Jamhuri Jazz Band

Jamhuri Jazz Band was founded in late 1950s in Tanga, Tanzania when the country was known as Tanganyika. It was one of the more popular Tanzanian musical groups. Jamhuri Jazz played a key role in the spread of the Congolese rumba sound throughout East Africa in the early seventies.

Wilson Kinyonga and George Kinyonga joined the band in 1966 and played with it for the next four years before leaving in December 1970 to found Arusha Jazz Band and later Simba Wanyika, one of the most influential music groups in East Africa. Jamhuri Jazz Band started as Young Nyamwezi Jazz Band and was financed and managed by Joseph Bagabuje and recruited John Kijiko. Bagabuje was the first Tanganyikan to run Amani Tea Estate.It is important to the readers to know that, before independence of Tanganyika (1961) the Band used to play jazz music at Tanga hotel.