K’odeyo Ohangla brings life to Big Five
For the last few months, revellers have been treated to the pulsating ohangla beats at Club Big Five in Kibera. K’odeyo Ohangla Group, under the stewardship of “Dr” Oduor Odhialo, is now resident at the club and ensures that revellers get their money’s worth. The main feature of the traditional musical outfit, mainly associated with the Luo is the ohangla, a cylindrical drum made of a monitor lizard or a crocodile’s skin and resembles the famous Isukuti from Western province. It is usually strapped to the shoulder and played with open palms. Other key instruments are bunde (ordinary traditional drums), orutu or ahiriri (a single string instrument), orere (flute), kinanda (mouth organ), ongeng’o (metal gongs), ajaw (jingles) and sometimes tung’ (curved cow horn). A new addition to the outfit has been the modern keyboard.
Formed in 1997 in Luoka village, Ugana location in Ugenya, Siaya district, K’odeyo has been performing at popular nightspots in Migori, Kisumu, Ugunja, Siaya and Sare Awendo. Some of the troupe’s compositions, which have been recorded on audiotape, CD and VCD are Adhiambo, Nyar Gombe Ka Wasungu, Coucillor Ochieng Sihombe, Ayaki matieka, Kalapapla, Nyakwar Odeyo, Alemo and Wandayi kende. The group is poised to record new releases in the near future. The group is available for hire at a negotiable fee of Kshs 30,000 per performance. Currently, the management of Club Big Five pays the troupe Kshs 10,000 for a three-day week, from Friday to Sunday. The earnings are split among the members. Besides, the troupe earns tips from its patrons, who request for special songs. On a good day, the troupe pockets Kshs 5,000 from tips alone.
K’odeyo troupe comprises five young men, whose average age is 20, all married with children. According to the troupe members, the allure of quick money and the fact that music runs in their families made them drop out of school to pursue their musical careers. Most of the band members interviewed did not go beyond Class Six. The soft -spoken “Dr” Odhialo, the troupe leader who plays ohangla and is also the lead vocalist dropped out in Class Seven. “I left school in Standard Seven in order to pursue my musical career, which I had began nurturing when I was in Standard Three”, reminisces Odhialo.
The first born in a family of 11, Odhialo claims that he composes his songs only after seeing a vision in his dreams. “But how come you have been in the business for over eleven years yet colleagues like Tony Nyadundo who joined the other day have made millions?”, I ask curiously, to which he responds: “I blame it on the producers. They have always conned me. Piracy is also killing me softly. Since the death of rapper Poxy pressure (Pouka Olang), nobody cares about copyright. You produce a song today and tomorrow it is all over”, he observes. Odhialo also blames local radio stations for being biased against certain musicians. He is however, full of praise for Tabu Osusa of Ketebul Productions, who has produced some of his works. In 2000, Odhialo teamed up with the rapping duo of Gidi Gidi Maji Maji (Joseph Ogidi and Jahd Adonija), the late Poxi Pressure (Preshad Pouka Olang) and Iddi Majuek under the auspices of the Nairobi City Ensemble, culminating in the production of a CD titled Kalapapla, a sequel of another chartbuster, Kaboumboum.
According to Odhialo, music runs in the family. His father, Dominic Odhialo used to sing alongside Benga maestros Gabriel Omolo and the late George Ramogi. He also tutored the late Onyango Oyona of the Shirati Jazz band and the late Adwera Okelo of Orchestra Super Heka Heka Band. Another star attraction in the troupe is Peter Onyango, 20, alias Onyango Alemo the baby-faced falsetto, whose melodies voice sends fans wild, asking for encores. Onyango, who is an orphan, does not regret dropping out of school at primary level for it is the music that gives him his daily bread. “I think if it were not for my music, I would have given up on life long time ago”, he says with a chuckle. “Music is my mother and father. That is why I’m capable of feeding my wife and two children”, he adds, before rushing back to the microphone to belt out his Alemo song to frenzied revellers. The singer, who began his musical career in 1995 previously played alongside Jack and Tony Nyadundo and has a few tracks to his credit, including Onyango alemo, Adhiambo Nyar Kisumo and Judy Nyar Joboro. He plans to go solo in the next five years.
Other members of the troupe are Raphael Otieno, who, since 2000 has been playing ohangla and jingles, David Makokila (drums), Richard Otieno (ohangla and jingles) and Joseph Onyango alias “Boss”, who is capable of playing all instruments. There is, however, a feeling of insecurity among the troupe members. Most of them plan to start their own outfits in the near future, citing frustrations from troupe leaders they have been associated with. According to them, most troupe leaders do not pay them what is commensurate with their performances. They also cite frustrations by bar owners, who engage their services for a fee but later on renege on the contracts and kick them out of the premises without notice.
But what irks the artistes most is the high rate of piracy, which denies them sufficient income from their works. “I appeal to the government to enact stiffer penalties for the offenders’, says Onyango Alemo. However, the troupe would also be advised to stick to its original music for it sometimes imitates other artistes’ work in its live shows. The ohangla drum has also been missing in action for a couple of moths and this obviously affects the quality of the music. Please bring back the monitor’s skin!