Shirati Jazz

Despite its name, Shirati Jazz performs no jazz at all, ranking instead among Kenya’s most prominent benga groups. D.O. (Daniel Owen) Misiani formed the band, which translates the traditional rhythms and timbres of the nyatiti and orutu into an electric setup. Its songs follow the conventions of praise singing by extending support, encouragement, and admiration to listeners. In the 1970s Shirati Jazz sold more than 20,000 singles each month inside Kenya; although its popularity has since cooled from those heights, the group remains active today as a house band in Nairobi.