9402)
* ''
Sungi'' (Popular African Music 403)
;Contributing artist
* ''
The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania'' (
World Music Network
World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music.
The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...
RGNET 1007)
* ''
The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa
''The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2012 featuring 1960s and 1970s African popular music. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album contains two discs: an overv ...
'' (World Music Network RGNET 1270)
References
External links
Mlimani Park Orchestra- Jahazi-Media
Tanzanian musical groups
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