Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz - Katula (2026) [Hi-Res]

Katula is a long-awaited arrival: the debut solo album by Keith Kabwe, released under the name "Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz" with the participation of Amanaz. In his own words, Kabwe had described the moment after Amanaz's final tour when "the last page of the history of Amanaz was written" — and the project's name draws directly from that image, framing this recording as both a closing of that chapter and its proper, dignified conclusion.
After Amanaz dissolved in 1976, Kabwe briefly led Drive Unit before eventually becoming a Pentecostal pastor in Mbala, where he devoted decades to gospel ministry. Katula emerges as a natural extension of that spiritual journey: tracks such as "Lord of Resurrection," "Son Of Man," and "Nshingilile Muliyesu" point to Bemba-language devotional lyrics rooted in the same cultural soil that once nourished Amanaz's early recordings.
Yet the album does not break with its Zamrock heritage. Amanaz were founded in 1973 in Kitwe as one of the defining voices of a genre that fused psychedelic rock, funk, heavy riffs, and Zambian folk traditions to capture the spirit of a post-independence nation finding its own cultural identity. That same spirit — of anti-colonial resilience, deeply local voice, and raw sonic weight — runs through Katula. The album's title, a word in Bemba, preserves the linguistic rootedness that always set Amanaz apart from their Western counterparts.
Now-Again Records, the Los Angeles-based label that has spent over a decade meticulously documenting the Zamrock scene, presents Katula as part of their Record Store Day 2026 programme — describing it as "never before issued Zamrock," a rare designation for a label whose catalogue is built on archival reissues. For Kabwe, now in his seventies, Katula is both a spiritual testimony and a final accounting with the music that made him a legend.

Tracklist:
1-1 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Running The Race [6:15]
1-2 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Katula [4:00]
1-3 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Lord Of Resurrection [6:36]
1-4 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Ndetasha Lesa [4:04]
1-5 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Son Of Man [3:35]
1-6 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Nshingilile Muliyesu [5:23]
1-7 Keith Kabwe and Last Page;Keith Kabwe and Last Page of Amanaz;Amanaz - Bubbling In Ma Soul [4:36]