Sanguma Band: Setting the Legacy for the PNG Music Industry

8Ensemble active from 1977 to 1985. They combined music from the cultural tradition of Papua New Guinea with Western instruments and were one of the first Papua New Guinean music groups to perform internationally. 

Sanguma formed at the National Arts School in 1977 and performed in their homeland at the South Pacific Festival of Arts in 1980. Sanguma were nurtured very closely in their early days by the Australian musician Ric Halstead, who was a lecturer at the National Arts School in Port Moresby from whence Sanguma originated and Les McLaren.

Sanguma produced six albums in cassette format; the two eponymously titled Sanguma 1 and Sanguma 2 in the late 1970s also Sanguma Live vol 1 and 2 and ‘Eberia’ with the National Dance Company and in 1983, 'Sanguma Suites', an adventurous excursion into progressive/traditional/rock/jazz/fusion composed by band members Tony Subam (East Sepik Province) and Sebastian Miyoni (Milne Bay Province) and ostensibly by these two musicians rather than the band Sanguma, but as the band featured heavily on the album it was in all but name a Sanguma album. 

The first two albums were somewhat better received[citation needed] than was Sanguma Suites as they were closer to the traditional music of Papua New Guinea. All the albums utilised modern amplified instrumentation to supplement the traditional flutes, drums and vocal sequences. 

In 1979 Sanguma toured PNG performing in Lae, Goroka, Madang, Wewak, Manus and Alotau. In 1980 they performed at the opening of the P.N.G High Commission in Canberra , Australia as well as performing in Kings Cross in Sydney and the Bondi Hotel. Sanguma also performed in Düsseldorf in Germany and whilst on route took time out to climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Sanguma also performed in Japan, These ventures were under the guidance of Ric Halstead who was their mentor from 1979 to 1982. Sanguma supported UK reggae band Steel Pulse on a tour of the USA West Coast in 1983, receiving favourable reviews and attracting.

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Original Post by Paul Ajay in Morobe in Pictures group.