Alan Namoko
Encyclopedia
Alan Nomoko Namoko was a blind blues
and jazz
musician from Malawi
.
Namoko played banjo
and sang in Chewa and Nyanja languages. He became an influential figure in Malawi's music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. In later years, he toured around the world. He often performed with the Chimvu Jazz band.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician from Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
.
Namoko played banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and sang in Chewa and Nyanja languages. He became an influential figure in Malawi's music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. In later years, he toured around the world. He often performed with the Chimvu Jazz band.
Discography
- "A Chilenga (Mr.Chilenga)"
- "A Namoko Akulira (Namoko Mourns)"
- "Achilekwa (Mr.Chilekwa)"
- "Ana osiidwa (The orphans)", Alan Namoko and Chimvu Jazz, 1992
- "Gitala Kulira Ngati Chitsulo (Playing Guitar Like a Ringing Bell)"
- "Kakhiwa Miyene (And When I Die)"
- "Lameki (Lameck)"
- "Mwalimba Mtima (You Can Be So Heartless)"
- "Mwandilanga (You Have Punished Me)"