Words by Justin Turford

We do LOVE a bit of street music here at Truth & Lies. From samba blocos de rua to the Second Line traditions of New Orleans, that celebratory coalition of drums, brass, singing and the inevitable body movement that follows is the lifeblood of why we initially came together. We have, however, never heard it quite like this before. In fact, unless you have ever attended a wedding in Tanzania’s sprawling capital, Dar es Salaam, you probably haven’t either as this four track E.P. from the six-member ensemble Msindaba Jazz Band claims to be the first tarumbeta band to have ever been recorded in a studio!

"This is not the debut of a new group, but the first recorded expression of years - decades - of lived experience and generational knowledge," said Salum. "What you will hear is music that has never before been captured by microphones or in studios. We make our music for the moment, for the celebration, and for the people gathered together. We hope when you hear this you are going to get a flavour of a party on the streets of Dar es Salaam."

Tarumbeta translates as ‘trumpet’ in Swahili and not dissimilar to the story of Brazilian samba or Ghanaian highlife, the music’s development is a tale of colonialist influences meeting older indigenous traditions. In Tanzania’s case it was when the country was under the yoke of the German Empire, the colonial period in what was called German East Africa (1885–1918). Military bands brought brass instruments, highly disciplined parades and ensemble drumming, the amused young locals inspired enough to have a go themselves but adding their own ngoma rhythms to create an ever-developing lineage to this point.

In recent years, the hyperspeed electronic dance genre singeli has put Dar es Salaam on the international music map but it’s tarumbeta that is the soundtrack to every wedding in the city. Whether blasting out of the wedding party’s buses heralding the celebrations to come or in the midst of the dancing crowd, the band is the eye of the celebratory storm. As Salum Omary Mkoba, drummer and the group's leader says: "We perform mostly at celebrations and especially weddings. Our job is to make everyone dance and bring that extra bit of mzuka (exuberant happiness) to the day."

There are only four tracks to enjoy here but every piece exudes an irresistible joyful energy and a deep collaborative communion between the musicians. Rock solid snare and a weaving trumpet line kicks off ‘Chachandu’. A purely instrumental track that feels like the leading section of a parade, Juma Hamisi Lupendo’s snare pattern alongside the highlighting cymbals has a loose militaristic propulsion, the smaller hand drums acting like talking drums as they call, respond and improvise. The groove is locked tight but brilliantly noisy.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of samba drumming will recognise the nature of the intro to ‘Msindaba’. Similar to a repique call in batucada (which, of course has its roots in both African and Portuguese colonial music), Hassan Ally Magoma’s high-pitched small drum calls, the ensemble responds, the caller plays again and then the full band sets off into a full-throttle drums and trumpet number that must drive the crowds wild! As Eliapenda Elly Chole’s trumpet soars in a near mariachi style over the hurtling snares and counter rhythms, a gentle vocal chorus comes in, transforming into a slickly delivered voice and instrument call-and-answer coda. Exhilarating stuff at loud volume I promise you.

Initially less frenetic than the previous tune, ‘Toloka Uje’ has a wonderful group vocal that spars with and occasionally joins the trumpet melody as the song picks up the tempo until it nearly leaves the ground by the end! An interesting element of the band’s sound is how Florian Evarist Masilu’s cymbals veer between being a fast-paced punctuation to the snare pattern and creating new counter-rhythms as the interplay between the drummers (and I assume the dancers) becomes more intricate.

Starting with a lovely call-and-response vocal, ‘Wakali Wa Hizi Kazi’ has the brilliant simplicity of a football chant, lots of “Wo-o-oh” refrains to join in with as the super tight snare and uncomplicated trumpet melody leads the line.

So there we have it, our first exposure to recorded tarumbeta music (or benibati as some call it) and what a short but glorious trip it has been. The apparent impossibility of capturing the spontaneous energy of a music that usually thrives in a communal and celebratory environment has been made possible at last, the ephemeral nature of a live and thrilling musical conversation captured and shared with those of us not planning on a wedding in Dar es Salaam any time soon. Asante! 9/10.

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