Vijana Jazz Orchestra is a Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

n muziki wa dansi

Muziki wa dansi

Muziki wa dansi , or simply dansi, is a Tanzanian music genre, derivative of Congolese soukous. It is sometimes called Swahili jazz because most dansi lyrics are in Swahili, and "jazz" is an umbrella term used in Central and Eastern Africa to refer to soukous, highlife, and other dance music and...

 band that reached its peak of popularity in the 1980s

1980s

File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

. As many other dansi bands of the times, it was sponsored by a government institution, namely the Umoja wa Vijana, i.e., the youth wing of Tanzania's ruling party Tanganyika African National Union

Tanganyika African National Union

The Tanganyika African National Union was the principal political party in the struggle for sovereignty in the East African state of Tanganyika . The party was formed from the Tanganyika African Association by Julius Nyerere in July 1954 when he was teaching at St. Francis' College...

 (TANU) (renamed Chama cha Mapinduzi

Chama Cha Mapinduzi

The Chama cha Mapinduzi is the ruling political party of Tanzania.- History :The party was created February 5, 1977, under the leadership of Julius Nyerere as the merger of the Tanganyika African National Union , the then ruling party in Tanganyika, and the Afro-Shirazi Party , the then ruling...

 in 1977).

History

The band was founded in 1971 by John Ondoro Chacha. In 1978, the Tanzanian government passed a law that allowed bands to purchase foreign instruments (something that had previously been forbidden by the Baraza la Muziki la Taifa, a governative council responsible for the regulation of the music business). Vijana Jazz was one of the first bands to take on this opportunity, and in the 1980s

1980s

File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

 it became extremely popular because of its innovative sound that made use of synthesizer

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

s and drum machine

Drum machine

A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

s.

Popular mitindo (styles) created by Vijana Jazz include sindimba, heka heka, koka koka, watoto wa nyumbani and pamba moto. Some of the most notable musicians that have played in Vijana Jazz are Hamza Kalala, Hemedi Maneti, Issa Chikupele and Manitu Musa.

The band declined in popularity in the early 1990s

1990s

File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

, partly as a consequence of its leader's sudden death (in 1990).

Partial discography

Note: Vijana Jazz records were published by a variety of labels, including at least Africa79, Ahadi, Ken-Tanza, Moto Moto, and Polydor.

• Mary Maria (1986)
• Moto
• Mundinde
• Hayati Hemed Maneti and Vijana Jazz, Makumbusho
• Best of Vijana Jazz vol. 1
• Best of Vijana Jazz vol. 2
• Best of Vijana Jazz vol. 3
• Best of Vijana Jazz vol. 4
• Hayati Maneti Last Recording

Several muziki wa dansi collections include songs by Vijana Jazz. Some examples are:

• Swahili Hits, 1985
• Swahili Hits vol. 3
• Swahili Hits vol. 4
• Tanzania Hit Parade
• Tanzania Hit Parade vol. 2
• Tanzania Hit Parade vol. 3
• Tanzania Hit Parade 1988
• The Rough Guide to the Music of Tanzania