Fresh Jumbe

Fresh Jumbe is a Tanzanian singer-songwriter who lives in Tokyo and rocks Japan and Asia with his own style of music, a mix of Tanzanian rumba, rock and mduara. Born in Tanga, on the coast of mainland Tanzania, he started singing with his friends when he was only six years old. While still young, he moved to Dar es Salaam and soon joined Dar International band.

Fresh performed with many famous Tanzanian musicians including the late Marijani Rajab. He played with most of the famed muziki wa dansi bands in Tanzania of the time: OTTU Jazz (Msondo Ngoma), DDC Mlimani Park and Safari Sound, and wrote and sang many of their hits. In 1991, Fresh moved to Kenya to expand his career. There, Fresh and other musicians from Tanzania, Kenya and DRC, founded the Angusha Band, which soon became very popular in Nairobi. In 1992 they were invited to perform at an African club (Pigapiga) in Tokyo.

After spending a year in London, Fresh decided to move back to Japan and start a new life in Tokyo, where he manages to earn a reasonable living through his music. He now owns a recording studio with video production facilities under the name Fresh Production in Tokyo, where he records his own songs, music for TV and radio commercials and also records other artists.

Fresh Jumbe sings mainly in Kiswahili, but also in English and Japanese. He performs regularly with African Express, a most popular African music band in Japan made up of musicians of Tanzanian as well as Japanese origin.

Some of his favourite hits in Tanzania are: 'Jirani', 'Masudi', 'Bwana Mashaka', 'Namsaka Mbaya Wangu', 'Ama Zake Ama Zangu', 'Pamela', 'Ndoa ya Lazima', 'Conjester', 'Kinyozi Hajinyoi', 'Elimu ni Msingi wa Maisha', 'Penzi ni Kikohozi'and 'Tuhifadhi Mazingira' (Let's protect the Environment).