African Guitar

This Rough Guide showcases some of Africa’s leading lights of the guitar, both past and present, from West African bluesmen Samba Touré and Alhousseini Anivolla to the fingerpicking wizardry of South African maskanda legend Shiyani Ngcobo.

Jean Bosco Mwenda - Mwenda Wa Bayeke: African Guitar Legend - The Last Studio Album (1988) {Rounder CD5061 rel 1995}
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© 1988, 1995 Rounder Records / Mountain | CD 5061
World / Congo / Africa / Guitar

Bosco has been a legend ever since acoustic guitarists discovered the instrumental version of his 1952 "Masanga." Though he recorded 150 sides in the following decade, almost nothing is available except these 1988 studio sides, which trade the mellowness of middle-age for youthful zip without losing any of their charm. And, yes, there's an instrumental "Masanga."

Instrumental recordings, from 1970 to 1983 and long-prized by collectors, that feature the African Virtouses - a group that in its various incarnations featured one of the most illustrious guitar-playing families in Africa, the Diabate brothers. Lush and seductive their music carries echoes of Spain, Latin America and even the Paris of Django Reinhardt, yet its roots lie deep within Guinean folklore. This is acoustic African guitar playing at its most intimate and beguiling.

Not very many reggae albums acknowledge Alan Lomax in the credits. But then, African Head Charge (a band with a constantly changing membership led by percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah) doesn't really make typical reggae albums. Although the one-drop beat (provided on this album by Lincoln "Style" Scott) influences everything and the basslines have a typical tidal undertow, the stuff that Noah layers on top of the mix has more to do with ethnomusicology than the dancehall. The song titles say it all: "Cattle Herders Chant," a field recording of call-and-response chanting overlaid with Nyahbinghi drums and highlife guitar; "My God," eerie, minor-key African-American church singing supported by a chugging reggae bassline, bare-bones drumming, and the sound of running water; "Deer Spirit Song," an unidentifiable indigenous song in 9/8 meter with a gently driving rockers beat and occasional sound effects thrown in. This is an exceptionally beautiful album, but in a deeply strange way.

A new album release by guitarist John Williams is always cause for great anticipation, not only for another opportunity to marvel at his virtuosity, but also to experience music from unheralded areas of the repertoire. EL DIABLO SUELTO is a survey of the guitar music of Venezuela, a vibrant mixture of elements from the cultures of the indigenous Indians, Spanish colonists, and the Africans originally brought to the country as slaves. Williams demonstrates a thorough understanding of the music's heritage, and his commitment is evident in performances that are dynamic and incisive. Williams' remarkable technique allows him to easily negotiate the complexities of these intensely rhythmic pieces, but his keen musical intelligence renders these accounts more than exercises of technical expertise. He skillfully wields a broad palette of tonal colors to express the rich harmonic language and beautiful melodies in works arranged by his mentor, the great Venezuelan guitarist Alirio Diaz.