From Wiki Pedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bosco_Mwenda
Jean Bosco Mwenda, also known as Mwenda wa Bayeke (1930-1990) was a pioneer of Congolese fingerstyle acoustic guitar music. He was also popular in other African countries, particularly East Africa, and in the late 1950s and early 1960s was briefly based in Nairobi, where he had a regular radio show and became a profound influence on a generation of Kenyan guitarists.
Notice that while he plays chords, they don't really form a functional harmony. I get the impression that neither chord is a tonic or dominant but that both are treated equally. So even though he is playing chords the primary focus the music is the interlocking of multiple short cyclic and primarily rhythmic melodies. The tension caused by the varying pull of each parts melodic and rhythmic elements creates an elaborately layered and textured sound scape. All that with just a guitar and his voice- Very cool!
Wow, that's pretty incredible. Your description is quite accurate in describing it as an "elaborately layered and textured sound scape." Is this kind of guitar playing common or more one of a kind?
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