Jai Banda, the entertainment addict

Close to three decades Jai Banda has made headlines in Malawi's entertainment cycles. Very few know that he is a lawyer.

I started hearing radio adverts going as 'I am not a doctor, I am not a soldier, I am not a lawyer, I am just an entertainer' back in the days when Bright Nkhata and Makasu Band were hogging the spotlight in this country.

We might fault his touting the wattage of his equipment, the style of his organisation or argue that his most hyped best lighting system adds nothing to the music shows that he promotes. One thing we cannot look down upon is the fact that the country's entertainment industry owes him a lot.

There was a time that Jai never took my criticism kindly. Someone had organised a choir festival where over 30 performers were expected to perform from 7am to 7pm.

I was not reluctant to talk about the music equipment owned by ‘Mr. Entertainer’ himself.

My argument then was that equipment is like human beings when it comes to getting tired. Equipment cannot perform at its full capacity for six non-stop hours without showing some fatigue.

Main instruments that project quality output are supposed to come with substitutes. I had observed during this particular show that at around 6pm when 

The Ndirande Anglican Voices were taking to the stage, the equipment had lost their sharpness and was sounding hoarse and tired. The performance had to be stopped briefly.

The next day Jai extend an invitation to me to go and appreciate how much he can afford all what I had talked about.

Basically I brought this aspect just to show you how passionate Jai is to music. 

You cannot be doubting his love for the industry when you consider the list that he has been involved with having grown up within the neighbourhood that legendary Oliver Mtukudzi lived In Zimbabwe.

Just to mention but a few Jai has worked with States Samangaya and Police Orchestra, Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Ben Michael, MBC Band, Evison Matafale, Billy Kaunda, Lucius Banda. He continues to work with the Black Missionaries and all the modern great.

Having sacrificed his time to the local industry at the expense of his family, Jai decided not to just surrender and leave the stage as he concedes that years of sleepless nights are now catching up with him and he can now feel it all through.

He has decided to give the entertainment industry his own son Tonderai to take it from where he would have left off. Ever since Tonderai started I have continuously seen Jai still taking charge. It clearly shows as there might not be much take home rewards, it is very clear that his addiction to the entertainment industry is more of a blessing that it is supposed to be otherwise.

I once commented about John Nthakomwa of the Mibawa Entertainment that he is one investor that the Malawi music industry desires his replication.

Within a short time yes Nthakomwa has invested immensely in the industry. Jai's contributions might not be seen in the same light as what Mibawa has achieved in a very short period of time.

More of what Jai has achieved cannot be measured. It cannot be touched. It cannot be compared. He has done great to the industry at the time when no one ever took a serious thought about the entertainment industry.

He emerged at the time when people used to associate it with Chamba smokers. The musicians at the time were only called when it suited the corporate world. Once their end was achieved the musicians could be dumped and they cared less what their lives would turn out to be until the next time when their services would be required again.

For Jai, he has always been the all-weather friend to the industry and for that this the column makes him the inaugural recipient of its life time achiever award.

Oskido’s unprofessional antics

Something is not adding up. Either the problem is in the mediocrity that is our entertainment industry that the so-called ‘big names’ play games with us or there is something professionally wrong with South African artists.

Last time in April we were told by Platinum Entertainment and the Entertainers Promotions that they had invited the renowned South African Kwaito/House star Oskido, real name Oscar Mdlongwa.

He was scheduled to perform at Wakawaka Hotel in Lilongwe on May 4 and later follow up with a Blantyre show at Country Club in Limbe on May 11.

First they announced the postponement of the Lilongwe show but promised come rain or sunshine Oskido will perform in Limbe.

Come the day when patrons had parted ways with their hard-earned K3,000s to sample the famous hits Tsa Mandebele  and Y’Tjujutja (Waichukucha) at Country Club, they were told the artist missed his flight and will, therefore, not make it.

The organisers said they had already paid him all what he had demanded in order for him to come and perform in Malawi and they had to give back to the patrons the money they had paid as entry fees.

The world being a small village these days with the internet, it was clear to establish if indeed Oskido had missed his flight or was playing games. And, good heavens! The dude had another show in Soweto at Dreamers Celebrations alongside Professor and Uhuru, some big names in South Africa who he has collaborated with on some projects.

Locally, there also used to be some gospel and secular artists who used to collect money from organisers while knowing they have other scheduled shows on the same day some 500 kilometres away.

Now this Oskido guy is not just a toddler in the profession and considering that he was named one of the Top 10 Kwaito legends of all time by MTV Base in 2009, you would expect him to be professional.

I don’t want to be tempted to doubt his professionalism by looking at his beginnings because it might not be fair.

But wait a minute; this is a guy who started his career from outside Club Razzmatazz in Hillbrow where he was selling roasted sausages having left Zimbabwe, his father’s home country, for South Africa the home of his mother where he was born.

It was in the early 1990s when late at night he would sneak into the club to have a dance and ended up being fascinated by deejaying. Occasionally he used to take over the mic when DJs were taking a breather.

As the story goes, one day the club’s resident DJ didn’t pitch up and, as fate would have it, Oskido was approached to provide relief and he has never looked back.  

Honestly, a disciplined performer would not take people for granted if he seriously wants to advance professionally. Perhaps he thinks he is advanced professionally already?

Imagine, organisers at the previous event were crestfallen and even refused to go ahead with the show with the local acts that included King Chambiecco, Gwamba, Nessnes, Black Jak, Skeffa Chimoto and Real Sounds Band.

Now Wakawaka Hotel has taken over the initiative and says they have already spent K5 million to bring the artist into the country. The next date is June 29.

My prayer is that come the day, the most sought-after dude should not fail to turn up again, should not miss his flight again.

Perhaps the solace would be in the fact that another South African artist, Big Nuz, also missed his flight last year but he later turned up for the Wakawaka show.

But in the event that Oskido misses his flight again, please organisers shed off the mediocrity displayed last May. This time sue for breach of contract.

Or there is no contractual agreements in these deals?

Morgan Heritage challenges Malawi

On August 29, 2013, at around 1841 hours, Gramps Morgan wrote on his official facebook wall that it’s official: “We are coming to Africa, the dates have been cut out any ‘Experienced Promoter’ can link us or if you know ‘the best promoter’ in your country have them contact us Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe.”

I have no problems with other countries because such musicians of repute visit and perform in those countries times without number. But I have a problem with how the local entertainment industry is going to handle this offer.

It’s a challenge that will speak volumes of how organised or mediocre our entertainment industry is. For someone who has been writing about music since 1993, I find it sad that if Gramps Morgan were to contact me to find him the best promoter in the country, surely I would not point at anyone.

I know another musical star, the Jazz connoisseur Earl Klugh, will be visiting Malawi soon, but it will be courtesy of the Standard Bank’s ‘Joy of Jazz’ project.

Well, I might assume too much that each and everyone here knows who Gramps Morgan - or The Morgan Heritage - is.

Denroy Morgan is the patriarchal genesis of the Morgan Heritage. He fathered 17 sons and 12 daughters. Denroy is famed as a Jamaican reggae artist who was born in May Pen in Clarendon, but left Jamaica in 1965 at the age of 19 and travelled to the United States to become a musician.

He was part of the formation the Black Eagles, a New York City reggae band, in the 1970s before launching a prosperous solo career in the 1980s onwards.

With his Black Eagles, Denroy won the New York Reggae Music Festival in 1977 which set of his rise to fame which continued into the early 1980s. His most successful release "I'll Do Anything for You" in 1981 reinforced his fame as it peaked at Number 9 on the American soul chart. It also peaked at Number 7 on the dance charts and these successes helped to launch his solo reggae career.

His 29 children were all musical growing up and have since formed two separate bands; The Morgan Heritage and LMS.

Morgan Heritage is reggae band initially started as an octet featuring eight of Morgan's 29 children. Morgan Heritage began recording with their father in the early '90s.

Their father produced their debut single, ‘Wonderful World’, in 1991 followed shortly after by an album, ‘Growing Up’. Morgan Heritage’s first break came the following year when they performed at the Reggae Sunsplash.

Morgan Heritage is known globally as the “Royal Family of Reggae” and the “Rolling Stones of Reggae” owing to their electric stage antics.

Now the reggae band is made up of Peetah Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy ‘Gramps’ Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan and Memo "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. On the other hand, LMS is a dancehall and hip hop band made up of the trio Noshayah Morgan, Otiya ‘Laza’ Morgan and Miriam Morgan.

Now Roy "Gramps" Morgan who posted about their possible trip to Malawi is also a solo reggae singer whose debut album entitled ‘Two Sides of My Heart’ earned him a number of nominations for awards. He also made it big in 2009 when he featured in India Arie’s track ‘Therapy’. He has his second solo album to his name ‘Reggae Music Lives’ released in 2012.

After recording several successful albums that included ‘Full Cycle’ and ‘Three in One’ among others, Morgan Heritage took a five-year break but this year they have they have released their latest studio album ‘Here Come The Kings’.

Now if you look at the resume of Morgan Heritage - or better still Gramps Morgan - you will realise that they are not a small music unit.

And their expressed interest to perform in Malawi cannot be taken lightly.

Now I am not aware of how this is going to work out. If you must know, apart from Standard Bank, the other firms that have brought artists to the country include the telecommunication company Access which brought South African’s Freshly Grounds to Music Lake of Stars festival in Mangochi.

There was also Total Malawi that used to bring Western African stars like Salif Keita, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Angelique Kidjo, Ismael Lo among others with their collaboration with the defunct French Cultural Centre.

Now considering that these are not promoters but were only doing so with an interest to promote their business profiles, I am still left with the question: if Morgan Heritage wants an ‘experienced promoter’ or Malawi’s ‘best promoter’ to link them with their tour if they have to perform in the country, are we really going to get the better end of the stick in this deal?

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