Ahmed Janka Nabay
Sierra Leonean musician (1964–2018)
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Ahmed Janka Nabay (5 January 1964 – 2 April 2018)[1] was a Sierra Leonean musician and a major figure in Bubu Music, a traditionally Temne music which is played by up to 20 musicians blowing into bamboo pipes of different sizes.[2] He first earned attention after performing for an audition of SuperSound.[3]
Ahmed Janka Nabay | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1964 |
| Died | April 2, 2018 (aged 54) |
| Occupation | Musician |
He recorded his album in Forensic Studios in Freetown during the Sierra Leonean Civil War. Since moving to Washington, D.C. in 2003, he continued to play bubu music, including a performance at the CMJ College Music Marathon in New York in 2009 and 2010.
In June 2010, he formed a full band, Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang, with members of four Brooklyn indie rock groups Skeletons, Gang Gang Dance, and Starring.[4]
In 2012, his band announced that they had signed a three-album record deal with David Byrne's record label, Luaka Bop.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
Janka Nabay was of Mandingo and Temne descent, two of the ethnic groups within Sierra Leone.[citation needed]
It was reported on April 2, 2018 that Janka Nabay had died of a stomach ailment. He was 54 years old.[5] [6]
Nabay's bandmate Michael Gallope wrote about the band's creative process and Nabay's "often dehumanizing" experiences as an exile attempting to make a living out of music.[7]
Discography
Disarm, Recorded at Island Studio Freetown, Side A: 1) Dis-Arm, 2) Dance to the Bu-Bu 3) Lek You Culture 4) Some Body. Side B: 1) Yay Su Tan Tan, 2) On the Bu-Bu 3) Dance to the Bu-Bu, 4) Dis-Arm
Bubu King, True Panther Sounds, 2010.[8]
An Letah, True Panther Sounds/Luaka Bop, 2012.
En Yay Sah, Luaka Bop, 2012 [9]
Build Music, Luaka Bop, 2017 [10]
