In the Dhow Countries: Rajab Suleiman and Kithara with "Chungu"

We have some taarab music on tap for you with today's random tune. Chungu is performed by Rajab Suleiman and Kithara, with Saada Nassor providing vocals. A Tanzanian style of music also popular in Kenya, taarab was started, according to legend, between 1870 and 1880 by the last sultan of Zanzibar. Influenced by music from places such as the African Great Lakes, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, its first practitioners were probably Egyptian-trained musicians. Kithara is one of the most influential of today's taarab orchestras. The word taarab is Arabic for "joy in music," and though the traditional form is still played by orchestras like Kithara, you can now find "electro-taarab" all over Tanzania. Chungu can be found Rajab Suleiman and Kithara's 2013 album, Zanzibara, Vol. 8 (Chungu).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.