Adzeni by Alvarez Anwar, Mtaani Survivors

For most of his adult life Alvarez has earned his bread from performing with live bands in hotels, clubs and churches. Anywhere a paying gig was available. As a recognised master of East African guitar, what sets Alvarez apart from his contemporaries young and old is his mastery of stage craft that he has inherited from his earlier career in Hip-Hop. In one legendary performance at the Rift Valley festival with the Owiny Sigoma band (10k pax attendance) he is said to have packed the audience at his stage for a 5 hour performance - leaving all the other stages virtually empty. He has recorded and performed with STL (Stella Mwangi Kenya’s biggest female artist export ); the Epuka Band; the Lords of the Jungle Band; Baby Shock Band; and his longest running project Alvarez & the Mtaani Survivors.

Alvarez was drawn into a career in music through the emerging Hip-Hop scene of 1980’s Nairobi. During this decade the DJ was gradually replacing the live band experience. He was perhaps one of the original B-boys/Grafitti artists of Nairobi and he would perform his breakdance and MC routines live with the likes the legendary DJ Paco Perez at Club Boomerang; of Dj Purple at Carnivore; Dj Arif Khan at the Beathouse Nairobi; DJ Makossa at the International Casino; DJ Titos at Florida 2000; and DJ Okello at Club Visions. Keeping his ear to the ground he expanded his interest into the live music scene witnessing most of the great Artist’s from the region such as Mosi-O-Tunya;

His latest release - “Adzeni” featuring the Mtaani Survivors band, is a compendium of his works over the last 15 years. The songs hybridise East African style like Sengenya, Nduruma and Chakacha with Bossanova and Afro-Cuban styles. 

Alvarez Anwar has been making music in Nairobi since the ’80’s from a B-boy/dancer, MC, to a multi-instrumentalist and composer. A recognised virtuoso of latin and East African styles of guitar Alvarez is a sought after session artist.

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