Les Wanyika

The passing of John Ngereza, bandleader and guitarist for the Kenyan ensemble Les Wanyika, took place in February 2000 and cast doubt on the group's continued existence. An offshoot of Simba Wanyika, the Tanzanian unit that relocated to Kenya in 1991, Les Wanyika sustained its audience's interest through an energetic brand of African rumba. Though recognition beyond Africa remained limited, the band retained strong local affection, with a string of regional successes that encompassed the tracks "Sina Makosa," "Paulina," and "Pamela." The site www.natari.com characterized the music as "crystal clear with lovely guitaring and infectious singing," while www.majama.com observed that "this is classic Swahili rumba with great guitar interweaving and some very cool horn/sax combinations." Les Wanyika assembled its last album, Amigo, in 1998 by blending fresh versions of earlier material with newly written songs. Rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter Omari Shebani passed away not long before the record appeared. During a short span in the late '70s, several Les Wanyika musicians also performed collectively under the name Super Wanyika.