Hi Francis, Ruby and Tony Thanks for so much nostalgia and info about Malaika. Fadhili Williams who wrote the song was from my small home town Mombasa where many people were familiar to each other. The dance bands then and to this day have invariably been asked to play this tune all over the world.
At a university farewell reception at the end of a week-long conference in Taipei, Taiwan, in April 2004, I was staggered to hear the Taiwanese dance quartet in attendance, play and their female singer sing Malaika in Swahili and then in Chinese as beautifully as I have ever heard. The saxophonist had a tenor and an alto on the low stage and I simply could not resist joining the band for Malaika to start with and a few other well known tunes. Regards Cornel --- Francis Rodrigues <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Tony, > What a wonderful and beautifully-sketched write-up. > > A few words, if I may..... > > Fadhili Williams did indeed compose the lyrics to > "Malaika", but > in all probability, was not the creator of that > delightful melody. > > A few years ago, whilst researching early folk-music...
