Culture Musical Club is not only the largest but also one of the most prolific and successful orchestras of Zanzibar, and they present taarab music Swahili style at its best.
In addition to countless performances in Stonetown villages of Zanzibar and on the Tanzania mainland, this ensemble has toured internationally with outstanding success and has won over audiences in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the Arab Emirates and Reunion with their lush songs and instrumental solos.
They perform new compositions on a regular basis and have developed a distinct and uniquely Swahili style. Their CD-releases have made the name Culture Musical Club known to audiences throughout the world so that rehearsals in their club house have become a tourist attraction.
In addition to taarab, many Culture Club members also perform in kidumbak acts, smaller ensembles that play dance-focused music. Both music genres are often included in their shows, contrasting the calm sound of orchestral taarab to the lively and sexually charged dance that is kidumbak.
The taarab orchestra includes three violins, qanun, ud, two accordions, acoistic bass, dumbak, bongos and rika, plus singers and female chorus. The kidumbak version features three violins, sanduku (tea-chest bass), two kidumbak drums, cherewa (maracas) and mkwasa (claves), female chorus and dancers.
Discography:
The Music of Zanzibar (Globestyle, 1988)
Spices of Zanzibar (Network Medie, 1996)
Bashraf (Dizim, 2000)
Waridi: Parfums de Zanzibar (Virgin, 2004)
Shime! (World Village, 2009)
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.