Young Stars Modern Taarab/ Segere Original

Dar es Salaam's Young Stars Modern Taarab (YSMT) almost single handedly created a new style when they released their song 'Segere' in 2001. Besides its uncommon mixture of lyrics in both Zaramo and Swahili language, the song was especially noteworthy for its fast rhythm directly descending from Zaramo cultural traditions, akin to a similar synthesis of the same in mchiriku, another modern-style take on Zaramo musical traditions from Dar es Salaam.

Young Stars Modern Taarab was founded in the mid-1990s by a group of young people who grew up in Dar es Salaam's Kariakoo area, one of the oldest Swahili-style living areas and now also a major commercial district, and who had been members of the old-style taarab ensembles like Egyptian Music Club in their youth.

Many of the members of YSMT are of Zaramo ethnic origin, so it was only natural for them to be inspired by their own traditions and the other styles flourishing in their neighbourhood, the Dar es Salaam chakacha and its successor mchiriku rising to fame in the 1990s.

The group consists of Abdalla 'Kimonda' (drums), Tony Karama (bass), Mjusi Shemboza (guitars), Fatuma Rajab (vocals), Madobe (backing vocals), Boniface Kachale (trumpet) and Shaban Rashid (marimba). A number of keyboarders have passed through the group over the years. Picture source: Jeremy Llewellyn-Jones