Discography for Polygram Records, Nairobi Kenya.

In Kenya, both the Philips and Polydor labels appear to have started around the same time in the late 60s. One of my early Philips releases is by the Tanzanian group, Jamhuri Jazz, in 1970, displaying the catalog number PK 7-9070 (Shingo ya Upanga in Apollo style backed by Kipande cha Papa in Dondora style). The notation AS 594 and AS 595 suggests these songs were recorded by Associated Sound. Going back in this same series, the earliest I can find is the Western Jazz Band release Nitafurahi Ukitumwa Tena in 1967, Philips PK 7-9007 backed by Tangu Umeondoka. However, a different Philips series, catalog numbers beginning with HL may go farther back in time. I have a Black Star Musical Club single HL 7-261 produced by Assanand & Son, Mombasa. In the HL series, there are Tanzanian groups such as Atomic Jazz HL 7-73, Cuban Marimba HL 7-80, and Morogoro Jazz HL 7-123, but none of them is dated. It appears the entire HL series was recorded by Mr. Assanand of the Mzuri label.

In Kenya, I have found Polydor releases going back to around 1967 or 68. The earliest catalog number I've found in the POL 7 series is POL 7-005 from 1968, Tanzania's Atomic Jazz performing Usitamani Kitu b/w Fika Uwone Mwenyewe. Most of these early releases were recorded by other production companies such as ASL or Assanand & Sons, Mombasa.

In 1972, the parent company of Kenya's Phonogram merged (if I understand this correctly) with the parent company of Kenya's Polydor Records. The new company became Polygram. Shortly after this, it seems the Philips label (in Kenya) was discontinued. Artists on the Philips label soon began appearing on the Polydor label.

The following discography of Polygram Kenya LPs is a work in progress. It is based on my own collection and information collated and presented by Alastair Johnston on his Muzikifan.com site. The main Polydor series began in 1971 with POLP 500 and ends (in this list) with CPOLP 654. Catalog numbers beginning with CPOLP are cassette releases and, for the ones listed here, I don't think any of them had a coresponding vinyl release. The last vinyl I have from Kenya in the POLP series is dated 1991 (POLP 628) and I'm not aware of any later LP releases. It was about this time that the record pressing plant was shut down.

Cassette releases in the POLP 1000 and POLP 2000 series are reissues and new compilations of older materials in what was originally called a "Budget Series" by Polygram but soon most of the subsequent releases were marked with the title: "From Polygram Archives We Present..." (Later, after Tamasha Corporation took control of the Polygram catalog, the words "Budget Series" disappeared from the packaging and "Polygram archives" became the "Tamasha archives." In the mid-80s, Polygram also started a third reissue series based on its ASL label. With catalog numbers starting from CASLP 2001, some of these releases are reissues of POLP albums. (For example, CASLP 2001 contains the same material as POLP 513 and CASLP 2014 is the same as POLP 540.)

There are some gaps in the sequence, especially in the later POLP 600s, and the dates are sketchy as well. If you have some information that would help fill-in the data, please send it to DPaterson@EastAfricanMusic.com.

Discography:

To contact Douglas Paterson, send email to DPaterson@EastAfricanMusic.com.

Last updated 28 July, 2010.