Remmy Ongala: We Lose the Greats Too Soon

Late last year the music world lost one of its great lights. On December 13th, Remmy Ongala passed away in his home in Dar Es Salaam. The Tanzanian guitarist and singer gave Congolese Soukous a distinctly Tanzanian flavor and was beloved by his countrymen. He was known for the intricate and soaring guitar lines that infused his songs.

Ongala made international fans when he recorded Songs for the Poor Man at Peter Gabriel's beautiful Realworld studio in England. I certainly wore out my copy. Here's Narudi Nyumbani from that album:

It's a great disc, certainly worthy of a place in any music lover's collection, as is the follow-up, Mambo. His African recordings, not done for Realworld, are harder to come by, but no less satisfying.

I believe he died of complications from his diabetes. His funeral can be viewed on Youtube. It's a moving tribute, with lots of amazing singing and performing:

I've paid tribute to Remmy Ongala on several Baaba Seth songs in the past, though most fans of the band wouldn't know it. Notably, my picked guitar line in Love is Better is from Nasikitika. Listen for it in the instrumental section:

And here's Love is Better: (video from Fridays After Five, audio from live album)

Remmy, you will be missed!