By the mid 1970s, the Southern African
nation known as the Republic of Zambia had fallen on hard times. The new
Federation found itself under party rule. Zambia’s then-president engaged what
was then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in a political fencing match that
damaged his country’s ability to trade with its main partner. The Portuguese
colonies of Angola to the West and Mozambique to the East were fighting their
own battles for independence; conflict loomed on all sides of this landlocked
nation.
This is the environment in which the catchy
– if misleadingly – titled “Zam Rock” scene that flourished in 1970s Zambian
cities such as Lusaka and Chingola emerged. Though full of beacons of hope for
its numerous musical hopeful it was a tumultuous time and it’s no wonder that
the Zambian musicians taken by European and English influences gravitated to
the hard, dark side of the rock and funk spectrum. From the little of the
Zambian 70s rock and funk music that has been spread via small blogs and
bootlegs – the likes of Chrissy Zebby, Paul Ngozi and the Ngozi Family, and the
devastating Peace – we learn that fuzz guitars were commonplace, driving
rhythms as influenced by James Brown’s funk as Jimi Hendrix’s rock predominated,
and the bands largely sang in the country’s national language, English. (http://www.nowagainrecords.com)
Interview:
It's a truly great pleasure to talk with you Emmanuel "Jagari" Chanda.
I'd mostly like to talk about two things. Firstly about scene itself and then
about your band in particular. Let's start at the beginning. What do you think
was the moment when you began listening to rock music. It was hard and almost
impossible for you to buy records, so the only way was probably via radio
stations?
I started listening to
pop music first on the radio in the early ‘60s as
a young boy-it was the DJ’s choice-e.g. "Top Of The Pops", "Beat In
Germany" and Mozambiques forerunner to "Maputo Lorenzo Marica Hits
Parade". My late elder brother George, who brought me
up, had a radio and a record player, but his taste was Jim Reeves’ type
of
music, mine was more of Cliff Richard, Beatles, Hollies, Monkeys,
Manfred Mann,
Troggs, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, Elvis Presley, and the like.
The rock influence came slightly later, after
I listened to Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, The Who,
Jimi Hendrix, Free, Alice Cooper, Santana, Black
Sabbath, etc. This time I had access to
records through friends and schoolmates as Teal Records Company and
Zambia
Music Parlor came into the scene.
'WITCH' was the first band that released an LP. But were artists such as
Paul Ngozi or Rikki Ililonga, already established as musicians? They didn't
record yet anything at the time, right?
Paul Ngozi, whose real
name is Paul Nyirongo, was first in 'The Scorpions' and 'The 3 Years
Before', before he formed the 'Ngozi Family'. He changed his name to
Paul Ngozi when he
went solo. The same is true for Rikki
Ililonga who had been in many bands, including 'Mosi-o-Tunya' before he
went
solo. Both were established/experienced
musicians playing live gigs in various clubs and places. Rikki and Paul
settled in Lusaka while the 'WITCH' were in Kitwe (about 340 kilometers
apart). But recordings by various bands and solo
artists only came after 'WITCH', and when Teal Records and Zambia Music
Parlor
started signing on musicians from the mid-1970s onward.
What did the very early beginnings of the scene look like? I'm thinking prior to 'WITCH'. Was there
actually anything connected with rock music? Anything not recorded at the time but played in concerts?
Yes, there were
unrecorded bands, both along the Copperbelt (copper
mining towns near one another, about
40-50 kilometers apart) and Lusaka (the capital city of Zambia). From
the Copperbelt we had at least a band or
two in each town. Kitwe had 'The Black
Souls', 'Red Balloons', 'The Boy Friends' (later 'The Peace'),
'Peanuts', 'Fire Balls' etc. Ndola had 'The Yatagana', 'Armanaz', 'Black
Foot', '5 Revolutions', 'Upshoots', etc. In Luanshya there were 'The
Twikels' and 'Black Jesus', while in Mufulira
there was 'The Gas Company' (later On Paper). 'The Oscillations' were in
Bancroft (later to become 'Chililabombwe'). I cannot remember any bands
in Chingola,
another of the Copperbelt towns. There
were also many bands in Lusaka, such as 'Rev 5', 'Salty Dog', 'MIGS',
'Lusaka Beatles' (later 'The Earth Quakes'), 'Mkusi', 'Cross Town
Traffic', 'Born Free' (later 'Cross
Bones'), 'He/She Mambo', 'Explosives', etc.
What year did 'WITCH' form? How did you meet the guys and what were
their names? I know you'd begun being
musicians at early ages in school, where you were all classmates. Those bands
never recorded anything, but I would like you to tell us the musicians names
and how you came to form 'The WITCH'.
'WITCH' is an acronym for "We Intend to
Cause Havoc". How did you come up with such a name?
'The WITCH' was coined
by the late 'Wingo'. It was picked from a sound effect (wah wah)
"footswitch". He removed "foot" and suggested "Switch". Then we removed
the "S" leaving 'WITCH', like a witch on a broom stick, but later a
graphic artist (our
friend in Kitwe) coined the acronym "We Intend To Cause Havoc".
You formed in second largest city of
Zambia called Kitwe. Was the Zam Rock scene only in this city or was it across
the whole country?
The Zamrock scene was a common feature along the whole line of rail in
Zambia (the urban towns) from the border town Chiliabombwe (near Congo D.R.C.)
through the Copperbelt, from Kabwe and Lusaka to Livingstone (the last town
before Zimbabwe). There were similar
performances at clubs, festivals, agricultural and commercial shows, trade
fairs etc. in these cities, probably because the sources of music and the
influences were similar. The rural areas
were not so much influenced by Zamrock or pop music and instead played mostly
ethnic traditional music on various occasions and ceremonies. Part of this rural music is the Kalindula
genre.
"Introduction" and "In
The Past" were recorded at Malachite Studio in
Chingola (Copperbelt); "Lazy Bones” was
recorded at DB Studio in Lusaka; but "Lukombo Vibes" and 'WITCH'
(including
Janet)" were recorded at Sapra Studio in
Nairobi, Kenya. The music qualities and
studio professionalism graduated to better as we progressed in the
recordings. 'Sapra' was the best of all the studios we had
used. Mr. Debef, the sound engineer was
the most experimental of them all. The
local recordings were just like a stage live performance, done in mono,
and if
one made a mistake we had to start all over again as a band. The common
gear was bell bottom trousers;
high heeled shoes and afro hair do (Black American/Jimi Hendrix style of
those
days). The album artwork of "Introduction" depicted a new thing coming
down from Heaven. The "Lukombo Vibes" artwork was my concept. Lukombo is
a drinking cup/gourd in my
language. For the back cover I was
thinking of a lonely banished/outcast traditional composer (not in the
picture)
as he saw his dwelling place deserted. "Lazy Bones" was for the ladies
and girls who believe men should fend
for them all the way, waiting for spoon feeding.
Brand of gear – we used
different types
- Fender, Yamaha, Marshall for amplifiers
- P.A. system: Dynacord and Yamaha
- Fender, Yamaha, Marshall for amplifiers
- P.A. system: Dynacord and Yamaha
- Guitars: Gibson (Les
Paul), Fender (Stratocaster),
- Mics: variety,
including »Shure«
Chris Ideally preferred
Fender, but we had only a few choices depending on what "Piano House" stocked
at the time.
Trick of the Trade:
When we started managing our selves/own affairs (apart from contractual recording obligation).
- We devised a work
schedule for rehearsal; from 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs (Monday to Thursday) – own
compositions: 14:00hrs to 17:00hrs copyrights (usually western pop/rock
music).
- No girlfriends were
allowed in the rehearsal room (so that everyone was free to agree or disagree
with bands' direction of rehearsal).
- We kept some money in
the band, and only got $200 out of pocket allowances each per week
(reason being: all royalties went to redeem the musical equipment on
live shows in
come).
- Later on, we rotated
band leadership every six months in order to share responsibilities and develop
the scene of ownership and belonging (even though in the practical sense the
rotation was only amongs, Gideon, Chris and myself).
- Driving of our van to
transport the equipment was restricted to Chris, because he was the most sober
of the lot. Boyd drove too, only when Chris either unwell or too tired.
The LP was selling at shows. How did
people react when they heard a local band on vinyl?
People were quite excited and we would have sold a lot more if it had
not been that one member (usually myself) had to go and have master stamps and
records done in Kenya for limited copies before Teal Record Company came on the
scene to start printing records.
Two years later you released another LP
called "In the Past" which was again privately released but was reissued the
same year by the legendary label, 'ZMP' (Zambia Music Parlour LTD). It was
founded by Edward Khuzwayo and was located in Ndola. How did he get in contact
with you? In fact would you tell us what
you know about the beginning of this label, which released most of the Zam Rock
stuff. Who was Edward?
Zambia Music Parlour,
owned by Edward Khzwayo started as one of the
first distributors of records which were
printed/pressed by Teal Records, also in Nidola. In addition to that he
managed 3 bands: 'The Twinkies', '5 Revolutions' and 'Black
Foot'. He lived in the neighboring town
of Luanshya but operated most of his businesses in Ndola. I am told that
he had worked for Zambia
Railways before he left to set up his own company. He was originally
from either Bulawayo or
Prum Tree in Zimbabwe. His right hand
man, David Billy Nyat, help him run the bands, including supervising
their
recordings. Sometimes he also sang with 'Black Foot'. When 'WITCH'
parted company
with their manager, Mr. Phillip Musonda, due to some contractual
differences, I
approached both Teal Records and Zambia Music Parlour for possible
management
of the band and sale of our master tapes ("Introduction" and "In The
Past"). Mr. Musonda took his musical equipment from
the band despite the fact that we had contributed to its purchase. So we
demanded our master tapes back. He paid for our music being recorded
but we
composed the music. Finally we resolved
to go our separate ways amicably. We
sold the master tapes to Mr. Khuzwayo and signed a 4 year recording
contract
with Teal Records. Mr. Musonda took one
third of the proceeds and we called it a day. I personally got along
fairly well with Mr. Khuzwayo.
'The Peace' was formed
after its forerunner, 'Boy Friends', broke up. John Mums and Gideon were
part of 'Boy Friends' before they came to join 'WITCH'. The
manager/leader was Ted Makombe. His
parents came from Zimbabwe. The band was
based in Kitwe rather than Ndora. Ted
has since passed on, but I am in touch with his brother and sister. His
children are still around too. Ted was a personal friend of mine. I
cannot remember which year the "Black
Power" album was actually released.
Teal Records Company
came from South Africa, not Zimbabwe. I believe its sister company is
Gallo Records. The "Lazy Bones" LP actually sold over 7,000
copies. I am not sure of the singles
sales. "Lazy Bones" was The WITCH’s
first album under the Teal Records contract and the first taste of a
more
serious studio. Ms. Niki and Mrs.
Skinner managed the studio and Peter Musungilo was their sound engineer.
You released two more albums, can you
tell me their names? The production and songwriting improved with each album.
I know there was a moment when you could afford to buy a new gear. What did you
buy?
Music composition and
arrangement: Anyone would bring ideas – tune/lyrics but usually the band
agreed on the arrangement. On "INTRODUCTION" and "IN THE PAST", the
music was done and recorded almost at random and in haste – not much
work was put in because we were anxious to put our works on wax/vinyl.
However, later on we were more serious, sensitive to critists and we had
an extra head in Shadiki Bwalya – together we pooled ideas. There were
also some rare cases of one person putting the whole piece of music/song
together while the rest of the band just added a little touch or
flavour to the piece ("The way I feel" by Boyd Sakala; "The only way" -
my self; "Nazungwa", Chris Mbewe) etc.
You once mentioned that concerts were
very long and not properly organized. You just started playing and then people
came. Would you like to share a little about that?
The largest concerts
were at music festivals, Agricultural and commercial shows and trade fair
stinst - The arenas were big and people only paid at the gate to see many
different exhibitions (including musical bonds who were hired by show organizers/companies
exhibiting at the show) other wise its not easy to pinpoint one of the
biggest show in nine years I was with the band.
The most prestigious concert was in Lilongwe, Malawi in 1974/5. The band had police escort on the
way from Blantyre to Lilongwe and we had diplomats in the audience. Curtains
raising for 'Osibisa' was also remarkable.
Payments for band performances varied with the type of shows e.g. for a wedding up to $400 plus
transport (plus drinks and food); teen – time (after noon) shows 14:00hrs to
19:00hrs realized between $200 and $300. Night clubs or sessions where $1500
plus transport per show (from 19:00 hrs to 02:00hrs) or up $2000 sometimes when
the band hired venues and collected gate takings or shared gate takings with
venue owners 50/50 or 60/40 while someone else sold beverages at shows if it
was not a night club. Gate charges were $2 per person – usually at night – 50C
per person for teen – time (this included school going audiences).
Apart from those groups I also listened to a lot of other Western music,
such as Albert Hammond, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bachman Turner Overdrive,
Bread, The Doors, etc.
Let's get back to the beginning of the
scene. One of the major influences or breakthroughs if you prefer was 'Osibisa'.
Did they tour your country or how did you were you so influenced by them?
We once opened for 'Osibisa' when they toured Zambia and played in Kitwe
at Nkana Stadium. We had the privilege
of mingling with the band members and asked them questions and observed their organization. They were musical, happy
going, quite sure of themselves, very creative and energetic; they were
marvelous to watch and listen to. They
definitely influenced my approach to fusing an African touch to my rock
compositions, as could be seen on the "Lukombo Vibes" album which my band
recorded after our experiences with 'Osibisa'. Personally, Ted Osei (their band leader) inspired and encouraged me to
go to the school of music, which I did in 1977.
In an interview you did with Egon you
mention bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep
Purple and Jimi Hendrix as influences. Were there any other artists you liked
at the time?
Let's get back to some of the releases.
Paul Ngozy is one of the better known names. What do you know about him. Were
you friends? He released some really
amazing albums first in english and then deciding to use one of your language
on late 70's albums.
Yes Paul Ngozi was a
personal friend. I was one of the pall bearers at his funeral. He was
friendly and a tribal cousin (in Zambian
people from the Northern and Eastern parts of the country regard one
another as
cousins after a historical war they fought many centuries ago). I came
from the North and he came from the
East. He was a rocker with a central
theme of social commentary in most of his lyrics. English was not one of
his favored languages.
One of the best LP's was "My Ancestors" by 'Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family'. Chrissy was a drummer who later also
started a solo career. Who all was in 'the Ngozi Family'?
The other guys I remember in the 'Ngozi Family' were Peter Bwalya (bass)
later replaced by Justin Nyirongo, Scare (drums), and Jasper Lungu (2nd
guitar/vocals), but I was not in constant check with the changes in the
lineup. There were several.
One of the most important groups from
the scene was 'Musi-O-Tunya', which featured an amazing guitarist who later
released several solo albums. His name was Rikki Ililonga. Another amazing
guitarist was Keith Mlevhu. Mlevhu played for 'The Real Five' and who else? I know
he recorded some solo albums later with great heavy guitar work on them.
Keith Mlevu (Shem Mulevu
was his real name) was one of Zambia’s most
accomplished musicians and guitarists. I
first saw and heard him play during a music festival at Jubilee Hall in
Lusaka,
during my school holidays when I visited my grandfather in Lusaka. Keith
was impressive with his solos and vocals. His band was called 'The Rev
5'. They mostly mimicked The Rolling Stones while
the Lusaka Beatles, later 'Earth Quakes', followed the Beatles style. He
later left and played with various groups before he went solo.
Its interesting, that instrumental
music was not very popular, with a few exceptions including Rikki's work. The
main thing was rhythm. You once mentioned
that the rhythms rather than the
harmonies are most important in your music.
Yes, in my study of
African music. I have discovered that the strength of African music is
crisscross rhythmic patterns that provoke reactions from the
participants who are tempted
to dance along. The vocals are usually
call and response with short lines of verses and 2 to 3 harmonic parts
which
are not notated. The Western music can
sometimes be quite complicated in arrangements, melodies and harmonies,
e.g.
orchestras and choirs.
Do you think that there is a certain
reflection of war times in your music? Not just in yours but in Zamrock
music in general, which kind of settled down and create an atmosphere we
can hear on the records?
There is one band I want to ask you
about. They were called Amanaz and they came out of your town and formed around
late 1973 and recorded absolutely amazing LP called "Africa" in 1975 on ZMP
label? What are perhaps some other
bands, that we didn't mention yet?
Zambia has never
experienced any serious war per se, even though we
supported a lot of freedom fighters from around us, such as Zimbabwe,
Angola, Namibia, South Africa and
Mozambique. Maybe what you hear in some
Zamrock music has to do with cries and protests by artists so as to be
recognized and respected in society by the authorities that be. Usually,
musicians were regarded as failures
in most parts of our society, such that no one wanted to marry their
daughters
off to musicians. In my band’s case "Tooth Factory" and "Black Tears"
reflect these conflicts. Once we were arrested for "noise making to
annoyance". The Home Affairs Minister
ordered our arrest during a performance at a nightclub near his home so I
wrote "October Nights" while in police custody. It took protests from
our fans to secure our release after 2 or 3 nights
(the arrest was on Zambia’s Independence Eve).
Circumstances were hard for you guys in
Zambia. For instance when the Paul Ngozi
got a record deal and released his album, but he still went to Nairobi and
printed out bootlegs of his albums.
Maybe I missed that Paul Ngozi turn of events but what I know is that at
one point in Zambia we had a censorship board which banned or could disallow
certain songs being played on national radio if that’s what you are referring
to. Insulting songs or those criticizing government policies were considered to be in bad taste, for instance.
Was the scene influenced by any
psychedelic or other sort of drugs or perhaps rituals? I don't mean just your
band, but in general?
Marijuana was a common
feature in Zambia’s rural set ups, before it
became illegal. Some villagers believed
it gave them desire and push to go an extra mile while working on their
fields
to grow more food. Likewise most
musicians and artists in general, as well as some athletes used it with a
belief that it increased their creativity and zeal. There were no
rituals during Zamrock shows,
nothing like the "Woodstock" scenario either. Fans smoked privately too,
especially those who could not afford beer and hard drinks to help them
enjoy the gigs.
"Armanz" were based in
Ndola. There are still two living members of this group. Keith Kabwe
(drums/vocals) is now a
Penticostal Pastor in Mbala, a town in the Northern part of Zambia,
while Isaac
Mpofu (lead guitar/vocals) is now a farmer in Chongwe, a suburb east of
Lusaka. Your other info on the band is
correct. There were many other
Zamrock/Pop groups around that either recorded one LP or never recorded
their
music for one reason or the other, e.g. Oscilations, Mkushi, Fire
Fballs, Sentries, Explosives, Upshoots, Salty Dog, etc. in addition to
those I have
mentioned previously.
I know 'WITCH' toured some neighboring
countries. How did citizens in neighboring countries react to your music? Besides Nigeria you were the only country
that had rock music. In fact the only country who invented something musically.
Nigeria was in my opinion highly influenced by Ginger Baker experimentations.
We never toured Nigeria,
but we recorded in Kenya, performed in Tanzania
(Bahai Beach), Malawi (almost the entire country), Zimbabwe (few towns),
Swaziland, Botswana (many towns), and almost all the provinces of
Zambia. I do not remember experiencing flops in these
areas, some of our music was rather new to them so our repertoire was a
mix of
Western songs and our own compositions. My band was highly talented so
it was easy for us to read our audience’s
expectations and adapt to the occasion. Generally the band was
appreciated and well received. We were quite entertaining and a lovable
bunch.
Out of the scene there was another
genre born called "Kalindula". The most well known representatives were
the "Five Revolutions" I believe. Would you care to share a few words
about this
genre. It was mainly released on ZMP label, right?
There are 10 provinces,
about 72 ethnic groups in Zambia. In each province there are a few
common
social ceremonies, festivals, lifeline occupational activities, etc.
which
determine the type of music and musical instruments to employ. In turn,
these give guidance to the genre
that is relevant. Kalindula is just one
of the many there are in Zambia and its common in some parts of Central
and
most of Luapula provinces in the country. However, Kalindula became more
popular after ZMPL signed recording contracts with a few bands and solo
artists who had the bias of this
genre. These included 'The 5 Revoutions', 'Mulemena Boys', 'Sereje
Kalindula Band', 'Lima Jazz Band', 'Spokes Chola', 'P.K. Chishala',
'Shalawambe' and many more.
What occupies your life lately?
There are a few things that have occupied my life lately and
presently. I am a mentor, resource
person and teacher in many projects and organizations which tap and promote
music talents among the youth of Zambia. I am also on the Adjudicator’s Panel that rewards deserving musicians
each year through the National Arts Council. I still write songs, mostly Christian, which I intend to record as soon
as funds are available for booking a good studio and hire good Christian
session musicians to help me record. Another goal is to raise sufficient funds to build a school of music and to accommodate a
world standard recording studio for the less privileged in my society. I have gotten into a gemstone mining venture
because sponsors are not easy to come by. But I really believe God will make a way one day.
I sincerely thank you for taking your
time. Would you like to share anything else? Perhaps a message to It's
Psychedelic Baby readers?
Thanks for the wake up call and a nudge for me to start thinking about writing a book on my experiencers in the music industry – a good idea indeed. Thanks also for giving me a starting point. Maybe I should let you edit – what do you think?
Thanks for the wake up call and a nudge for me to start thinking about writing a book on my experiencers in the music industry – a good idea indeed. Thanks also for giving me a starting point. Maybe I should let you edit – what do you think?
Unfortunately, there are
no footages of me performing with the 'WITCH BAND'. Even though I have one or
two footages of me jamming with other bands the other guys. The guys who kept
the footages at our Nationa Broad Caster (ZNBC) passed away many years ago and
left no info as to where they kept them (since the footages were personal to
holder stuff) – pity eh! No diary either on my part – but I can try to recall
many things, events, incidences etc.
Thanks to Egon (Eothen, man you are great,
and a God sent pal), Klemen
and Kevin and all the readers of It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine. Thanks
to all you guys. Please buy the 'WITCH' music and help me
realize my wildest dreams, as well as helping the families of my
departed band
mates through royalties. I really feel
resurrected musically and expectant of living my dream as a world
renowned
musician with a number of hits on various world hits lists, or at least
with a
song or two for a major film. You guys
have rekindled my hopes. I pray that we
can meet face to face at some of my promotional tours/performances.
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