Kenya: John Nzenze's death ends African twist era

Born in Nairobi, his love for music started at an early age. He spent his holidays in Western Kenya where he learnt to play the guitar. Early in his career, he formed the Air Fiesta Matata group whose members included vocalist Steel Beauttah and drummer Gabriel Wamala. The group became popular with young people in Kenya and its music was influenced by Stevie Wonder, The Beatles and South African kwela. In the early '70s, the band participated in an international competition for live bands organised by BBC World Service in London. It won the Best Band in Africa Award and toured the UK, US, Germany, Switzerland, France and Norway.

Nzenze's last international performance was in 2014 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC. In 2009 he received the Head of State Commendation from former president Mwai Kibaki. He also served as a board member of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya.

“John was a remarkable artist with an awesome sense of innovation,” well known cartoonist and music enthusiast Paul Kelemba told Music In Africa. “I would say that he belongs to that group of musicians who found themselves at a point in Kenyan history where they had to come up with new styles without much local references. They borrowed and did a remarkable repackaging of that style of music.

“John possessed a very high sense of sophistication which made him grasp twist and help turn into a Kenyan affair. One interesting fact is that while he is remembered for his twist style, he actually played a lot of funk with Air Fiesta, along with rumba. With that he will remain in the chapter that defines the development of the country's modern music and I am happy that I worked with him in his later years.”

Kenyan music producer Tabu Osusa said: "The way he played and the way he sang was art and magic together. I received the news of his death with shock because we had just spoken the previous day. I thank him for all the happiness he created and the joy he brought people in his lifetime. There is no doubt that his music will live on for generations to come."