Zaire and Congo music reviews

If you can only here what he says, Remmy Ongala is a comedian thro' his music. In this Album he can't STOP wondering who cares when a fish (samaki) cries? Nobody cares because the poor fish, his tears are in the water, and who would see how much tears coming out of his face??

I waited a long time to find this cd and the wait was worth it. Remmy is a transplanted Zairian who enriched Tanzania with magnificent soukouss or rumba style music. His own style, with the horns and other percussion instruments is unique. he switches from Swahili to Lingala and English like nothing or like no other African singer I ever heard. Whoever is in to this music, African or westerner, this cd is indispensable.

The sleeve notes say this was his last live appearance before Franco's death in 1989. It shows what a loss that tragic day was. The energy is awesome, especially on "Etumba". It leaves you exhausted so I can't think how the band felt. And then, with a split-second pause, they're into the next song. Wow! Add it to your collection and DANCE!

I can only say that this a true treasure. A mix of the old and the modern, the way this music is supposed to be.

Franco is one of those artists who should only be compiled in a five (or probably more) record set. But if you gotta go with this or the Rough Guide compilation, both only one disc, go with this one. (The Rough Guide company does something that it should be imprisoned for: they edit Franco's work (shorten). This is like chopping half of the Mona Lisa off to fit above your sofa.) Another thing about this disc that is so excellent is how unobvious the choices are. I still play this compilation all the time in spite of the fact that I own 32 Franco complete CD's. This is also the only disc I wish that I had not thrown out the liner notes as they are wonderful. I was nuts to toss them but I don't keep jewel cases or cover art.

I am lucky to own more than 40 cd's of Franco et Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz music. This collection is an excellent initiation into the various stages of Franco's career, but several are edited to fit the constraints of the format. If you like this disc, the Sonodisc label available at Stern's of Africa website has the best collection of the original cd's. There is no one like Franco, from sweet rumba to move-your-feet soukous. The various musicians of OK Jazz are a who's who of 60,70 and 80's golden age of Congolese music.

An outstanding sampler of Franco's entire career, starting off with early 'Fifties hits such as "On Entre O.K., On Sort K.O.", and cruising through to his late '80s soukous material. It's all hella good. This collection also has very good liner notes, informative about the artist as well as the songs. Recommended!

Dr. Nico was THE major influence on the current generation of top Congolese guitarists, and, in my opinion, the single greatest arranger and band conductor in African Pop. Need proof? Check out this CD. As the host of 'The African Hour' in Rochester, N.Y., and DJ for Loketo, King Summy Ade, Kanda Bongo Man, Mirian Makeba and others, I can testify that this is the stuff that Loketo et. al. boogied to, throughout their youth and for many years thereafter.

This is a beautiful and melodic album that covers several years in this masters career. I stumbled upon it used one day and bought it. Since, it is considered one of my favorite African albums.

The Congolese peoples (of the former Zaire) have for decades been universally admired for their sweet voices, tantalizing dance moves, and creative rhythmic music. Tabu Ley and group display all this in this astounding collection primarily sung in the Lingala language. It is a collection of hits that, among other things, display personl affection, the love for Africa, and above al a love for music and singing. The long-running Tabu Ley is one of the famous tradition of Congolese singers that have included persons like Lwanzo Luambo Makiadi Franco. This is an album I have listened to, over and over again, for years since it came out. You are guaranteed to love it and never put it down, as you appreciate the strength and creativity of African music!! Enjoy, Enjoy!!

I couldn't help but to put in a couple of words in Lingala (spoken in Zaire). Sam (who's of Angolan descent) is one of the best from Africa. He's got style, class, poise and finesse, and can adapt to any kind of music.

This CD is an excellent compilation of Kanda Bongo Man's music from his Kwasa-Kwasa era of the late 80's to mid 90's. Unlike most of Kanda's albums which are painfully short and last just under 30 minutes at best, this one is almost 70 full minutes of super quality hit after hit. Another thing that I liked about this CD is that the versions of the songs on this CD are done in their full and extended editions, as opposed to the rushed and abbreviated versions of the same songs found on previous Kanda albums, like the Sai on Sango, for example. It's usually the other way round with many musicians. If you have never listened to Kanda and are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, this will be a good introduction to his music. It doesn't by no means contain all of his hits and best songs (infact my best Kanda song is not there), but it does cover most of them.

This is a compilation of the best work of Kanda Bongoman. All the tracks on this CD are very good and it comprises most of his works so far. A good dance party CD that will light up any party. I am glad that I now have it. It is very good and I will recommend it to all Soukous lovers. The best of Pepe Kalle is very good as well.

If you've never had the joy of hearing African popular music before, this is a wonderful place to start. Kinshasha (Congo) guitarist Mose Se Sengo lays down a delicious, exquisite hour of music that... well, if it doesn't bring a smile and make you start thinking, "let's dance," you're not fully alive. If you can manage to reflect a bit when you're not just grooving to this wonderful music, you'll start thinking about the incredible encomium of cultures that produced it... the interlocking, incredible cross-rhythms of African drumming, the feedback from the harmonious encounters with Portuguese folk song and Carribean calypso, the electronics that creep in despite the CD's acoustic orientation... delicious, wonderful. The recording is luminous, and conveys the ambience of small club in which you're a specially invited guest. You won't hear soaring, ego-oriented solos or attention-getting vocals; instead, you'll hear an interleaved, communal rhythmic collective statement that works on you and slowly overwhelms you, teaching you that the small variations in the vocals and rhythms attest to a personal and spiritual statement that goes far beyond egoistic music -- oh heck, listen to this CD!!!!!!!! This ROCKS. And it is very beautiful.

A great record, tracing the roots of the hypnotic ju-ju style popularized by King Sunny Ade... In the 1950s, guitarist Henri Bowane was the bandleader of the Congo's Loningisa Studios, and guided the career of the great pop star Franco; in the '60s he worked with Ry-Co Jazz, and later with Sam Mangwana. This is the first release of Bowane's only solo album, recorded in 1976 and shelved for many years. It's groovy stuff, full of ringing guitars and a clear James Brown influence in the driving, back beat-heavy rhythm. Highly recommended!