Benga Maestro: The Life and Genius of Dr. Osito Kalle

Music is a therapy that lulls and comforts the human soul. With its growing audience in a highly dynamic world, there's a bulging desire to not only listen but also imbibe its philosophy through diverse literature. Benga Maestro is one such classic-a thrilling thread that avails music to your bookshelves. This rare text, explicates and contextualizes the world in which Dr. Osito Kalle performs. It chronicles the journey of Benga from its initial sprout around Nam Lolwe to the modern Social Media era, touching albeit passingly, on the other giants of the genre like D.O Misiani, Collela Mazee, George Ramogi, Ouma Omore, Ochieng' Nelly, and Okatch Biggy, amongst many others.

This story is told through the lenses of Dr. Osito Kalle, the string doctor, Dokta Waya, and lyrical cricket who plucks and chirps out wisdom, traditional aphorism, humour, and consolation, to 'edutain' his audience. A viable offspring of the Victoria Jazz family, stemming from his mentor's Awino Lawi-led Victoria C, the Mabinju songbird has grown into a gallant ballad of his current Nabii Kings Band. Thus, Benga Maestro, narrates his Benga odysseys and magnanimously shares his foresight for music, its makers, and its consumers. It is a pleasurable exploration of both the kingly Kalle, and the benign world of Benga.

#OKOTH OPIYO