One of the early bands to emerge from this mix joined Kabasele, Doula, and Yamba-Yamba into a combo called Groupe Doula Georges. The band became known as OTC after making a promotional film for a local radio station that used the call letters OTC. Kabasele patterned his style after the Corsican charm singer Tino Rossi whose soaring vocals and sentimental songs were popular among urban Congolese. Kabasele's earliest hits came in the company of Opika's younger musicians, especially guitarist Nicolas Kasanda (later Docteur Nico) and his guitar-playing brother Charles "Dechaud" Mwamba. "Para-Fifi" (1952) sang the praises of a radio announcer from across the Congo River in Brazzaville. "Kale-Kato" (1952) told of Kabasele's love for a certain Katherine and was one of the first records to introduce saxophone into Congolese music as Belgian sax player Fud Candrix sat in on the session.

During the period 1953-1955, a new band with Kabasele, Nico, and Dechaud at its center evolved from the collection of Opika session players. They called themselves African Jazz, borrowing the name but little of the style from American music. African Jazz played Latin-style songs and contributed heavily to the evolving Congolese rumba, a variant of the Cuban songs. Kabasele became known as "Le Grand Kalle" as his popularity rose to an unparalleled level. Other singers strove to copy his style, so much so that people began to talk of a Kabasele school or an African Jazz school.

Kabasele's most memorable song, "Indépendance Cha Cha" from 1960, celebrated Congo's impending freedom from Belgian colonial masters and lauded Congolese politicians by name. The record became a continent-wide hit as, one by one, African countries won their independence. Another Kabasele composition, "Bilombe ba Gagne" (the courageous have won), recounted the indignity of life under Belgian rule. When independence quickly degenerated into crisis, Kabasele's "Toyokana Tolimbisana na Congo" (let's understand and forgive in the Congo) pleaded for Congolese unity.

With his African Jazz and Surboum African Jazz labels, Kabasele became Congo's first African music publisher in 1960. In addition to records by his own group, Kabasele issued the works of rival band O.K. Jazz. Kabasele proved to be an erratic leader, a trait that fomented dissension and eventually caused all the musicians of African Jazz to desert him in 1963. He re-grouped by joining forces with singer Jean Bombenga, an early protégé, and his Vox Africa. This new group was also called African Jazz, but it failed to reach the level of the original. After sporadic recordings, concerts, and personnel changes, the group disbanded in 1969.

In between gigs with the new African Jazz, Kabasele recorded in Europe with a studio group of varying personnel called African Team. The group included Cameroonian sax player Manu Dibango, Congo-Brazzaville saxophonist Jean Serge Essous, and Cuban flutist Don Gonzalo playing an Afro-Latin-jazz fusion. In the early seventies, Kabasele served as president of SONECA, the performing rights society of Congo-Kinshasa (Zaire). He took to the stage only rarely as he fought off the effects of chronic hypertension. Two sojourns in Paris for medical treatment brought only temporary relief. In 1980 Kabasele was honored with the title grand maître (grand master) of Congolese (Zairean) music by the musicians union UMUZA. He died less than three years later.

Kabasele was one of the great African singers of the twentieth century. He possessed the voice and the style against which all Congolese singers would be measured. His band, African Jazz, became the model for nearly every Congolese group that followed. His contributions to the evolution of the Congolese rumba moved fellow Congolese to call him the "father of Congolese music."



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With the shockwaves of the pacy cavacha reverberating across the DRC and the whole of Africa, Nyboma became the much-sought-after voice, especially after being crowned Congolese Singer of the Year in 1974, following the success of his song "Kamale." Kamale is a Malian word that means "best friend," according to Nyboma.

In an online debate on who was the all-time greatest singer, Nyboma's name featured prominently alongside the names of other singing superstars like Grand Kalle, Tabu Ley, Vicky Longomba, Chanel Kazadi, Josky Kiambukuta, and others.

So good was Nyboma that in the mid-1970s, Franco lured him, both directly and through emissaries, to join his band, OK Jazz, but Nyboma politely declined the overtures.

Born on 24th December 1952 in Nioki, the river town described as mboka mabaya (the town of timber) by Ndombe Opetum in his hit song Voyage na Bandundu, young Nyboma was bitten by the musical bug early in life and began singing in the local church choir.

He had his very first engagement as a professional musician in 1968, performing for Baby National while he was a 16-year-old. The band was owned by Freddy Mulongo. He also had another stint with Negro Success the year that followed, but he did not quite leave a mark there.

It was only when he joined Orchestre Bella Bella that he found a footing that catapulted him to fame. Bella Bella was a group led by the Soki brothers. The group was created in 1969 and signed for Editions Veve in 1970.

The youthfulness and charisma of Soki Vangu meant that the band soared higher and even threatened to depose big names like Tabu Ley, Franco, and Nico from the apex of Congolese music in terms of popularity.

The band had a pool of young but very talented musicians, among them bassist Shaba Kahamba, solo guitarist Kinzunga Ricos, and Pierre Bisikita, among others. They were undoubtedly headed for glory, and Nyboma, a.k.a. Canta Danos, had landed in the right place.

The team released hits like Mayanga, Nakweya Ndeke, Lipua Lipua, and Mobali Amemeli Voyage. Backed by Emile and Maxime Soki, Nyboma became the outfit’s star attraction when the band split, with one group forming Bella Mambo, singer Mulembu Tshibau was brought in to replace Emile in his formation with Nyboma.

Prof. Larry Gumbe, a music enthusiast who is very knowledgeable about Congolese music, describes Nyboma's success in the era as phenomenal. Nyboma became a household name even in Nairobi.

In March 1973, Bella Bella parted ways with Verckys’ Editions Veve. This was when Nyboma and other musicians — Pepe Kalle, Kinzunga Ricos, Mbudi Malanda, Kayembe Zeus, Pierre Bisikita, and others — created Orchestra Lipua Lipua.

Their very first album included the song Kamale, which was a big success. The other songs were Mombasa and Nkotela, and many others. It is worth noting that when Nyboma created his own band in 1975, he named it Orchestra Les Kamale after the hit song he did with Lipua Lipua. The band Lipua Lipua itself had also found a name from the song Lipua Lipua, which Nyboma and the team did at Orchestra Bella Bella. The song Lipua Lipua was composed by Mulembu. According to Nyboma, the song was themed on unfaithfulness in relationships.

Within just two years, another walkout happened, with Nyboma leading the rebels into a new band, Orchestra Les Kamale, leaving Lipua Lipua in the hands of Vata Diantima, who had been recruited from Vox Africa. The lineup for the old Lipua Lipua thus changed to include soloist Santana Mongoley, Paul Nzaya Nzayadio, Dona Mobeti, Benazo Mbuta, and Lusuama Aspro.

Les Kamale released their songs under their own record label, known as Fuka Fuka. Nyboma went ahead and recruited new members to replace those who left. Among them was young and very talented solo guitarist Dally Kimoko.

It is with this team that Nyboma did the hit songs Ayidjo, Andoya, Masuwa, and many others.

In 1982, in Paris, Nyboma teamed up with guitarist Syran Mbenza, singer Wuta Mayi, and rhythmist/bassist Bopol Mansiamina to create Le Quatre Étoiles (Four Stars). The quartet did several recordings under the sponsorship of promoter Sylla.

Nyboma has also had numerous collaborations with many other musicians, among them Pepe Kalle, Madilu, Tabu Ley, and Faya Tess. He also did several songs with Kekele Transcontinental, a Paris-based band created by a grouping of several superstars of the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these songs became award-winning hits.

Armed with a golden voice, a charming smile, and a composing prowess, Nyboma has worked his way into the hearts of many music lovers.

By Jerome Ogola

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He goes ahead to expound on the factors that make him come to that conclusion, beginning with Samba’s natural singing voice. Apart from being a vocalist, Jacob, who first met Samba in Mombasa in 1977, says Samba mostly composed songs themed on subjects that resonated with society, making his songs everyone’s favourite. That’s not all. He explains that Samba did several of his songs in Kiswahili, and this endeared him to Kenyans more than other musicians who mostly sang in Lingala, because the language created a barrier. Kenyans speak Swahili, English, and several other vernaculars native to Africa, mostly Bantu and Nilotic.

Congolese, on the other hand, mostly speak Lingala and French. Although Swahili is a national language in the DRC, alongside Lingala and Tshiluba, most Congolese musicians sing in Lingala, either because it is the most used in Western and Central DRC, where most musicians come from, or because Lingala is more musical and has been adopted as the unofficial language of rumba.

True to his words, songs like Vunja Mifupa are on everyone’s lips, as they understand the words and the theme is a very commonplace occurrence—with men abdicating responsibilities due to alcoholism. When a national debate on women’s slyness and men’s gullibility was triggered by Taarab singer Malika Mohamed, Samba joined the debate by doing his version of the song.

That many Congolese musicians who made it to East Africa mostly sang in Lingala made Samba more acceptable, Jacob insists, while mentioning that with local manager Tabu Osusa, Samba became more Kenyan than any other Congolese musician of the time.

Although Les Mangelepa did a song, Mtukufu Moi, for the then-President Moi, Samba’s song Karibu Kenya is more of the country’s unofficial tourism anthem, alongside Jambo Bwana by the Mushrooms. Even after relocating to the US, Samba has continued to view Kenya as home.

Jacob, who has been a staunch follower of Congolese rumba and specifically the Congolese bands in Nairobi, even named his son after Pele Ondindia, the Le Kinois singer who came as a musician but ended up playing football for Gor Mahia.

The story of Samba’s musical exploits in East Africa dates back to early 1975, when Ugandan businessman Mustafa Atama made a journey to the DRC, then known as Zaire, to prospect for musicians who would form a band to perform at his joint, known as Economy, in Kampala. The joint’s resident band had been Bana Ngege, made up mostly of former musicians from Orchestra Veve, but the band had since relocated to Nairobi, where it mutated into Bana Modja, thus creating the vacuum that Atama intended to fill.

While visiting Isiro town, he came across a youthful band by the name of Saka Saka. This band, headed by Bikassy Mandeko Bidjos, was performing at a venue in the town, but in the absence of their leader.

Mustafa engaged the band, whose chef d’orchestre was Samba Mapangala. They agreed on a deal and snuck out of the town for a journey eastwards into Uganda, without the blessings of their leader, Bikassy Bidjos. Once in Kampala, they settled at their new base, but they needed a new name. They couldn’t operate as Saka Saka, because that was someone else’s band. The band arrived in Kampala on January 16, 1976. They found a name for themselves, Le Kinois. Kinois is a nickname for Kinshasa, and so Le Kinois Bana Kin, as they fondly referred to themselves, meant “sons of Kinshasa.”

The musicians in this entourage included Samba Mapangala himself, who was a composer and vocalist, Fataki Lokassa, who was also a vocalist, Bibiley Kabakaba, who was a rhythmist, Mwalimu Bedjos, bassist Diabanza Johnico, other singers Pele Ondindia and Madjo Maduley, drummer Fustao Waroma, among others.

In Kampala, Samba’s team incorporated other musicians, including percussionist Kasule Mopepe, whose name features very prominently in most of the band’s songs, with the line “sitaki maneno” following. Kampala, like other East African cities, had a euphoric love for Congolese music, and the band was in high demand.

Eastward, Nairobi was calling. The Kenyan capital had an even more vibrant music industry with better recording prospects. The band made several journeys into Nairobi but would return to Kampala, which was their base, before finally settling in Nairobi, where they performed at Garden Square and Uhuru Park. It is worth noting that Mwalimu Bedjos, who was a teacher by profession, had chosen to remain behind in Uganda to pursue his teaching career, forcing the band’s rhythmist, Bibiley Kabakaba, to convert to solo guitar. Okello Jose, a Kenyan, was recruited to take up the role of rhythm guitarist. Okello Jose, who had played with Ochieng Kabasele and other musicians, had been groomed by Juma Toto, who was also just kin.

On one of the band’s journeys to Kampala via bus, the band was reportedly attacked by gunmen in the volatile era of absolutist President Idi Amin. The bus was sprayed with bullets, and in the aftermath, their leader, Samba, was shot in the leg. The band had had managerial tussles between Samba and Madjo, both star vocalists and composers. The tussle had created factions in the band.

While back in Nairobi and recuperating, a source who doesn’t wish to be named says one musician from the Madjo faction was quoted as saying the bullet that injured Samba in his leg ought to have found his head, to kill him. When the rumour got to Samba, he quit and made up his mind to travel back to his native Congo. A veteran producer at Polygram implored Samba to stick around.

Samba obliged and recorded a few songs at Polygram, which became a huge success and gave him a reason not to go back to the DRC. He incorporated Bua Mangala, aka Loboko Passie, on rhythm, Lawi Somana on solo, Nsilu Wabansilu on bass, Shaban Onyango on rhythm, and Attey on sax. Ahmed Sabbit, a tribute to his friend from Uganda, Yembele, and the hit song Virunga are products of this arrangement. In fact, he was envisaging a new dawn for himself in Kinshasa in the song.

Not long after, Samba created his own Virunga. The star-studded Virunga had big names like Siama Matuzungidi on rhythm, Sammy Masinta and Mwalimu Bedjos on solo (note that Bedjos had since linked up with former colleagues in Nairobi), singers Dago Mayombe, Kasongo Wa Kanema, Moreno Batamba, Coco Zigo, and Samba himself. Others were drummer Mandala Ochudi, who was the drummer alongside Lava Machine, aka Lemutu Vumbi. Ochudi is the composer of Sister Alima.

Meanwhile, Le Kinois continued performing under Madjo Maduley, but before long, the band collapsed after Super Mazembe leader Longwa Dido poached Madjo to replace Lovy Longomba, who had made himself unavailable for the band upon realizing he was a gem.

As the adage goes, when the forest catches fire, grasshoppers do not find the luxury of washing each other goodbye—other musicians scattered after the fall of Le Kinois. Madjo went to Mazembe while Bibiley went to Japan, from where he came back with equipment and created his own band, Malembe Stars. After Mazembe, Madjo created his own outfit, Zaiken. Samba’s Virunga had a retinue that comprised a galaxy of superstars, and he gave other big names a run for their money, until late in the 1980s when the entertainment scene began a downward trajectory with the reality of piracy eating much of what would have been a musician’s income, making it difficult for bands to pay members as was the case.

This is one of the reasons Samba travelled to Paris for a series of recordings with Europe-based session musicians, the other reason being superior recording equipment. In the mid-1990s, Samba left Nairobi for the USA, where he has since released several albums—Ujumbe, Kilimanjaro, etc. He occasionally performs in the USA. He has recently hinted at making a comeback to Nairobi.

Samba was born in Congo’s port city of Matadi in the early 1950s. After completing his schooling, he relocated to Kinshasa in 1972, as documented by Alastair Johnston in the Muzikifan blog. He made his debut as a musician featuring for Super Bella, an offshoot of Bella Mambo, before travelling to Eastern Congo to join Saka Saka of Bikassy.

By Jerome Ogola

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The composition, the arrangement, the instrumentation, the singing—everything is so on point. The transition from the 1980s TPOK's Madilu into the 1990s soukous Madilu is one of the most remarkable transitions in music.

Just listen to “Autoroute” from start to end. Back in my days in Chad, a guy we lived with in the camp said that nobody transitioned to the climax better than Madilu. Madilu is the only artist whose music speaks to your body, mind, and soul. These are the words of Silas Nyanchwani, a Kenyan author and music enthusiast. His sentiments capture the near-cult following that Madilu Systeme enjoys in Kenya and possibly other East African countries.

On August 11, 2025, Nairobi and many other towns in Africa and beyond will be holding events to mark the 18th death anniversary of this legendary Congolese musician. Madilu became part of Franco's storied band, OK Jazz, in 1980 after several stints with other bands.

As noted by Nyanchwani, one of Madilu's most remarkable feats was his ability to reinvent himself after the demise of Franco. This didn't just mean regaining a footing in music but also adopting the more popular soukous subgenre of rumba, away from the odemba that OK Jazz had specialized in.

Soukous, which was popularized by Paris-based Congolese musicians, didn't just come with a change of beat but a tradition as well, as most of the recordings were done by hired session musicians as opposed to existing bands, as was the norm. This created a rare flexibility where a few top talents would grace every big name’s recordings, something that would have been impossible before.

For example, in the traditional arrangement, for Madilu to have worked with Nyboma, Caien Madoka, Dally Kimoko, Rigo Star, and others, he would have first had to incorporate them into his band. That was the only way he could get them to grace his recording. This transition was the most outstanding factor that enabled Madilu to reinvent himself and shine even more after OK Jazz. Had he stuck to Franco’s odemba, he would have had only a tiny fraction of the attention he enjoyed.

Shady Shihusa of Jabulani Radio echoes Nyanchwani’s sentiments on Madilu’s greatness but offers a differing opinion on the explanation for his success after OK Jazz. According to him, Madilu in the 1980s came to be identified as OK Jazz’s most popular singer, a fact he says can't be disputed, based on how fans demanded Madilu sing in concerts.

When Franco died, Shady, who hosts the popular show Rumba Overdose, says that although fans were aggrieved by Franco’s demise, they simply transferred the fanatic following they had for him to Madilu, thus boosting his popularity. He goes on to say that apart from Franco, Madilu is the second most requested musician.

The musical history of Madilu traces back to the early 1970s. Faugus Izeidi was a guitarist with the African Fiesta National of Tabu Ley. In 1971, he had differences with his boss and quit to create his own band, which went by the name African Fiesta Populaire.

Faugus, who is the younger brother of the legendary African Jazz musician Roger Izeidi, told this writer that when he established his band, he began recruiting musicians, and among the most sought-after vocalists at the time was a young Madilu. Born on May 28, 1950, Madilu was only 21 years old at the time, a young man oozing talent for music and a burning ambition to succeed. He had previously had stints with two other bands, Symba and Bamboula of Noel. Faugus drove to his home to fetch Madilu, not for auditions but to take up a position in the new band.

He didn’t last long in this assignment and quit in 1973 to join Bakuba Mayopi. Mayopi derived its name from the acronyms of its three founders: Madilu, Yosa, and Pires. The band didn’t last long. Upon its disbandment, Madilu carried the name Pamba Pamba, which had been the most successful of his songs with Mayopi. This group also had superstar Soki Vangu, formerly of Bella Bella.

This group existed between 1976 and 1978 when Madilu was recruited by Tabu Ley into Afrisa, by that time one of the biggest bands in the country. With a litany of singers, Madilu never got a chance to shine at Afrisa. He was relegated to performing peripheral functions. At one time, when Tabu Ley was traveling with his team to Europe, Madilu was left behind.

He had woken up early and made himself available at the airport for his maiden journey to Europe, but all his excitement came to naught when it became apparent that his name had been intentionally left out of the traveling team. He watched in disbelief as the plane carrying his compatriots lifted into the morning skies of Ndjili Airport.

This episode has often been cited by pundits as proof that Tabu Ley didn’t value Madilu much as an asset to his band. In 1980, Franco came calling, and that marked Madilu’s grand march to the top, an apex he remained perched upon until his demise.

Franco brought in Madilu when his band also had a long list of dependable singers. However, Madilu was to become an asset for the future. In the 1980s, Franco’s music was literally in transition from odemba, not necessarily to soukous, but to a variation of odemba that leaned towards soukous.

Madilu proved himself a master of this. The other singers at OK Jazz, Aimé, Josky, Ntesa, and others, were more inclined to odemba. Madilu made a major breakthrough with the song “Non,” a Franco composition recorded in 1983. The song endeared Madilu to the fans of OK Jazz. He became the darling of the masses at all concerts. He did many recordings with OK Jazz, which all turned out to be popular, among them his own compositions Pesa Ngai Position Nayo and Boma Ngai, Ngai Naboma Yo. Others were Franco compositions such as Makambo Eza Bureau, Famous, Mario, and many others.

In the tussle for control of OK Jazz after Franco’s death, only Madilu was on the side of the family, as the other musicians pulled in a different direction, a development that culminated in the creation of Bana OK, led by Simaro. Madilu then launched his solo career, set up a base in Geneva, Switzerland, and married a Swiss woman. He released several albums that did remarkably well in the market. He became a star both in Europe and back home in Africa. He died of heart complications in Kinshasa on August 11, 2007.

Among the events planned for this year’s anniversary in Kenya are Jabulani Radio-sponsored events in Nakuru and Nairobi, where branded merchandise is already on sale as part of the early celebrations. Jabulani Radio has also lined up a series of shows in the programs Rumba Overdose and Rumba Fiesta, to celebrate this fallen icon. Indeed, this music icon is truly revered and missed.

By Jerome Ogola

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Both are modernized traditional music styles, performed with contemporary instrumentation and recorded in modern studios. Over time, as globalization became a reality, the music embraced foreign influences to evolve into what it is today. Many other genres have emerged in the last century under similar circumstances. A rumba musician, in the Congolese sense, can easily fit into a Benga band, and a Benga guitarist only needs to make slight adjustments in style to play with rumba musicians.

This also means that, unlike genres such as hip-hop, Genge, Bongo, or any of the contemporary genres preferred by the urban youth—where one can leave home in the morning and become a superstar by evening after recording just one hit, in Benga (and rumba), it often takes a long time to learn under an established musician before creating a band or becoming a star. Benga and rumba musicians are made, not born, possibly due to the complexity of the genre. It is one of the few genres where the solo guitarist must roam the fretboard to craft melodies that match the lead vocals. This quality is unique to both rumba and Benga, though it is even more pronounced in the latter.

Apart from Ochieng Kabaselle of Lunna Kidi and Grand Maitre Franco of OK Jazz, most big names in rumba/Benga have a history with other bands that groomed them. Kabaselle formed his Lunna Kidi in 1968 when he was only 18, while Franco created his OK Jazz in 1956, at the same age of 18.

As such, rumba and Benga bands are rarely formed from scratch. Their most common mode of reproduction over the years has been "cell division," akin to mitosis in biology. An existing band splits to form one or two new bands, which in turn spawn other bands. OK Jazz of Franco evolved from the Loningisa ensemble and later gave birth to Bantous, Veve, Revolution, Bana OK, Kamikaze, and many others.

African Jazz evolved at Opika, and from it emerged African Fiesta, African Fiesta Sukisa, African Fiesta National, Vox Africa, and more. The Kenyan band Mavalo Kings came from Les Wanyika, itself a splinter of Simba Wanyika. Simba Wanyika was a rebranded Arusha Jazz, which originated from Tanzania’s Jamhuri Jazz. Also in Congo, the split of Wenge in the 1990s led to the rise of several vibrant bands.

In Benga, the epicenter of this division was the Victoria bands of the 1970s. Over time, these reproduced into Victoria A, B, C, and D. The Victoria bands represent the peak of Benga's development, though the genre’s roots can be traced back to the 1940s and 1950s. While many theories exist about the etymology of the word "Benga," there’s consensus that the evolution began at the tie dero (by the granary), where a solo instrumentalist sang to entertain the village.

From the era of John Ogara, Were Carey, Aketch Oyosi, Owiti Origo, and Odira Jombo came the second generation: Collela Mazee, Okatch Biggy, Ouma Omore, Awino Lawi, Prince Jully, Jim Likembe, and others. The genre's development wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging several non-musical players, chief among them Oluoch Kanindo, who later became a Member of Parliament.

He was the Verckys of Benga: a creator, manager, and financier of bands. He also established several influential record labels that helped market the songs. Many other figures played crucial roles in amplifying Benga's reach, eventually popularizing the genre even in the Caribbean Islands. It was from one of these bands, Awino Lawi’s Nairobi-based band, that Osito Kalle emerged.

The Benga superstars of today, Johny Junior, Robert Jaligega, Prezda Bandason, and others, are all products of the bands that existed in the 1990s, much like Fally Ipupa, Ferre Gola, et cetera, are also products of the Wenge generation of the late 1990s.

Perhaps it is for reasons of shared ancestry and evolutionary region that these two siblings grew up in different environments but still matured to exhibit such a litany of glaring resemblances.

By Jerome Ogola

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Venue: Simaro's House

INTRODUCTION

Simaro Lutumba was perhaps the greatest poet among the composers of Franco's great TPOK Jazz. He joined the band in 1961 and later became the band's long-term vice president. His melancholy 1974 hit "Mabele," sung by Sam Mangwana, was a landmark in OK Jazz's "authenticité" era releases and cemented Simaro's reputation as "Poet." In the late '70s, he was one of the musicians jailed at Makala prison during Franco's most serious run-in with the authorities, a clash over two songs deemed obscene. Simaro operated the band during Franco's long absences in Europe in the 1980s. This interview took place at Simaro's home.

BANNING EYRE: Tell me the story of this band, Bana OK, after the death of Franco in 1989.

SIMARO: After the death of Franco, I led the band TPOK Jazz for four years. When Franco died, the inheritors—that is to say, his children—we gathered around a table to understand how we were going to work. I said to Luambo's (Franco's) family that I would take only the musicians under my wing. All the rest—the administration and technical people—would all belong to them. So then the sister who represented the family asked for a few days to think about it. We arranged a meeting, and the musicians who stayed with me. And we asked this question: How are we going to work now? I proposed an idea: I would take 60% of the receipts, and I would pass 40% to the sister, that is, for the technical team and the administration, and all that.

The sister said, "No, listen. I am not used to working with artists. They are too complicated. No, I will give you 70%. I will take just 30% of the receipts." Okay, we agreed, and we got right to work. The first tour after the death of Franco, we did Tanzania, and then Kenya. Then we came back. It was very difficult after Franco's death. There was nothing in the bank. We had to work very hard. And then the politics of our country started to become spoiled. It was really difficult. But we worked. I led the band right up until 1994. We had some real success. One year, we had the best song of the year. Madilu was the best singer of that year. So everything was going very well. Then suddenly, I don't know what happened. Suddenly, there was a flood of letters and articles in the papers: "Simaro is running the band OK Jazz as if it were his own. He is giving just scraps to the children of Franco."

I didn't know what was happening. But I am patient by nature, maybe too patient. I waited. These articles kept pouring into the papers. Then one night, a certain letter came. The letter said that I must return all the instruments to the house in Limete upon receiving this letter. I didn't know why, because we were just near the end of the weekend. I said, "No, we can't just stop like that. Listen, things can't end just like that."

BANNING EYRE: What year was that?

SIMARO: That was the end of 1993. I said, "No, we'll finish out the weekend. On Monday, we will sit around a table. I will bring the instruments, and we will try to figure out what is happening and what is not happening." Then on Sunday, I saw on television a lawyer who was defending the Luambo foundation. He told the announcer that I was no longer the president of the band TPOK Jazz, that I had to give that place to someone younger, and that I was the oldest person in the band. It was not right that I should leave the presidency. I was the only one who was with Franco right up to the end. I joined OK Jazz in 1961. Since '61, I was at Franco's side.

I found Femi Joss; I made Kwamy; I made Zak; I made Musekiwa; I made Defao; I made Albino Colombo. I am almost the only survivor. Everyone else had left. So I said, "Listen, this won't work. I must be happy too." It was Sunday and we had a concert. There was a good market there. So I called the RTNC team together, with the cameras and all that. They didn't know what I was going to say. It was my decision. Then I explained that I was no longer in TPOK Jazz. You can follow on television what has happened. People cried, even the artists. Even me. I cried too because I had spent almost my whole life next to Franco, and all my know-how was with him.

That was the birth of Bana OK. I did not ask any of the musicians to follow me. I simply said we should meet the next day at the Zenith bar and work out the details. Everyone was with me. They said, "You are the president. We don't know where we'd go. You who worked with Franco. What are we going to do now?" So that was the birth of Bana OK. Everyone was with me. It was now 1994, the 4th of January.

Bana OK, rehearsal.

BANNING EYRE: And who were the singers at that time?

SIMARO: At the time, it was still Josky and Ndombe Opetum. Madilu was no longer with us, because he was at the base of all that had happened.

BANNING EYRE: Tell me about the current work of Bana OK.

SIMARO: The newest single is not out yet. We have a tour in the works, but we are not in complete agreement with our producer. But we have a CD with three songs, Interpellation, which you can find anywhere in town. Bana OK, there are lots. There was Tonere Show, and there was one we did with Pepe Kalle, Trahison. Then there was Ingratitude. We have at least four or five albums. And then there are the shows. We play almost every Sunday, and it's usually full, full, full!

BANNING EYRE: How long have you been playing at the Baobob Club?

SIMARO: Just since last year. Maybe two years. That's the place you find us now. It's through Bana OK that you find OK Jazz, and everything that made Franco's music, OK Jazz's music work, you find it with us.

BANNING EYRE: You still play his repertoire?

SIMARO: Why not? Everyone is still with me.

BANNING EYRE: How many in the group now?

SIMARO: Twenty-two or twenty-three. Then with four dancers, we are twenty-six. It's difficult at the moment, with all that's going on in the country.

BANNING EYRE: It's a very tough time.

SIMARO: But we're still attracting people.

BANNING EYRE: I'm interested in the parallel histories of politics and music here. Tell me about the 1960s, the time when there were two great schools in Congolese music: African Jazz and OK Jazz. Apart from the different styles, what was the difference between the two audiences?

SIMARO: Before that, you had the epoch of Wendo, but Wendo was not alone. There were other great artists, too, who made that a great epoch. There were lots of artists at Studio Ngoma. But Wendo has been lucky enough to survive to this day. He's had a long life, and he still has his voice. But those two schools were born because we had these two guitarists. Here, we were lucky around 1958 and '59 because a guitarist came here named Bill Alexandre. I think he was Belgian. I'm not sure about his origin, but this M. Bill Alexandre played the guitar with a flat pick. Nico was still in school, and Franco, like me, hadn't done much at school. We can say that Franco was an artist of the street. He was with everyone in the street. When there was a little party, he'd play. It was that kind of music, purely Bantu music, almost folklore. But M. Bill Alexandre, when he came, brought a different style that all the guitarists wanted to know. Everyone wanted to learn how to play with a pick. Nico was already very good. Franco was not so discreet. He came at first with the music we called at the time Watama, the music of the "indubules," a little like the chegue (street kids) today. But at the time, the indubules were not exactly like the chegue. The chegue today are really, let's say, delinquents.

Our Kinshasa correspondent, KAVLO WADIGESILA, emailed us this note of explanation: The "indubules" were former sportsmen gangsters of the '60s and '70s. Some of their activities included providing protection to musicians, backing up musicians, etc. They used to go into bars and other recreational facilities to boss people around. They spent much time drinking and gambling. They would take customers' wives roughly out of the bars for sexual union, a night, or even for months, without their husbands' resistance. They would behave and dress exactly like they saw in movies called horse operas (Westerns by famous actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood...), received movie stars' names like Django, Pekos, Buffalo Bulls, Wallace, Bouda, Thomas, Sinatra, Godjila, Bingema, Soto—just think of all the names of cowboys, sheriffs, rustlers, and red Indians to get the idea. The indubules had names that were a bit bizarre, like Django, Boss, all that. This interested everybody. They were into sports, bodybuilding, all that. Franco was from that school. He even smoked a little "chamvre."

BANNING EYRE: Coming back to politics, I know that Franco had a special relationship with Mobutu. What can you tell me about that?

SIMARO: I will tell you a little about the person who was Mobutu. He was a fanatic for Franco, above everything. He was a fanatic for our team, even before he was president. I found Mobutu at Franco's side when I came in 1961. At all the parties that happened at Mobutu's home, when they hired a band, it was we who played. Baptisms of children, birthdays, all that. Mobutu was a fanatic of Franco as an artist.

BANNING EYRE: So it was Mobutu who chose, not Franco.

SIMARO: It was he who chose, frankly. When Mobutu rose to power, it was in 1965. In '66, we were in Brazza, making a little tour, and Mobutu asked Franco and his band to come back to Kinshasa to play. So we stopped and went back directly with Franco to Ndolo. Ndolo was a small prison in town that was reserved for the military. After a day or two, we went to Franco. The president had told him to stay at his side: "With me in power, you will go far. I will have need of you." So that's how it started. In any case, as I said, as far as the relationship between President Mobutu and Franco, from the start, Mobutu was a fanatic for Franco. And with time, as he became president, he was president of all the artists, not just Franco. Those who were lucky enough to play for President Mobutu received his small gifts that the president gave them. It was not only Franco.

So, when President Mobutu had need of a little publicity, or even propaganda, he would call Franco secretly. But he gave opportunities to many artists. It was Mobutu who decided. He had a whole community. "We'll do it like this. He will speak and tell people to listen. Simaro will make a song. Another will make a song. We'll record them and I'll listen and decide which is the best song." That's how it worked.

When Franco was very sick, near the end, Mobutu did something for him. Even when he was dead, the band found him in Europe, and President Mobutu paid all the bills, the hotels, and everything. He asked all the artists to return. He sent a special plane that brought the body with all the artists.

BANNING EYRE: What a story.

SIMARO: Yes, it's a long story. I am a small library of the story of OK Jazz, because I saw many things with Franco. God has given me 40 years on the scene. In our generation, I am the only one who has continued to play. Maybe I will soon be abandoned. I've worked a lot. I've composed a lot. I will be 64 on the 19th of March.

BANNING EYRE: Congratulations.

SIMARO: Thank you.

BANNING EYRE: Finally, tell me a bit about what is happening in Congo music now. I understand that the competition between artists has become severe. Maybe the whole tone of the music is tougher now. What do you think about all that?

SIMARO: Unfortunate. Unfortunate. When we began our conversation, you asked me a question about the two schools of music in the '60s. You might say that you can have two twins, but each has their own name. What is happening today in music, I am not against it. I am their father. They have brought something to the music, youth, and new blood. Yes, this is true. But, I must tell you that there is too much monotony. You can't even tell whether this is one band or another, even on television, if you see the dancing, the way they sing, even the guitarists, their way of playing what they call seben. There is a broadcast that comes on here with this guy Gaspar; it's called Studio Maximum. I was hearing a song from Werra [Son], and yet it was J.B. who was dancing. It's new. I didn't know what was happening. And afterwards, it was a song by J.B. playing, but they are showing Werra dancing very hard during this song. For the people who follow this show, this puts an idea in their head: you can't tell the difference!

Now with us and O.K. Jazz, Franco was a great composer. I came to join him and I brought my style. Josky arrived, and he had his style. Ndombe came, and he brought his style. We were all in O.K. Jazz. It was Franco's guitar that prevailed in the sound. This is what I have to ask our young artists. When Papa Wemba sings, I know: this is Papa Wemba. He has his style. And my young brother, whom I like a lot, Kofi, is a great lyricist, a great poet. I like him because he brought another way of doing things. Zaiko with Nyoko Longa remained Zaiko, with his style, the part that made people dance, the seben. Zaiko stayed. This is what I have to say, if they will hear me, to the Wenge clan: when you separate, you must distinguish yourselves also. The style must change. There are great singers among them, and great composers, even great arrangers. They are lucky to work in Europe with such great quality. We started out in studios with just a single track. For a song, you were ten musicians. If one of you made a mistake, you all started again.

BANNING EYRE: You had to be real musicians then.

SIMARO: We were real musicians. The singer presented the song. He memorized the song for two or three days until it stayed in his head. He was called on to sing in those days. I'm not talking about Papa Wemba now; that was another epoch. I'm talking about the epoch of Vicky Longomba, of Mujos, and of Kabaselle. If you were a singer, you had to sing everything, European songs, American songs. If someone said, "Sing tango," you sang tango. If someone wanted waltz, you sang a waltz. But ask this of our young singers today? No. And with the guitarists, it was the same thing. We had great guitarists, Papa Noel, Tino Baroza, and even Franco. He wanted to play everything. But today, if you ask a question of a young guitarist in any of these groups in our country, "Do you know the guitarist who was called Tino Baroza?" "Ah, no." "And Nico Kassanda?" "Oh, but no." There are records. They could listen. In my band, I have a young player. He is 20. I call him Olivier. I called on him last week; I sent him out with my little suitcase of albums to listen. At that time, we already played like that. This is how one studies. Yesterday, he asked me about this song. Was it Tino Baroza? Or was it Rochereau?

BANNING EYRE: So he's getting interested now.

SIMARO: Yes. And he's got the touch. It's very rare to find young people who are interested in international music, like jazz. Even the words. I am a great lyricist. Rochereau also. All our young songwriters must pass by Rochereau, by Franco, and by Simaro. One of our words always ends up in our songs. They don't say so, but that's how it is. We are not jealous. We are proud of our children. They follow our path. But, there are some who sing just anything. There are songs where you can find 200 names of people. They call that "mabanga." But you haven't searched, really searched in your head. There are songs where they talk about, "Oh, Freddy. How are you?" This is a form of mabanga also. It's a way to please a fanatical fan. I heard one song. In every space, there was a name. I asked, "What is that?" He said, "That pays well."

We composers must compose. You must be able to write a song about, for example, this flower. Sing to me about this flower. How did God create it? What do you find in this flower? I want to show you how you can be inspired, and what this flower can represent in a society, in the life of a person. Not necessarily to say, "Antoine, look at this flower! Hey Mama Djili!" What does the name of Mama Djili tell us about the conception of this flower? That is it. Our composers must do that. They call me today the great poet, the great monument of my country. This is because I have put my soul into my work.

So, look, these young children have arrived. They have discovered good technology. They have money because they have fanatic fans, and now there is commerce and marketing. There are now lots of television stations. When we started, there was no television. Television came and found us. I, Simaro, was already Simaro before our republic bought a television station. We had only a radio, just a single radio station. So when you composed, for your song to be a success, you had to do good work. … In our time, we had a family that gave us two artists, Soki Dianzenza and Soki Vangu. They worked hard and they arrived at a different style. And Nyboma, a great tenor who arrived with something very particular. And we haven't even talked about Pepe Kalle. This was again another school. Today, Pepe Kalle is dead. Grand Kalle is dead. Kwamy, all, all, all gone. There is Carlyto, who arrived with a timbre. And there is Papa Wemba, who has a style particular to himself. You can't find that anywhere else. This is the thing.

We have good singers in the young bands today. I'm not talking about Werra or J.B. I'm talking about their musicians. Ferre sings very well. And Alain Mpela and Lacosta have a beautiful voice. But having a nice voice is one thing. Knowing how to master it is something else. As a composer, I am very severe with my singers. Because I don't sing myself. To make Alain Mpela, Didier Lacosta, and Ferre, I want to give them one Simaro song to sing. People will be astonished.

BANNING EYRE: Great idea.

SIMARO: Yes. But how will they meet? This one is from this camp. That one is from that. There are three different camps. The others will all scream. In our time, it was not like that. I am the only one who made almost all the singers in OK Jazz sing. We sang with Papa Wemba in my song "Telegram." I made Pepe Kalle sing, Mbilia Bel, Mpongo Love. I always have this idea of giving them this love. Because I love them a lot, we must be together to make things better. This is my idea. But at the moment, it is very difficult.

BANNING EYRE: Thanks so much, Simaro.

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When Madilu System died, Ndombe Opetum gathered a few musicians present at the funeral to sing this line over his coffin moments before it was lowered into the grave. The line, which translates to "when I die, I know how they will mourn me," originates from a song titled "Nayebi Ndenge Bakolela" by Opetum himself and OKJ of Franco.

That was in August 2007, and five years later, it was time to experience how the world would mourn Ndombe Opetum himself. He died on May 24, 2012. It has been 12 years since this star musician from the DRC, the country of musical gods, died in a Kinshasa hospital.

Opetum, also called Pepe Ndombe, is easily one of the biggest names in second-generation Congolese music, a generation that also produced Grand Kalle of African Jazz and Franco of OK Jazz. Ndombe Opetum sang with two of Congo's greatest musical outfits: OKJ and Afrisa International. He carved a niche for himself while appearing for African Fiesta National in 1968. The Tabu Ley-led band ran into loggerheads with the Mobutu administration over its failure to appear for an end-of-year concert, prompting its ban from performing for a short period. This led to a mass exodus of musicians, among them singer Mangwana, guitarist Guvano, Bokassa, and others, who went on to create Festival Des Maquisards.

When the ban was lifted, Ley had to recruit new musicians, among them singers Ndombe Opetum and Rene Kasanda, and guitarists Attel Mbumba, Michelino, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and others. Opetum stamped his authority in the band with his own compositions: "Hortense," "Longo," among other love ballads, which he sang sentimentally with the guitar backup of the stylish Attel Mbumba, Faugus Izeidi, and Lokassa Ya Mbongo. He also did "Basi Basalaka," "Alici," "Aime," "Mutambula," etc. He also sang in many more songs composed by others. He performed with the band in the 1970 Olympia concert, which saw the band rebrand to Afrisa upon returning from Paris.

Later, still in early 1972, he teamed up with two guitar wizards, Dino Vangu on solo and Vata Mombasa on rhythm, to create Afrizam. With this band, he composed "Kenga," "Antale Mokitani ya Hortense," "Mbimba Bika," and participated in many more, some not necessarily his own compositions. Still in the early '70s, Afrizam rebranded to Makina Loka, with a new lineup of personnel. With this new band, he did "Zongisa Bolingo," etc.

Ndombe's fate seemed to be intertwined with that of Mangwana. After Maquisards, Mangwana joined OKJ, and upon his departure, Opetum joined the band in the mid-'70s. He sang in numerous albums, among them his own composition, "Voyage na Bandundu." This particular song remains very memorable; it was his magnum opus. It is a solo performance, which he sings all alone. The song features a great guitar formation of his former Afrisa colleague, killer soloist Michelino, with Gege Mangaya on rhythm, and the sax team led by Loway and Pedro gave their best.

The song, narrating a literal boat journey in the waters of the great River Congo, locally known as "Ebale Ya Zaire," from Kinshasa to Bandundu, through the timber town of Nioki (Mboka Mabaya), is actually a figurative journey from Afrisa to OK Jazz, as he sums it up by mentioning Vicky and Brazzos, who had adopted a similar path before. He also composed "Bena," "Heritier," and featured in the band's premier lineup, which also included Josky Kiambukuta, Wuta Mayi, Boyibanda, Youlou Mabiala, and others. He would use his low baritone to create harmony with the high tenors of Boyibanda, Youlou, Josky, and others, and this made him a big asset to OKJ, which was hitherto a home of high tenors.

In the early '80s, he left OKJ to team up with Loway, whom he had played with in Afrisa and later OKJ, Mangwana, and others to create a band called Tiers Monde, which didn't last long. He made a grand comeback to OKJ after Franco's death and excelled in his own compositions "Angela" and "Tawaba," both featuring Dizzy Mandjeku on solo. He stayed with Bana OK after OKJ disbanded in 1993 and made a remarkable contribution to the band's discography in the late '90s.

Opetum, who would be 80 years old this year, was born in Bandundu in the DRC. As one writer observed, despite the enormous deposits of minerals hidden in the ground, Congo's leading export is music. It is worth noting that Ndombe Opetum was one of the talents that made the country's music what it was.

By Jerome Ogola

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Saak Saakul was a singer and composer with Orchestre Veve, led by the late Verckys Kiamuangana, a band he joined in 1969. He was the first of the three vocalists of the band, known collectively as Trio Madjesi—comprising Mario Matadidi, aka Mabele, originally from Angola, and Loko Masengo, aka Djeskain, originally from the Republic of Congo—to join the group.

Alongside Bebe, the duo made up the vocal lineup for the song Bankoko Baboyi, one of the earliest hits by the band. Previously, the band had enjoyed the services of Prince Youlou Mabiala in songs like Sasa Akeyi Conge, featured on an album credited to "Verckys and Son Ensemble" as the backup band, rather than Orchestre Veve. The trio left Orchestre Veve in 1972 to form their own band, Orchestre Sosoliso, which became wildly popular for their showmanship—a concept that was relatively new to Congolese music at the time.

Their choreographed and often dramatized concerts became euphoric events in Kinshasa and beyond during the 1970s, especially after American rock musician James Brown performed at the concert preceding the Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.
The three musicians were not only singers but also talented composers and dancers. They carved a niche for themselves as a phenomenal band of the era, with little competition, even from groups like Orchestre Les Stukas and Afrisa, who attempted to emulate their style. Their song Photo Ya Madjesi solidified their place in the music scene. By the mid-1970s, however, the band began to fade, amid rumors that more established musicians had a hand in its slow decline.

Loko Masengo returned to his hometown of Brazzaville, Mario Matadidi went back to Angola, and Saak Saakul traveled to Paris for further musical engagements. However, he was not active for long due to health complications. Upon the trio's departure, Verckys introduced a new lineup that included Ramazani Nkalu Luaka, Pascal Mangwana, Fukiau Pepito, and Tusevo Nejos, among others.

It is also worth noting that a dozen OK Jazz musicians played for Veve at some point. These included guitarist Dizzy Mandjeku; singers Wuta Mayi, Kwamy Munsi, Fukiau Pepito, and Ikomo Ingange; guitarist Petit Pierre; Youlou Mabiala; trombonist Makamba; and saxophonist Ruben Kunsita, among others. This exemplifies the fluidity of the music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. However, Saak Saakul never played with either Franco’s OK Jazz or Afrisa. The flamboyant trio left a lasting impression on Congolese music, setting the pace for today's bands, where performances often matter more than recordings.

By Jerome Ogola

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At that time, the manager of the band was Ogola Oyier, a physics teacher at Otieno Oyoo Secondary School. A few minutes into the performance, one of the major amplifiers blew out.

It was already too late to travel to Kisumu, more than 50 kilometers away, to buy a replacement. Even in Bondo, the shops had already closed. What were the options?

Someone suggested sending an emissary to borrow an amplifier from any of the bands performing in Bondo. It was estimated that, given Kale’s status, any of the musicians would easily consent to interrupt their concert and lend an amplifier to LUNNA Kidi, as his show was too important to be disrupted.

Ogola Oyier was assigned this responsibility. He drove the band’s pickup truck to Bondo town, identified a venue playing live music, parked, and embarked on his mission. The band performing at that particular venue happened to be Solar Boys, owned by Hosea Songa.

The band consisted of relatively unknown musicians at the time, including Omondi Tony as its rhythm guitarist, Musa Juma as the solo guitarist, and a drummer named Steve, among others.

When the request was placed, it was readily accepted. The musicians, equally excited, opted to board the Peugeot 504 pickup and accompany the amplifier to Ramba to witness the renowned Kabaselle perform. Any budding musician of that era would have wished to be like Kale one day. Upon arrival, the musicians who had escorted their amplifier helped set it up, and the powerful equipment roared back to life.

As LUNNA Kidi’s musicians lined up for their performance, one young musician from the Bondo team approached Oyier and asked which one among them was Kabaselle. Oyier pointed him out, and the young musician—Musa Juma—took a strategic position to watch his role model perform.

As was tradition, Kale commenced the show with the songs "Atieno" and "Maziwa Na." The crowd was thrilled, but it was the Bondo-based musicians who were even more excited.

“Niombee lift,” Musa Juma whispered to Ogola Oyier. This was musician’s jargon, asking for a chance to play with the band.

Oyier obliged. Kabaselle, who was on his favorite instrument—the rhythm guitar—handed Musa Juma the solo guitar. It was a rare opportunity for the young musician to showcase his potential in front of industry veterans and share the platform with them.

The moment Musa struck his first chord, Kabaselle turned to Oyier and instructed him to ensure that Musa Juma would be the first person to board the vehicle the next morning as they headed back to the city. Musa then traveled with the band to Kisumu, where LUNNA Kidi was based at Confidential Hotel, which was later rebranded as Kimwa Hotel.

Musa Juma became LUNNA Kidi’s solo guitarist for two years, performing with the band in Usenge, Mombasa, Nairobi, and Nakuru. During his time with LUNNA Kidi, he never sang—his role was strictly playing the solo guitar, which he was exceptionally skilled at.

In 1993, an entrepreneur named Randa, returning from abroad, purchased high-end equipment for a mobile discotheque and a band. The disco was named Space Shuttle, and the band was Limpopo. He began scouting for musicians, and one of his biggest recruits was Musa Juma, who was snatched from LUNNA Kidi.

Musa quickly became a star with Limpopo. It isn’t clear how he eventually took over the ownership of the band from the original owner, but he grew musically to become one of the most celebrated musicians in Nyanza. Although he denied having worked with Kabaselle in a radio interview, overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise. Even in his songs, he heavily borrowed from Kabaselle’s style and phrases, whether he admitted it or not.

Musa Juma’s mastery of the fretboard gave his music an unrivaled finesse. Many rumba fans believe that a band’s greatness is often determined by its solo guitarist, and Musa was an exceptional composer and accomplished guitarist.

If an outsider unfamiliar with Kenyan music were asked which band—Limpopo or Bana Kadori—most closely resembled LUNNA Kidi, the answer would undoubtedly be Limpopo.

Kabaselle’s music was a version of benga that leaned toward rumba while still retaining its benga identity. This style is what Musa Juma excelled in.

Among Luo music enthusiasts, there has always been a tendency to associate such music with elitism. This has led some benga musicians to move away from the mainstream benga style, as seen with artists like Collela Mazee and Prince Jully, and instead join the Luo rumba bandwagon.

However, from an expert’s perspective, benga should have continued evolving as its own distinct genre, potentially reaching an international audience without losing its identity.

Musa Juma re-recorded some of the songs he had initially produced with Solar Africa, and these songs gained national fame. Over the years, Musa became one of Nyanza’s most popular musicians. His signature slow rumba style attracted fans from across the country.

Radio stations also played a significant role in popularizing him beyond the traditional regions where benga had a following. Kisumu has long been the epicenter of rumba, likely due to its proximity to Siaya—a region often referred to as the “DRC of Kenya” due to the high number of musicians originating from there.

His songs "Marcelina" and "Siaya Kababa" became national anthems. As a prolific composer, Musa continued his band’s legacy by recording more music. His songs were slower-paced, making them easy to dance to and sing along with.

His compositions were also well-arranged, each featuring classic guitar solos by Musa Juma himself. He held concerts across the country, further popularizing his music and building a strong connection with his fans.

For some reason, Musa’s music created a euphoria that took on a near-cult-like following. Some of his fans have made exaggerated claims, calling him the greatest musician East Africa ever had—an assertion that is debatable, depending on the criteria used to gauge a musician’s greatness.

Data from record companies does not support the claim that Musa Juma outsold his peers. Neither do radio airplay statistics or club playlists indicate that his songs outperformed all others.

Isaya Oka, a seasoned musician, acknowledged that Musa was indeed a great artist, but the idea that he was the best of all time is a bit far-fetched.

Musa Juma, or MJ as his fans fondly called him, was admitted to a hospital in Mombasa, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He passed away on March 15, 2011. His widow, Winnie, took over the leadership of the band.

Fans across the country have continued to hold events commemorating his legacy, even 14 years after his passing.

By Jerome Ogola

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Hotels are advertising special offers for couples, and gift shops are abuzz with activities, all because love is in the air, and soon it will be Valentine's.

February 14 is marked globally as a day of lovers. Although this tradition, with roots in the ancient Roman Empire, hadn't gained much traction in Africa until recently, it is now observed even in remote villages, where it is not strange to find the local grocer selling plastic roses.

On Valentine's Day of 1949, a major development happened in the port city of Matadi, when one of the rumba Congolese finest singers tested his vocals for the very first time as he cried for the first time in an after-birth tradition that happens with every child.

Perhaps the child would've been named Valentine, but his parents chose to stick to their naming traditions for the reason that the village hadn't fully comprehended and appreciated the concept of Lover’s Day. He was named Joseph Kiambukuta.

The boy would go on to achieve stardom, becoming part of the singing line-up of one of Congo’s finest voices, with an extraordinary vocal range spanning the music scale. From his teenage until his demise, Josky graced the vocal section of some of the most popular bands in the country of musical gods, DRC. The bands were African Fiesta Sukisa led by Dr. Nico, Orchestra Continental, and OK Jazz led by Franco.

He began his career with  Africa Fiesta Sukisa of Dr Nco Kasanda Wa Mikalayi. The band faced turbulent times because of Dr Nico's poor leadership acumen and love for the bottle. The band had had a very successful three-year start, but its membership became fluid with a chain of defections that saw it change musicians very frequently.

In 1969, the band brought in two singers, Josky and Chantal Kazadi. As much as Chantal didn't live long enough to further his musical career as he was executed in 1970 on suspicion of participating in a robbery, Josky began his musical journey to the top.

He announced his presence in the band by participating in several hit songs including 'Anne Marie' and 'bolingo ya sens unique', Cheri Julie' etc, which were his compositions. In 1971, Josky joined hands with Bopol Mansiamina, Wuta Mayi, ace soloist Serpent, and others to create that phenomenal ensemble known as Orchestra Continental

Here, Josky excelled with the recording of wonderful hits like 'Mama na Nicole', 'Vero' and others. This band had some political connections with the kind of manipulation, It was going far. However, young Josky jumped ship when the outfit was still afloat.

His next musical home was OK Jazz, Led by Franco, where he remained for a whopping 21 years until when the band was disbanded in 1993, after the demise of Franco. OKJ was the natural home for Josky.

A sample of his works with the previous bands in comparison to those he did with OK Jazz is a clear illustration that he was more of an OK Jazz musician than the previous bands, continental and African Fiesta Sukisa, it is worth noting that both bands did African Jazz school of rumba which preferred a 'lolaka' style of singing associated with Grand Kalle, which featured a solo vocalist without any backup singers.

Josky having the advantage of a wide vocal range was more useful at OK Jazz which did the OK Jazz school of rumba that featured a lead singer and serial backup singers, thus providing some legroom for Josky's vocal flexibility.

An apt example is ‘sandoka’ of OKJ, a composition of Franco. The singers for that assignment were in two sets of Josky paired with the late Ntesa in a duet with Wuta Mayi yoked with Ndombe Opetum.

Naturally, a high tenor, Ntesa, had to retain his vocals, but Josky is the wizard of the game. He could sing like anyone, hit high notes, get as high as Mpoyi, or as low as Opetum. So, in this case, to create harmony, and so he sings low. Wuta and Opetum blend so naturally. A singer like Opetum struggled to match Tabuley's high tenor while at African Fiesta National, the first example in ‘Hortense’ but at OKJ he let out his natural voice, that deep voice because in this band, harmony was key and the outfit already had several high tenors, Mangwana, Boyibanda, etc.

Josky could fit in as a lead vocalist or backup vocalist as he could sing as high as Djo Mpoyi or as low as Ndombe Opetum. At OKJ, Josky's voice identifies with the band. Apart from Franco, the other musician to have participated in more recordings than any other musician is Lola, who stayed with the band for 25 years, from the day he joined in September 1967 to his death in 1992 (OKJ disbanded in 1993)

Josky was the band's most recognized and most popular singer of the 1980s, the 1970s being Youlou's and the 1960s being Josky's. His successes at OKJ began with songs like 'Selija' of the mid-1970s, 'Proprtaire' of the early 1980s, the 'KSK' of the mid-1980s to the 'Chandra' of the Water days. His footprints are everywhere in the history of OK Jazz and, by large, that of Congolese music.

However, to fully appreciate Josky's contribution, one must look beyond OK Jazz, because he also participated in several projects outside OKJ, like the MAMAKI, a short-lived nzing nzong created from the acronyms of Mabiala ie Youlou, Mayaula and Kiambukuta.

The other mutineers for the project were Ya Makosso, the rhythmst, Mpudi the bassist, and others. There were other such projects as the one that Josky and Ntesa sneaked out of OKJ to participate in, i.e., the Momene Mikengo songs that included the 'lela ngai na mosika' and Likongo Li Mboka.

Josky passed away on the 7th of March, 2021, in Kinshasa. Perhaps to celebrate his birthday posthumously, fans will have to play several of the love songs he did because it will be Valentine's Day as well.

By Jerome Ogola

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Coming from a guitar supremo who is thought by pundits to be the best, perhaps only rivalled by Nico that may have been a statement of admission from Franco, that Noel may have been the most skilful from his pool of talented guitarists that also included Thierry Mantuika, Dizzy Mandjeku and Gerry Dialungana, at the time.

Franco himself learnt his guitar in the streets and with limited formal education, he was deficient in music theory, requisite in understanding the jazz guitar and this is why he was amazed by Papa Noel's proficiency in Jazz mastery.

Papa Noel, born Antoine Nedule Montswet and given the prefix Papa by his mother and adopted the name Noel from a reversed Leon as his stage name, died in Paris on 11th November. His music genius straddles any particular band, OKJ, for this case. In fact, a narration of his music career sounds more like a recital of the history of Congolese rumba. 

Alongside Franco and Dr. Nico, he was clustered in the holy trinity by rumba aficionados. Given the perspective of generations, he is among the last, being survived only by Dizzy Mandjeku and maybe his brother Moro, who currently resides in Brussels.

To trace the contribution of Papa Noel, one must trace his involvement with at least ten bands that he played with in his career. Like a bull dies with grass in its mouth, Papa Noel too died while still active in music and at the time was engaged in some projects which he left incomplete.

His maiden involvement was in 1956. A teenage Noel having learnt his guitar fast, from the instrument procured for him by his mother, hung around Ngoma Records, the first record label to set foot in Kinshasa, which was then eight years old. 

His first studio assignment was to play the solo guitar in Clara Badimwene, a song by Leon Bukasa, a big name of the day in Leopoldville. This band also had legendary saxophonist Albino Kalombo and the contrabass big man Joseph Mwena. Albino Kalombo, who mostly played the trumpet, also played sax and did his trade for OKJ in the latter days, among many other bands. Joseph Mwena was to star with African Jazz and the latter African Fiesta.

At the end of 1956, Dino Antonopolous had been persuaded by Henri Bowane to establish Esengo as one of the earliest record companies, an addition to the existing Ngoma, Loningisa, Opika and CEFA. Opika had set base in 1950 and was responsible for the evolution of African Jazz, while Loningisa set base in 1952 and housed the evolution of OK Jazz.

In December 1956, Jean Serge Essous led a group of musicians in defecting from Loningisa to Esengo. It is at this new home that a phenomenal band known as Rock A Mambo emerged. This band, which remained a studio ensemble, had the greatest talent in Congolese rumba in its rank and file. Headed by clarinetist Jean Serge who later headed Les Bantous, the band also had Dr Nico (played accompaniment) Tino Baroza (solo) Nino Malapet (sax), Willy Kuntima (trumpet), Lucy Eyenga, Gogene, Dewayon, Kibonge among other superstars.

Came 1958, most members of Rock A Mambo crossed the river back home in Brazzaville, and the band collapsed, leaving Noel to explore other avenues of expanding his talent. He landed and Guy Fylla'a Makina Loca, travelled with him to set base in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Noel replaced Tino Baroza at Rock A Mambo. He was brought to fill the void the latter remained behind when the band was touring Cameroon. 

Dicky Baroza had been the pioneer guitarist with the 1959 created Les Bantous, a band that was formed by musicians who had been part of both OK Jaz and Rock A Mambo. When he quit the band, he created a void that was filled by Papa Noel. He travelled with the band to Brussels for some recording sessions in 1962.

It was after the Brussels tour that the guitar wizard made his first attempt to patch up his own band, which he called Super African Jazz which set base in Bukavu in the Southern part of DRC, next to Lake Kivu. However, the band died of teething challenges and never outgrew its infancy. 

It was in 1963 that the big bang that splitter African Jazz happened. It was at Grand Kalle's wedding that several of his top musicians including Tabuley, Dr Nico, Charles Mwamba, Roger Izeidi, Willy Kuntima and others defected in an embarrassing episode in front of the guests. 

A swift response had to be made to save face and Les Batous was brought in to perform. In filling the void, Grand Kalle recruited Papa Noel, in the band's new line-up that also included Casino Mutshipule, Damasseau Kambite and others. In 1964 and 1965, Papa Noel played for Cobantu.This was the band of Dewayon, Franco's guitar teacher. His first band had been Watam. The musical family that also had Jean Isenge aka Bokelo, then created Conga Jazz which first mutated into Conga Success then Cobantu then Conga 68 and later Mbonda Africa. Conga was equally an Esengo band in its inception. After Cobantu, he rejoined African Jazz of Grand Kalle, meaning he actually played with the band on two separate episodes.

Papa Noel was to join Vox Africa of Jeannot Bombenga, another protege of African Jazz in 1967 and by 1969, Franco helped him build his second band, Bamboula. This is the band that had Aime Kiwakana, Bopol Mansiamina, Madilu Bialu, Wuta Mayi and others. Franco had helped this band come into existence to cut down the growing popularity of African Jazz and its scions the two African Fiestas, Sukisa and National. 

It is this band Bamboula that won a contest to represent Congo in the Pan African Festivals in Algiers in 1969. He did a couple of studio assignments for Jeannot's Vox Africa in 1974 and started courting Franco in 1976, before finally joining OKJ in 1978. 

The death of Bamboula is linked to the birth of Orchestre Kiam, midwifed by Verckys who lured all his musicians, thus joining OKJ of Franco, a known rival of Verckys could also be interpreted to mean a jibe at Verckys for bringing down his band. In fact, Noel had followed his band members at Veve studio and there was an altercation between him and Verckys. 

It was at OKJ that his star shone the brightest. He played in dozens of recordings and even created his own songs, among them the all-time great song 'tangawizi' and the instrumental ballad 'mobali malamu'. He played in very many songs, most notably Lacataire, Zala Sportiff, Mandola and many others. 

According to Michael Kibonge, son of legendary first-generation Congolese musician Antoine Kibonge, Franco paid homage to his father (Antoine) to thank him for training a virtuoso, Papa Noel. 

Gerry Stewart, the author of Rumba on River also revered Papa Noel, from his writings. Says that Noel's guitar inspiration came from Bill Alexandre, the Belgian musician who introduced electric guitar into Congolese rumba and Django Reinhardt, who had played with him, back in Belgium.

So good was Papa Noel in mastering the Jazz style virtuosity, that he was nicknamed 'little Django'. Papa Noel had learnt his guitar under Daniel Lubelo aka De La Lune, but his formal training on jazz was the work of Antoine Kibonge.

Back in the day, a broad buffer existed between a segment of the city frequented by natives, also known as Kinshasa and the affluent neighbourhood occupied by Europeans, also known as Leopoldville. 

Musicians who entertained revellers in the former mostly played Congolese rumba, while those who played for a European audience had to master their music, thus necessitating the learning of the complex Jazz chords, and this is how Papa Noel and some of his peers ended up under the tutelage of Antoine Kibonge. 

Kibonge had learnt to play jazz while in Belgium where he had gone to study and came home later with the requisite expertise for the genre since back home there was a shortage of musicians who could play jazz, a few took advantage of the void and learnt the tricks from Kibonge, Noel being one of them. 

This explains why Papa Noel occupied a special position at Franco's OKJ. Having mastered all the jazz chords, Papa Noel introduced them to Franco's band and played them in songs like 'mouzi' which earned Franco admiration and respect, for the song's success.

In the 1980s, when Franco mostly toured Europe with a segment of the band, Noel remained with the Kinshasa team and did all the studio recording, of the Simaro-led group, maybe save for Maya and Kitikwala, which was done by one Tshora Mukoko. 

When Franco came back and felt the urge to do some recording with this Kinshasa-based band, a development which yielded the hit song Mario recorded in Brazil league, it was Noel who played the solo as Franco did the second solo. This recording was historic because it also included former pioneers of the band who had made a comeback, tenor sax specialist Isaac Musekiwa and percussionist Felix Pouela aka Du Pool.

It is also worth noting that Papa Noel has in 1984 sneaked into the studio a few OKJ members Flavian Makabi, Du Pool, Carlyto and others to record Bel Ami, perhaps his most successful work. In 2000 Noel played acoustic guitar in the Paris-based producer Ibrahim Sylla managed Kekele Transcontinental, a veteran ensemble which also featured Syran Mbenza, Bumba Massa, Wuta Mayi, Nyboma, and managed to record two albums.

Michael, the son of Kibonge kept close contact with Pap Noel. He points out that in his last days, Noel was so concerned with a project he had conceived, a conference that would involve musicians and journalists to publicly narrate his long journey in Congolese music, and possibly get the authorities back home to realise that he was still active in music and needed their help.

The legend rested on 11 November in Paris. A mass was held on 16th November and his body will be flown back to Kinshasa for burial, bringing the curtains down to the career of one of the most illustrious musicians from DRC.

Credits and Refrerences: Benny-Armand (Sound Engineer), Michel Kibonge (Author of the Album "Difference), Benny-Armand, A.Petrof.

 By Jarome Ogola

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This is Tabuley in his song, In Memoriam, in which he collaborated with another titan, Franco. In the song, he is extolling the greatness of Grand Kalle, wondering aloud where the music world can find such a melodious voice, now that the musician is no more.

Tabuley himself was considered one of the greatest voices of Rumba Congolaise. For him to declare that someone is as great means that person was exceptionally good.

American jazz musician Yves François, who heads a group known as Rocambu (whose name was largely inspired by the Congolese studio ensemble of the late 1950s, Rock A Mambo), also once stated that of all singers of the genre, no one has had a voice as soothing as that of Grand Kalle.

Grand Kalle: The Father of Modern Congolese Music

Grand Kalle, born Joseph Athanase Tshamalla Kabasele in Matadi in 1930, is undisputedly the father of modern Congolese music. This title is his for a cocktail of reasons.

First, his golden voice and easy style of singing are simply outstanding. He perfected the solo style, also known as 'lolaka' in rumba parlance, in which a song features only one vocalist, without a backup section.

This came to define the African jazz style of rumba, which some pundits called Fiesta. This is exemplified in any of his tracks. As opposed to the choir-like orchestra style associated with OK Jazz and other bands, Grand Kalle’s musical style featured only one singer, and this was either him, Vicky (on a few occasions), or Matheus Kouka.

The Impact of African Jazz

The second thing that made him outstanding was the fact that his band, African Jazz, was a model band that inspired many Congolese to get into music full throttle, having been the very first fully professional role model band in the country. Although several bands had existed in the country before, African Jazz was unique in that it was the very first band to employ full-time musicians, as opposed to the prior arrangements with other bands, where musicians would only gather in the evenings or on weekends for events.

African Jazz lived and operated at Studio Opika, which was established in Leopoldville in 1950, the second one after Ngoma Label, which had set base two years before, in 1948. The very first band signed at Opika, which Grand Kalle featured in, belonged to guitarist George Doula.

It went by the name of Groupe Doula Georges, which featured legendary guitarist Jhimmy Elenga and Yamba Albert. Nonetheless, this didn’t last long, and in 1953, a new kid on the block was born and baptized African Jazz. The band came in and revolutionized Congolese music in many aspects.

Historical Significance: Representation and Independence

Thirdly, he represented the country at the independence fete during the round table conference at the Hotel Plaza in Belgium. This not only set a precedent that has been followed ever since, but also imitated in every important historical moment. These moments are graced by the country's music. The same was to be replicated fourteen years later in the Rumble in the Jungle bout in Kinshasa. This event hoisted Grand Kalle to a very important position in the country's history, as the event that ended Belgian imperialism was a milestone for the country.

Defections and the Decline of African Jazz

However, the Titanic ship that was African Jazz didn’t sail smoothly for long, as it was hit by small waves of defections, such as that of Vicky Longomba and Armando "Brazzos" in 1961. The duo had been poached earlier for the trip to Brussels, but upon their return, they had disagreements with Grand Kalle and chose to quit. They joined hands with Andre Menga, Leon Bholen Bombolo, and others to create Negro Success. However, in 1962, they abandoned their new band and made a return to Franco's OK Jazz.

It was actually upon their return that "Brazzos," who played both the contrabass and rhythm guitar, was displaced to the former. A new kid on the block, Simaro, had been brought in to take over the rhythm guitar. In 1963, the otherwise smooth-sailing African Jazz hit a glacier when a mass defection occurred in the band.

Trumpeter Willy Kuntima, Roger Izeidi, singer Tabu Ley, solo guitarist Nico Kasanda, and rhythm guitarist Charles Mwamba quit African Jazz to create their own band. They named it African Fiesta. Although the new band had another splinter in 1966, one that birthed African Fiesta Sukisa and African Fiesta National, which was later rebranded into Afrisa International, the development left African Jazz crippled, and it never fully recovered.

The Later Years of Grand Kalle

Grand Kalle recruited new musicians, including guitarists Damasseau Kambite and Papa Noel, rhythm guitarist Casino Mutshipule, singers Jeannot Bombenga, Matheus Kouka, and others. This is the team that brought you songs like 'Ilunga Zepherina,' which musician Dizzy Mandjeku told a writer was done in honor of a beautiful girl by that name. He said he knew the lady as they grew up together in the Equatorial Province.

Hits like BB 69, a composition of Matheus Kouka, became very popular across Africa. Grand Kalle, however, in the late 1960s, relocated to Paris, where he met Gonzalo Fernandez, a renowned Cuban flutist whom he had dreamt of performing with for a long time. They eventually recorded several songs together.

Legacy and Conclusion

Grand Kalle may have been deficient in the necessary managerial acumen that would have kept the band together longer, but there is a consensus among rumba fans that he is among the very best, if not the best, vocalist in the rumba world. He is also credited with creating the very first indigenous record label, Surboum, which published Franco's songs before the great man of OK Jazz created his own, Epanza Makita. In the 1970s, he completely quit performing and only concentrated on working with the musician's rights body SONECA. He died in Paris in 1983, and his body was flown home for burial.

BY JEROME OGOLA

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“Hakuna kitu kibaya sana humu duniani kama shida
Haichagui mtu siku wala miaka oh oh oh
Haina katu taarifa shida wengi shida bila hodi
Si mtoto wala mkubwa wote shida...
Kila siku shida Shida haiishi hadi siku ya mwisho oh ohh...”

These are the lyrics from one of the many songs that used to be played early in the mornings on the Voice of Kenya radio, now KBC. The man behind these immortal words was Tanzanian singer Mbaraka Mwaruka Mwinshehe, who died 38 years ago.

Mbaraka was born on June 27, 1944, and was the second born in a family of 12 children. 
His father, Mwinshehe Mwaruka, was a clerk at one of the big sisal farms in Tanzania.

But the early Tanzanian music scene is greatly associated with another man, Salim Abdullah.
Salim formed a band in 1948 and for about 20 years, he dominated the scene, playing with his Cuban Marimba Band, until his death in a car accident in 1965.
At the time, musicians and other artists faced a lot of restrictions from the socialist administration of President Julius Kambarage Nyerere.
So in 1973, just like many other Tanzanian artists of the time, the gifted Mbaraka switched his base from Tanzania to Kenya, where there were better recording studios as well as a bigger music market.

Then Kenya-based Congolese godfather of rumba Baba Gaston also first moved to Tanzania, but it was not until he came to Kenya that he realised true success. Mbaraka left behind bands such as Western Jazz, which was famous for the song Vigelegele, and Kilwa Jazz, which excelled at using Congolese melodies in their Swahili songs. This was not the first time Mbaraka had left in search of something. While he was still in high school in 1965 he dropped out from Form Three to follow his passion. He had developed an interest in music at a very young age and joined Morogoro Jazz, a local band as a tin whistle artiste. 
While still in school, Mbaraka established his reputation as a member of the Morogoro Jazz Band, between 1964 and 1973.

EXCEPTIONAL GUITARIST 

His guitar strumming style made him one of the best soloists of his time, exploring several genres such as Suluhu, Likembe, Masika and Zole Zole. 
In 1970, his Morogoro Band travelled to Japan for an expo as part of the Tanzanian cultural team. Others who accompanied him were Mzee Morris Nyanyusa, famous for playing 10 drums, Dar es Salaam University Theatre Group, and Mzee Mayagilo with the Tanzania Police Brass Band.

Mbaraka was one of the hottest properties in the music industry in East Africa and many believe that he was yet to reach the peak when he died. He was exceptional as he played the solo, wrote songs and sang.
When he arrived in Kenya, he changed the band’s name to Super Volcano Jazz and signed up with PolyGram Records.

His wife Amne Kadribaksh said her family was well-compensated and for a long time, they enjoyed royalties from his music until when Africans took over leadership positions at PolyGram.
Says a fan, Mr Jerome Ogola: “The late Mbaraka Mwinshehe was an exceptional guitarist. At one point, he would play like Dr Nico and at another point, he would play like Franco. He was a hybrid of the two guitar greats from Africa. The technique earned him a huge following.  He sang in Swahili making it easy for the people to follow the narratives. Those were the days when musicians were born, not manufactured.”

Mbaraka and his wife had three children, two boys and a girl known as Muhitaji (short form Taji). She followed in her father’s footsteps and she is today a songwriter, singer and bassist with a band in Tanzania.
Kenyan musician Teddy Kalanda Harrison of Them Mushrooms had this to say about Mbaraka: “He was a gifted musician who was loved by many people, including me. He was one of the finest musicians to have ever graced East Africa. In fact, he still remains one of the best songwriters and guitarists from East Africa. One of my favourite songs by him was Tina Turudiane.”

He urged Kenya’s new generation of musicians to perfect their songwriting skills so that Kenyans and the rest of the world can listen to them for a lifetime. One of the ways they can do this, he advised, is by listening and emulating musicians such as Kakai Kilonzo and his Kilima Mbogo Brothers Band.

Mbaraka died on January 13, 1979, at 1.55 am, when the white Peugeot 404 he was travelling in rammed a stationary lorry near Kigonya Church in Mombasa.

His body was transported to the border by friends and relatives and it was received by officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of Culture.

In the car, Mbaraka had two companions, who also died. He was buried in his home village in Mzenga Kisarawe in Tanzania.

For someone who dropped out of school in Form Three, Mbaraka was able to accumulate immense wealth, becoming a very successful farmer. He also ventured into the transport business, something his family is now very well known for.
Some of his songs include:

. Shida
. Pole Dada
. Mtaa wa Saba
. Bibi ya Watu
. Nisalimie Wana Zaire
. Mapenzi Yanitesa
. Mashemeji Wangapi
. Esther Wangu
. Dr.munyua Klerru  
. Mapenzi ya Madawa 
. Tunagombania Nini
. Aina ya Vyakula. 
. Mshenga

The 12th of January 2025 is Mbaraka Mwinshehe’s 46th death anniversary.
We still celebrate the amazing job he did with the Morogoro jazz band to give us nostalgic tunes. His body has Rested but his soul lives on with his music!

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This is a line from Franco's hit "Mokolo Tonga," known as "Taileur."

The other line is: "Okomi komona pasi ya bangungi, okomibeta mbata na nzoto."

The second line, translated, means you will be slapping yourself like everyone else to chase marauding mosquitoes from your face.

The song was composed while Franco was incarcerated at Makala prison for composing and recording songs that were considered explicit. He was chiding Kengo Wa Dondo, who had been the country’s attorney but had since been fired from the job. The song is just a tip of the iceberg in a bid to illustrate who was the master composer at OK Jazz. Beneath, in the waters, lies a solid rock of no less than one thousand hits, illustrating how good Franco was at creating songs—a crown that not even his long-time deputy, Simaro, could match, despite his philosophical compositions.

A random census of the OK Jazz discography, in the possession of Jabulani Radio, yields some 1,500 OK Jazz songs. Of these songs, 96 are Simaro compositions, while close to 700 are Franco's. There is quite a number whose composers aren't very clear, as the information from the original vinyl discs was extracted incompetently, but these are enough to tilt the scale.

Vicky Longomba, who was in the band's first lineup, is third with around 70 songs, followed by Josky, who was also a vocalist.

Although Simaro’s songs, especially those done after 1972, are all philosophical pieces that figuratively capture the theme, Franco cannot be said to be far adrift from this concept. He, too, was creative in bringing out some topics. Songs like "Course au Pouvre" and "Chicotte," both aimed at attacking his ally-turned-foe, are masterpieces that employ artistic means, such as the animated instrumental conversation between the sax by Verckys and Franco's solo, to capture the altercation between the duo.

Performed in the Abidjan concert with Matalanza taking the Verckys part, it illustrated the depth Franco gave his compositions. Franco also knew how to make great songs from what could have easily been ignored as normal daily experiences.

This is what captivates the audience. Any random song from his discography, such as "Frein à Main," will land you in an interesting tale.

In this song, a woman is accusing her husband of abandoning her, mostly because "libumu ekomi accordion"—the stomach has sagged and drooped to adopt the shape of an accordion.

As much as Simaro was a great rhythmist and possibly Congo’s most lethal of the 1960s pachanga era, he seemed to have lost his mojo in the 1970s, and this is actually the period he stamped his authority as an astute composer. He seemingly shuffled the two roles, and someone may speculate that this answers the mystery of him not having been involved in any Franco song post-1975.

Franco, on the other hand, only gambled with his voice, beginning his career as a guitarist before finally transforming into a vocalist and becoming one of the most consistent singers in the band. But all along, he maintained his sharpness both on guitar and as a composer.

Whereas there are very few instances, such as in "Suit Letter Two," where he sings without playing guitar, there are numerous instances where he plays guitar without opening his mouth to sing.

Of course, it goes without saying that he was the engine behind the success of OK Jazz, and this position may have been made possible by the fact that he stayed longer than anyone else at OK Jazz, having been there before other members. However, lest you forget, the band existed for four years after his death, as it disbanded in 1993. (Franco died in 1989).

The other person who stayed long with the band and made an immense contribution was Lola. He joined the band in 1967 and never left until his death in 1992. He participated in more studio assignments than anyone else, apart from Franco. In most songs, apart from "Lolaka"—his own composition—he participated as a backup vocalist.

Lola has a dozen songs with the band, and all are chart-toppers—some of the most popular songs from the band, i.e., "Libala Ya Bana Na Bana," "Nganda Ma Camlagne." However, they are too few to afford him space at the high table of the band's greatest composers. Maybe Vicky and Josky would come close to Simaro.

Franco comes out as the band's most remarkable composer, with his songs addressing almost every topic on earth, the same way he takes the crown of the band's greatest guitarist.

By Jarome Ogola

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