Bulayo - Guitar Songs From Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and DR Congo
During a very brief visit to Portland, OR, a few weeks back, I finally made it to Mississippi Records. As expected, it was a delight — I could've spent several hours just browsing the Sun Ra section. One thing I grabbed was Mississippi's recent Bulayo compilation, and I've been spinning it daily since then. These field recordings made by John Low in 1979 and 1980 throughout Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, and Zambia give us an up-close-and-personal glimpse of some deeply talented fingerstyle guitarists, including Jean-Bosco Mwenda, Losta Abelo, Emmanuel Mulemena and more. The sounds here are gentle, quietly dazzling and sometimes downright miraculous. And don't just get the digital version; the LP itself comes with a detailed booklet that further illuminates the music.
