John Nzenze entertains during a past Mashujaa Day. [Benjamin Sakwa]WesternA rather stirring and charming singer, guitarist and dancer, Nzenze captured the imagination of manyIn his 1961 classic twist Angelike, legendary singer and guitarist John Amutabi Nzenze pours his heart out to his estranged lover Angelike as he charms her back into his life. We would be expecting rib-cracking presentations from the Vitimbi TV drama crew, Vioja Mahakamani, Muungano Choir, Maroon Commandos and the Angelike singer, who was arguably the last Kenyan twist music style veteran. “John Nzenze was a veteran singer who was among the first bunch of Kenyan artistes to popularise the twist genre or what we would still refer to as Benga across the world. Cutting their niche as the ‘Kenyan twist’ stars, in 1971, Nzenze and his band were awarded the BBC World Service Best Band in Africa.

Source: Standard Digital May 31, 2020 16:30 UTC