Siti of Unguja: Romance Revolution on Zanzibar
OnTheCorner (36 mins)
Siti Muharam is the great-granddaughter of Siti binti Saad, the woman who turned taarab from the inaccessible music of the Sultan’s palace into the people’s sound of Zanzibar. It’s a great legacy to shoulder, and with this debut album, Muharam more than rises to the occasion.
Her voice occupies the same territory as a Bollywood diva, or Billie Holiday, or her great-grandmother; with that same easy but powerful grace. The rest of the ensemble is just as intoxicating, and together they take taarab to another level. They look back to its origins and maintain a real vintage feel while lighting a path for potential new directions for the style. The addition of bass clarinet and double bass lend a noir-jazz slinkiness, and alongside the subtlest of electronics, the feeling is of traditional music finding a comfortable home in the year 2020, rather than any self-conscious ‘fusion.’
Siti Muharam and her group are in command of a music that’s both stately and spicy, and in continuing a great taarab lineage, they’ve made something very special. Once I’d listened to Siti of Unguja, I was already excited to get to listen to it again. I just wish there was a little more of it!