Bora Maisha

In the summers of 1988 and 1992, I had the honour and privilege of travelling to Kenya, East Africa. I spent many weeks watching, listening, learning and singing Kenyan music of all styles. I especially enjoyed a hybrid pop style. It featured driving percussion and single line syncopated guitar riffs. As I thought about this commission, I remembered the music. I sat at the piano and imagined a guitar player playing a simple chord progression over a bass line. The melody emerged from this improvisation. In a few weeks, the piece was sketched out - without a single word! Once the choral parts were written, I researched many traditional Swahili saying and proverbs that are common inKenya. Some of these are printed on the colourful Kangas worn by women in many areas of the country. With a few tweaks of the melodic lines, the text was inserted into the piece. It was hard to sit still in my studio as the music was written. Perfom with energy and joy ... and movement. Enjoy.RubertI. Hugh