Sounds Pentagon story: Dedication to Wambali Mkandawire
This is a full story of the print version that appeared in The Nation Newspaper of 15th March 2022.
The date for the much-awaited Tribute Concert in honour of the undisputable music icon, Mtebeti Wambali Greenwood Dimba Mkandawire, is now all set. Wambali, as he was fondly known, died on 31st January, 2021 of Covid-19. The year 2021 has to be a year many would have wished to skip. Death was not in short supply and many precious souls were cruelly interrupted. As a nation, we watched helplessly as a legion of loved ones departed without much warning. The preponderant Covid-19 cases were a stark reminder of the reality of death. We came to terms, with unmistakable emphasis, of our own vulnerability and mortality. As the year drew to a close, the images of Wambali and many others including, Rev Patrick Semphere, Evangelist Stephen Lungu (cherished MC at my wedding) and Wyndham Chechamba among many others epitomized a nation in severe grief.
On 9th February 2021, a week after his passing, I penned an article reminiscing Wambali’s spectacular and multifaceted journey in life. This was generally well received especially by his family and adoring fans. Since the first anniversary of his passing, pundits have ushered proportionate lamentations and deeply touching tributes. One of these described him as “literally irreplaceable” and ranked him amongst the genius in the annals of Malawian music.
It is not possible to talk about Wambali without making reference to Sounds Pentagon, a distinguished local rock band in which he performed as lead vocalist and showman. Millennials are probably wondering about who exactly Sounds Pentagon were. Sounds Pentagon was a flamboyant rock band that emerged in the mid-70s. As a tribute to Wambali, I share an accurate historicity of Sounds Pentagon based on extensive research and information provided by the surviving members of the band, especially Geoffrey Chiumia, to whom I am greatly indebted.
The Ngoni music influences on Sounds Pentagon
Sounds Pentagon was the brainchild of Mr Geoffrey Chiumia whose original home is Embangweni in Mzimba District. Now in his late 60s, he presently resides in Toronto, Canada. Embagweni falls within the footprint of Loudon Mission whose impact on Ngoni ethnic musicology is well documented. The Ngoni were known for their annual festivals of the first fruits, called the incwala. These ncwala festivals were spiced with performance of strong rhythmic Ngoni music and traditional dancing. This cultural ethos became particularly handy for the Scottish Missionaries who opted to leverage on the festivals to organize sacramental conventions which drew thousands of people. Sacramental conventions were a focal point of celebrating baptisms and the Lord’s supper accompanied by rhythmic Ngoni music. It is in this regard that a prominent missionary, Donald Fraser positively encouraged the Ngoni converts to compose indigenous church music. This explains why Sumu za Ukhristu, unlike its counterpart Nyimbo za Mulungu, contains significantly more indigenous compositions. For instance, in the Tumbuka hymnbook, at least 127 out of 401 hymns are attributed to Malawian composers. Of the 24 named composers, 21 were from amongst the Ngoni or strong Ngoni influence. Some of the most notable Ngoni composers were Peter Thole, Charles Chinula, Mawelera Tembo, Jonathan Chirwa, Hezekiah Tweya and Elijah Chavula.
It is this music heritage that deeply influenced Geoffrey Chiumia in his formative years. It is interesting that there is a Zambian parallel with regard to the Ngoni’s influence towards the evolution of local pop music. Zambian music historian, Leonard Koloko attributes Paul Ngozi’s (real name; Paul Dobson Nyirongo) heavy rock sounds to aggressive Ingoma rhythms of Lundazi of Eastern Zambia, in fact is very close to Mzimba.
Geoffrey Chiumia
Geoffrey Chiumia came from a strong Ngoni musical heritage and this endeared him to strong rock rhythms by psychedelic rock groups such as Jimi Hendrix, Bad Company, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. His own father Othaniel Chiumia, then a civil servant living in Zomba, owned and played the accordion as a soloist. Geoffrey’s brother, Montie Chiumia (now a retired quantity surveyor) played a flute. Geoffrey remembers his dad hosting several visiting musicians. One of the prominent artists who frequented the Chiumia’s home was the famed late Ndiche Mwalare.
Geoffrey Chiumia, attended Robert Blake Secondary School (Kongwe) from 1969 and 1973. During this period, Kongwe was not only known for outstanding academic performance, but also for being a flashpoint of student political dissent. This resulted in the school being frequently closed and students being either suspended or outright dismissed. Geoffrey was once a victim of such closures and suspensions. This was to have a profound impact on the mode and temperament of his music later in life. The Sounds Pentagon used rock music as a form of expression to convey anger, distress, discontent and disillusion with the establishment and overall injustices.
After completing his secondary school, Geoffrey enrolled for motor vehicle apprenticeship training at the Polytechnic. During holidays, he stayed with his brother Montie Chiumia and his cousin Roy Mlotha in Kanjedza Township. Roy Mlotha, also from Embangweni, was a talented dexterous guitarist who deeply influenced Geoffrey’s interest in playing guitar. Two houses away from the Chiumias, lived Roger Nkhwazi; another gifted musician who played with Roy in a jazz outfit known as the Magnificent 5 (The M5). Guess who was staying with Roger Nkhwazi; Greenwood Dimba Mkandawire who, as mentioned earlier adopted in later years the brand name Wambali Mkandawire. As narrated in my previous article, Wambali too had been a victim of Kongwe expulsions, a development that was to have a lasting effect on his music architecture. His music increasingly became most aggressive and combative of which were Tidzamtamanda, Kavuluvulu and Kumtengo albums are illustrative.
So strong was Mlotha’s influence on Geoffrey Chiumia such that the latter purchased his own guitar from a French expatriate for K25. After intensive lessons and practice, Geoffrey became an astute lead guitarist ready for a professional career.
The Crystals era
After mastering the guitar, Geoffrey in 1973 joined a band known as The Crystals whose leader was Russell Msonda. Russel played bass while Geoffrey played lead guitar. The third band member was a drummer by the name of Nyirenda. Crystals was a resident Band at Kudya Entertainment Centre. In those days, bands survived on providing live music entertainment, through a contract, at hotels and inns, and mostly on weekends. Kudya Entertainment Centre and Hotel Continental (later known as Hotel Chisakalime) were popular entertainment hotspots in Blantyre. Unfortunately, after a while Russel left the band to join Teddy Chisi and The Spades and this incapacitated The Crystals and accordingly frustrated the contract with Kudya Entertainment Centre.
The birth of Pentagon
After the demise of The Crystals, Geoffrey mobilized a new set of musicians to form a group that would replace the Crystals and continue providing live music at Kudya Entertainment Centre. The line-up of the musicians were; Geoffrey Chiumia on lead guitar, Jimmy Mulenga on second guitar, Ben Chingoni on drums and Patrick Simakweli on bass. Not unlike most bands in Malawi then, the new group did not have its own equipment. They sometimes used equipment belonging to a prominent musician; Brodie Mauluka (presently resident in the UK). At this point Geoffrey was not keen to name the new group The Crystals, after discovering that another band in Europe bore the same name. For a while the band performed in the shadows of The Crystal but actually without an official name.
In about 1974, Geoffrey was looking for a heavy metal rock sound and decided to reconfigure the line up of the band and achieve his boyhood dream. He recruited Stanley Kufaine Phiri on the bass and vocals replacing Patrick Simakweli. He signed on Reuben Roxy Phiri on second guitar and backing vocals therefore replacing Jimmy Mulenga. Finally, Julius Tonga joined the group and replaced Ben Chingoni on the drums. Later on Julius Utonga was replaced by Ronzie “Fetie Chetusye” Banda on drums. Ronzie also provided backing vocals. Mbura Chona replaced Stanley Kufaine Phiri after the later left for Zimbabwe following the sudden death of his father. Edward Mbelele Kachale was a reserve guitarist. The impact of the new line ‘deadly’. As Thin Lizzy would say; The Boys were Back in Town” and were all out to conquer with a unique heavy rock sound. This was the time the majority of bands were experimenting with Congo, Benga and Tanzanian rumba. Enthused by the triumphant success, Greenwood Dimba Mkandawire (Wambali) approached Geoffrey to express interest to join the band. Up to this point, he had had very little music experience and never played any instrument. Geoffrey consulted his band mates who were unequivocal in rejecting Wambali. The main argument was that Wambali lacked experience in music.
Undaunted, Wambali, continued to push Geoffrey for an opportunity to be part of the rockers. The band later agreed to grant him an opportunity for an audition. When the audition was done, everyone was stunned and liked what they saw and heard! Wambali was immediately admitted as a fifth member of the rock group. Because Wambali was the fifth member, the band was christened “The Pentagon”. One would be excused to infer an esoteric deeper meaning to imply dynamism and power as in the Pentagon Department. Their music genre was defined as Africa Malawi Rock (Afroma Rock in short).
When Wambali joined the group, the band was simply indomitable with a willingness to take on the giants. Pentagon produced a unique elite rock sound inspired by such eminent groups as Jimi Hendrix Experience, Black Sabbath, The Band of Gypsies, Bad Company and Deep Purple. The sound was deep and complex with aggressive rhythms and fuzz guitar works. The band was a regular at Kudya Entertainment Centre. It also had a fan base at the University of Malawi (especially Chancellor College) and a number of secondary schools.
Pentagon becomes Sounds Pentagon
In early 1975, a Zambian rock (Zamrock) band the WITCH came to Malawi and performed at Kudya Entertainment Centre. The performance was dazzling and deeply impressed the lads in Sounds Pentagon. They saw a band fusing traditional rhythms into stadium rock leaving everybody awestruck. This spurred the Pentagons to fuse the aggressive Ngoma and other traditional rhythms into their own music character.
Subsequently after the visit by WITCH, Pentagon were performing at Grand Beach Hotel, (now known as Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Hotel) in Salima. The performance was mesmerizing sending everyone into a deep frenzy. In attendance were two Malawian middleclass gentlemen; Mr Kassam (an indigenous Malawian from Ntcheu) and Mr Matekanya. These two gentlemen were reasonably affluent and operated a business known as Sounds Incorporated Limited which among others traded in stationery. So impressed were the two that they approached the band and offered to purchase for them a professional rock kit for more optimal sound output. Upon their return to Blantyre, the band was given a chance to select their preferred kit from an upmarket music equipment catalogue. The Pentagon band settled for a professional Marshall set. Marshall equipment was the ultimate standard for professional rock bands. Marshall equipment is to a rock musician what a Mercedes Benz is to a motorist! True to their word, the two gentlemen ordered the equipment from the United Kingdom and got it air freighted. The equipment arrived by air within a month of ordering at a landed cost of £6,710 which then was a lot of money. The band signed a management contract with Sounds Incorporated Limited and the name was accordingly changed from Pentagon to Sounds Pentagon reflecting the sponsorship by Sounds Incorporated Limited.
Immediately after taking delivery of the Marshall sound kit, Sounds Pentagon put up spirited gig at Mount Soche Hotel, alongside the Tru-Tones. The rockers, dished out their own offerings spiced with impressive rendition of popular songs by trending international rock stars. After the show, one Englishman remarked that “ You are the best ever”; and offered to sponsor them to be based in the United Kingdom. He felt that the band was too good for Malawi. Despite this evident trapping for international fame, the band opted to stay within Malawi albeit so many challenges.
Mr Kassam was an extremely good manager who often negotiated very generous contracts for the artists. At the time, Sounds Pentagon was the highest paid group in the country and the artists always stayed in upmarket hotels and travelled in comfortable vans.
The band was known for hyperactive stage works and the band’s front showman, Wambali, was simply impeccable. His vocal range and body language endeared him to Sounds Pentagon’s insatiable fans. His penchant for satire, melancholy and double meanings earned him so much praise. It was a band everyone enjoyed to watch especially at their main hub; Kudya Entertainment Centre. Three times during its existence, the band was featured on MBC’s Teen Beat programme then hosted by Mr Henry Chirwa. Some of the cheering lads are now eminent executives and I will not risk mentioning their name. if you happen to be one of them, then just quietly smile in acknowledgment!
I personally watched the band in the summer of 1975 at Chikangawa Centre Hall. It was an impromptu performance after the band’s Kambuku van had developed a minor issue, forcing the band to stay at Chikangawa a couple of days. The gave an afternoon show for the youth. Then later in the evening the late Mr Masautso Austin Phiri, then a young Canadian trained Senior Silviculturist, requested the band to perform at his wedding. The lads did not disappoint. Years later Mr Phiri became SOCAM President and Managing Director for Portland Cement Company. He died in 1993.
The visiting Hurricanes Band from South Africa
Many will remember the popular South African Band; the Hurricanes, who visited Malawi in the summer of 1975. Sounds Pentagon were slated as curtain raisers for this well known band. When Sounds Pentagon performed using their signature Marshall outfit, the Hurricanes were literally stunned by the quality of their performance. The Hurricanes had been outshone hands down; period. At their next act, at Kalulu Stadium, The Hurricanes insisted on playing before Sounds Pentagon. Now the visiting band had become the curtain raisers for the mighty Sounds Pentagon! Another popular South Africa group, The Wavelets met the same fate in similar circumstances as those feted on Hurricanes in the same year.
At the zenith of Sounds Pentagon’s performance the artists were; Wambali Mkandaire, the Lead vocalist and the band’s prime showman; Geoffrey Chiumia (band leader) lead guitarist and vocals; Reuben “Roxy Music” Phiri on second guitar; Stanley Kufaine Phiri on bass guitar and Ronzie “Fettie Chitusya” Banda on drums and backing vocals. Ronzie Banda replaced Julius Utonga who had left for Trutones. In later years the band was also supported by Edward Eddie Kachale who now, like Geoffrey, resides in Toronto Canada.
Geoffrey recalls that the band would practice till 3.00am. Wambali was driving quality control. A well- known perfectionist Wambali would not allow the band to retire unless the desired sound quality had been attained. It was unbelievable that a gentleman who had joined the band with little experience was so much at the centre of production to achieve unparalleled excellence. I once hosted him during while his musicians rehearsed at COMESA for his Liberty album. He would stretch the musicians until practically the music could not be improved any more. The rehearsals would end around 4.00am as the security guard threatened to switch off the lights in protest. That was Mte!
Sounds Pentagon’s most memorable songs were 1) Moni Nonse Anzathu; (2) Tubabe Mwana (3) Ndasauka (4) Usandisiye (aka Kuchapa) (5) Mako ndi Mako (6) Mwana wathu Wataika, (7) Oh Lile (8) Hanky for Mama and (9) Born Yesterday and many others. They also liked to play “Shooting Stars” from Bad Company’s 1974 album Straight Shooter. The Sounds Pentagon never released any official album due to the absence of recording facilities in Malawi at that time. This was true in many countries. The Teal and Polydor labels were generally not keen to record music in less known countries like Malawi. All Sounds Pentagon’s songs were recorded at Malawi Broadcasting Corporation in their famous live Teen Beat sessions. Sadly none can be retrieved and may very well have been lost.
The Sunset years
In 1978, Wambali Mkandawire left Sounds Pentagon in order to pursue a solo career and to respond to a call in Christian Ministry on a full-time basis. After his departure Geoffrey Chiumia performed as a lead vocalist on most of the songs. In about 1980; Stanley Kufaine Phiri, the bassist, left the band for Zimbabwe to support his family after the death of his father. He was replaced by Mbura Chona. Mbura, a Ngoni from Ntcheu, was an alumnus of Dedza Secondary School. He joined Sounds Pentagon in 1979. After a couple of years with the band, he became a born again Christian. Wambali and Rev Stewart Lane mentored and discipled Mbura in his walk with Christ. As a Chirstian, Mbura became conflicted and troubled by his presence in a rock band while professing Christ. He decided to leave the band in 1982 in order to pursue Christian Ministry just like Wambali. Interestingly Mbura destroyed all the pictures and records of Sounds Pentagon in his possession, a thing which he now deeply regrets as there is hardly any historic record about Sounds Pentagon. Mbura went to Botswana to attend Bible school and is now an active worship minister of the word in Botswana. Almost during the same period, Edward Kachale also left the Band for Zimbabwe where he loosely worked with Oliver Mtukudzi but focusing more on production of gospel music. As mentioned earlier, he now lives in Toronto Canada and is constantly in touch with Geoffrey Chiumia.
Around 1981, the band’s sponsors run into serious financial problems and could no longer sustain the sponsorship of the Band. The impact of these hardships were so colossal that Mr Kassam ended up disposing of the Marshall Equipment used by Sounds Pentagon. This was the turning point in the fortunes of the band. The prospects of finding a new sponsor and new equipment were severely limited. The departure of Wambali, Stanley Kufaine Phiri, Mbura Chona and the weakening financial support greatly undermined the band’s viability. Eventually the band leader, Geoffrey Chiumia, trekked to Zimbabwe where he had picked a good job. While there, he set up a new music outfit called Kairange which still exists to this day. Most of Kairange’s music is available on social media and YouTube. About five years ago, he relocated to Toronto Canada.
Presently, of the original Sounds Pentagon line up, only Geoffrey Chiumia and Mbura are alive. The rest have passed on and May Their Departed Souls Rest in Eternal Peace. Patrick Simakhweli, a bass guitarist in the pre-Pentagon era is also alive.
Geoffrey Chiumia and Edward Kachale are in the process of re-recording all the Sounds Pentagon songs. This is after realizing that all their recorded works sadly, can no longer be traced at MBC and at the National Archives.
Epilogue – lessons learnt
The Sounds Pentagon story is a bittersweet story of human capacity and endurance to excel against all odds on one hand and the inevitability of failure due to lack of effective support. The story portrays the struggle of our musicians in Malawi to maintain an identity and sustain their livelihood with very minimal support from an overly indifferent society. The enormous success of Sounds Pentagon was on account of very hard working musicians especially Geoffrey Chiumia the band leaders and two selfless Malawian gentlemen who made a decision to invest their resources in propping up this promising group of young talented musicians. They supported the band for a solid five years and the outcome was impressive. What would have been the status of music in Malawi if we had a dozen Kassams? If we had more Kassams in Malawi the positive evolution of Malawian music would have been hundredfold. Mr Kassam worked so hard to support the band. Unfortunately, when he could no longer continue the band inevitably folded.
Malawi lacks an effective legal and regulatory ecosystem to support professional musicians. Music could only be sustained by musicians fending for themselves while working so hard to satisfy our music addictions. Most of the musicians took up other jobs in order to sustain our music addictions. For instance, Geoffrey Chiumia and Wambali Mkandawire were initially employed as mechanics/welders before the onset of sponsorship. Although some laws exist to protect works of art, there is inadequate regulatory capacity to enforce them and afford our musicians their legal right to earn a decent living from their passionate works. Nearly all the famed musicians left Malawi in search for greener pastures. Coincidentally, as a result of this paper, all the living musicians outside Malawi are now digitally connected through the Music Malawi Legacy initiatives.
MBC was the only institution with quasi-professional recording facilities. Unfortunately, the recorded reels were primarily for radio play in programmes such as Zimene Mwatipempha, Zokomera Tonse, Your Choice and Show Case Malawi. This accorded Malawians an opportunity to listen to Malawian music without paying for it. Access to MBC recording facilities was not an easy task. There was so much competition for studio time. Sounds Pentagon only had three opportunities to record in seven years. Malawi needed to attract professional recording companies to internationally promote Malawian music as was the case in Kenya.
Without a copyright society, radio play of the songs provided an unfettered opportunity for piracy especially when radios with tape recording capabilities hit the market. Malawian musicians did not have a fair music distribution network to augment their sales.
Researching for this article has been an arduous task due to absence of organized records. Nearly all professionally recorded reels containing Sounds Pentagon songs could not be traced at MBC and the National Archives. Mr Walikho Makhala of MBC and myself mounted intensive searches at MBC and the National Archives to trace printed material and/or audio tapes without success. It is likely that recorded songs for Sounds Pentagon have not been preserved. This is sad when you consider that Europeans have been able to preserve classical music composed in 1200 AD. Malawi should take pride in preserving its music and works of art.
I trust that the article will spur all the stakeholders to come up with viable legal and regulatory mechanisms that will help foster sustainability of Malawian music. Listeners and admirers have to demonstrate more wiliness to pay for original music and avoid falling prey to piracy for personal convenience at the expense of hard working musicians who sweat to produce music without due returns. I know for a fact that Wambali, whom I was very close to, was on occasions very frustrated by the lack of decent returns on his works. May his death signal a renewal and commitment to afford our musicians a lot better by establishing a strong ecosystem and legal and regulatory framework.
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