The album Kigali Y’ Izahabu by Rwandan musicians Adrien Kazigira, Stany Hitimana and Jeanvier Havugimana was unplanned. Producer Ian Brennan stumbled upon them when they were playing on a friend’s back porch. Brennan recorded their album that same night, feeling the urgency of letting the rest of the world know about a group as special as this.
The recording features a collection of acoustic love songs written in the ancient local, Kinyarwanda street dialect of Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.
The band was named The Good Ones. Kazigira, who was 47 at the time, wrote 8 of the 12 songs found on the album. He is an instrumentalist and singer. He cites Bob Marley and reggae as his major influences. Hitimana, 47, plays lead guitar and bass. He sometimes teaches music in Kigali and finds inspiration in the music of Santana. Harmony singer Jeanvier, 38, who also plays guitar and sings, contributes his own compositions. He is mostly influenced by the Caribbean dance music called Zouk.
Kigali Y’ Izahabu shows the simple beauty of the acoustic music of Rwanda.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
