Hit Parade Africain -Spring 2013 Mix -rumba, soukous, afrobeat , one of my previous posts attracted enough comments and a few requests to single out one particular track; Orchestre Les Rebelles -Manicero…I agree that this is a standout track. Enjoy the download
Hit Parade Africain Vol 4 -Orchestre Les Noirs, Orchestre Sinza, Franco & Orchestre TP Ok Jazz, Orchestre Les Rebelles, Les Bantous, Orchestre Mando Negro, Orchestre Hi-Fives MLP 12-198 UK
in the sixties musician Mingledi Mawangu erects Konono Nr. 1. in southern Congo, near the border of Angola. Later the band settles in the capital Kinshasa.
There they are noticed in 1978 by a Frenchman who records them for the renowned label Ocora. When Tony Van der Eecken, music programmer of the Brussels Bozar, encounters Konono on one of his journeys in the Congo, he decides to bring the group to the Low Countries for a tour. Dutch punk band The Ex released recordings of their first performances in Holland on Terp Records. Today they are connected to the Belgian label Crammed Discs, that releases their music in the series ‘Congotronics’.
Last weekend Konono Nr. 1 performed during the World Music Festival 2013 at the new centre for modern and experimental music; Muziekgebouw aan het IJ/Bim Huis in Amsterdam. Normally this center operates as a platform for ‘serious’ music with the spectators seated on chairs. Not so when Konono Nr. 1 was on stage. It took just a few minutes before people got up from their seats and started dancing in the aisles.
It was therefore impossible to sit still during the swinging performance. The band played a tight set on instruments made from discarded household and amplified likembe. The music of Konono No 1 connects city and jungle, they play ritual trance music for special occasions. When they started in Kinshasha they had to drown out the noise of the city, so they amplified their likembe, also known as a thumb piano, a series of metal blades mounted on a sound box. The trance repertoire receives through the additional distortion an extra dimension.
The name Konono Nr. 1 means as much as to move the dead. Whether they pull that off is debatable but their long spun performance last Friday transformed the hall into a swirling dance club.
Later the same night the American DJ/blogger/anthropologist Brian Shimkovitz aka Awesome Tapes From Africa did the same thing upstairs in the lounge during a magical set of obscure, fascinating African music, mainly from cassettes.
to kick off the new month here is a groovy mix of great rumba, soukous, afrobeat…all tracks taken from ‘Hit Parade Africain Vol 4′, released by the wonderful label Melodisc Records Ltd that was based in London. No year of publication is indicated, so I estimate that this release is from mid 70s. Melodisc Records Ltd released a remarkable selection of early ska, rocksteady and African music and the records are quite rare these days….so enjoy this mix!
Hit Parade Africain Vol 4 -Orchestre Les Noirs, Orchestre Sinza, Franco & Orchestre TP Ok Jazz, Orchestre Les Rebelles, Les Bantous, Orchestre Mando Negro, Orchestre Hi-Fives MLP 12-198 UK
Hit Parade Africain Mix 1 April 2013
Orchestre Sinza -Mahoungou
Franco et l’Orchestre TP OK Jazz -Ye Nr. 1
Orchestre Les Rebelles -Manicero
Les Bantous -Macaro
Orchestre Les Noirs -Sikiya Sauce Nr. 1
Orchestre Les Noirs -Amin Nr. 1
Orchestre Hi-Fives -Belina Mon Amour
The Ry-Co Jazz band from Congo are Jean-Serge Essous (saxophone), M’Bilia Casino (congas & chant), JerryMalekani (guitar) & others who offer us a rare slice of Caribbean music during the 60′s.
Their productions are most in demand since the band is the creator of “Tumbélé”, an original explosive cross pollination between african rumba from Congo & creoles kompa -modern mérengue- from Martinique/Guadeloupe where the band was based during 60′s. The recording sessions on this EP was realised by “Debs music: the guardians of creolemusic”, a production and recording company founded by Henri Debs, known for his quality recordings & team of musicians.
On this 7″ EP ‘Dansons…avec le Ry-Co Jazz Vol. 12’ you will find swinging afro jazz in tumbélé style with latin overtones, excellent for the dance floor. Recorded from the actual EP
Le Ry-Co Jazz Vol 12 -Habiba Moussa
Le Ry-Co Jazz Vol 12 -Bo Lata Bo Robe
Le Ry-Co Jazz Vol 12 -Give Me Bombolo
Le Ry-Co Jazz Vol 12 -Mi Baila La Pachanga
see also TUMBÉLÉ! Biguine, afro & latin sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-74
Africa has always been a great inspiration for many contemporary artists, designers and musicians alike. No wonder that the record industry in the 1950′s-1960′s sent their best team of designers on safari discovering the great forgotten continent, either for inspiration or exploitation.
This gallery is dedicated to the wonderful art of Africana record covers from my collection.
2 vintage paper record bags from Davidson Bros. Port Elizabeth, South Africa 1950s
Horst Wende & his Orchestra-Africana (Africa In Rhythm) (Polydor LPHM 46336, Germany)
This record from 1958 released on German Polydor Records showcases the variety of popular musical styles of South Africa re-arranged by producer and band leader Horst Wende, also known as Roberto Delgado.
Horst Wende & His Orchestra -Kwela
The big band orchestra of Wende/Delgado adapted their music to the various destinations of the time when tourism boomed; in ‘Blue Hawaï’ for Hawaï, South American Rhythms on ‘Caramba’, ‘Latin Flutes’ for Bolivia en Equator, while ‘Along Mexican Highways’ was a tribute to Herb Alpert (trumpet) and Julius Wechter (marimba). The LP ‘Africana’ celebrates the music of South Africa in the 1960s, originally popularized by local musician Nico Carsten and bandleaders like Sam Sklair and Dan Hill.
The Trans-World Symphony Orchestra-Edmond de Luca’s -Safari (Somerset Records SF5500, USA)
aah…Safari. I found this LP during my recent Japan trip and was immediately attracted to the title and the fabulous cover. The selection turned out to be a musical safari throughout Africa by The Trans-World Symphony Orchestra, orchestrations based upon classical compositions as ‘Polovtsian Dances’ from ‘Prince Igor’ and ‘Ritual Fire Dance’ by Manuel de Falla. Symphonic shlock to the extreme but man, what a cover!
Prince Onago & Princess Muana & Native Drummers of the Belgian Congo: The Drums of Africa (20th Century Fox S20F-4008, 1959 Japan)
10″ record found in a small shop in Osaka, Japan.
The artwork was designed by Irving Seidmont Docktor who was a prolific artist and educator best known for his work as a book and magazine illustrator in the 1950s and 1960s.
Irv Docktor in his studio in the 1960s
The cover intrigued me as did the story and picture of Prince Onaga and Princess Muana. As the credits say this music was recorded with native drummers of the Belgian Congo, but in reality the recordings were probably more designed for the Silver Screen and the adventure of Stereo.
Prince Onago & Princess Muana & Native Drummers of the Belgian Congo -Flirtation Song
Prince Onago & Princess Muana & Native Drummers of the Belgian Congo -Congo Syncopation
Les Baxter -The Soul of the Drums (Reprise Records – R9-6100, 1963 USA)
no further explanation necessary. In the 1950s and 1960s Les Baxter, the king of lush Hollywood movie themes defined a sound and style that called itself ‘Exotica’. Great cover too…
African tribal masks have always intrigued artists from Picasso to Art Blakey to UK rapper MC Mello.
See also previous post Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath -1971
MC Mello -Open Up Your Mind (Republic Records LICT 033, 1990 UK)
Anna Russell -In Darkest Africa (CBS BLD 7084, South Africa)
Anna Russell’s jokes ain’t funny any longer but this cover surely is….those warriors ain’t real Zulu Warriors for sure. That photograph is oh so politically incorrect nowadays but as record cover art it works as good as it gets.
Nico Gomez & his Afro Percussion INC-Ritual (Omega International 444.022, Holland)
classic! Well searched after for the track ‘Lupita’.
Nico Gomez & his Orchestra -selftitled (Omega International 444.039, Holland)
musically the menu is all cha cha, mambo and Latin trashy sound-alikes but hey, what a funky Afro-hairdo!!
see also Afro baby! a tribute to a funksoulsista and
Blue Elephant -Black Is Beautiful -cover art
The CD “Congo Jazz” consists of three different parts centered around American hot jazz, Congolese rumba, and gospel. The title is rather misleading, as if the whole collection of music on this CD contains Congolese jazz but this style is only one part of this compilation. The release comes with an extensive booklet describing the music but without a track-list of the artists and titles. This is a major flaw as it is frustrating to listen to music without the possibility of checking the artist or title. A true collector would definitely have added this information. It took me quite some deep diggin’ to find the track-list of the featured mix and I want to add it to this post.
Anyway, I can recommend this CD, it is an excellent compilation despite the missing track-list. The 78 shellac discs have been mastered and mixed together in sets. The atmosphere and the build-up is addictive, the chosen music reflects good taste and style. Certainly a valuable addition to a collection of rare African -and early Afro-American- music.
Ziya Ertekin alias Blue Flamingo -Photo: Jan van der Ven
Ziya Ertekin alias Blue Flamingo, born out of Dutch and Turkish parents, is responsible for this remarkable compilation of rare and sometimes one-off discs. As a collector he hunts for the forgotten sounds and styles from all over the world. He is also a musician and DJ who plays 78 rpm shellac discs at parties and events.
The compilation presents 3 mixes ‘Jungle Crawl’ (1920′s-1930′s Hot Jazz Jungle Exotica), ‘Congo Jazz’ (1950′s Congolese Rumba), ‘That Old Time Religion’ (1930′s-1950′s Jubilee, Gospel & Hard Gospel). The ‘Congo Jazz’ mix is composed from original 78-rpm shellac discs from the former Belgian Congo, where, under the influence of the Cuban son and rumba, one of Africa’s first modern popular music arose.
CONGO JAZZ (1950s Congolese Rumba)
8. Intro: CONGO DANCES ARE VERY GAY AFFAIRS
9. LA FIESTA CUBANA – Tino Baroza
10. BOLINGO E GAGNE – Orchestre African Jazz
11. BANA T’ATOMIC JAZZ – Kaba Joseph & le Groupe Rythmique Ngoma
12. CANTA DEL NEGRO – Tchade. Mariola & Oliveira
13. ELIE VIOLETTE – Orchestre African Jazz
14. EL RICO CUBAN MAMBO – Orchestre Rock a Mambo
Blue Flamingo – Congo Jazz EXCEL96202
The Congolese developed a wholly unique style of guitar playing that showed great similarities to the way people played the native thumb piano. Dazzling single-note solos were melodiously plucked up and down the thumb piano. This style was perfected when the Belgian guitarist Bill Alexandre, who had performed in Europe with musicians like Django Reinhardt, tried his luck in Leopoldville, and briefly introduced the electric guitar to the region. Congolese music has produced many guitar virtuosos, including Papa Noel, Franco Luambo, Tino Baroza and the man referred to by his admirers as ‘le dieu de la guitare’; Nicolas Kasanda Wa Mikalay, better known as Docteur Nico. On the Congo Jazz -mix, a still very young Nico can be admired on the tracks ‘Boligo e Gagne‘, ‘El Rico Cuban Mambo’ and ‘Elie Violette‘.
Docteur Nico
“The foundation for modern Congolese music was laid in the 1930s, when the first 78 r.p.m. records, containing music from Latin America, reached the capitals of both Congos. These records were hugely popular with the young urban population, who were completely captivated by this music. Records had reached Central Africa before, but nowhere, not even in early jazz, was their ancestors’ legacy as clearly present as it was in the rhythms of Central and South America. It felt as if a part of Africa was returning home again. It was a homecoming that rooted deeply and fused rapidly with other Congolese traditions into something entirely authentic”
Ngoma remains the most important Congolese record label, as well as one of the most important labels in all of Africa. It was started by two Greek brothers, Nico and Alexandros Jéronimidis, around 1948. Not only did they record well over a thousand discs, the first to capture all manner of Congolese musical styles (the rumba, cha-cha, and solo acoustic guitar picking of course), but they encouraged experimentation by their musicians. Ngoma records were pressed in France and distributed primarily in Central Africa – Congo and Cameroon especially – and as such are, well, impossible to find. Not only that, but all the Ngoma masters were long ago lost in a warehouse fire. As if that wasn’t enough, the company then donated all of its file copies to the Congolese government, only to have those destroyed during political strife.
Georges Edouard and Manuel D’Oliveira, released sometime in the late 40s-early 50s.
Edouard & Oliveira – Ngai Abuyi
source excavatedshellac
excerpts and pics from the original liner notes of Blue Flamingo – Congo Jazz EXCEL96202
see also Origins of Guitar Music
Southern Congo and Northern Zambia, 1950-’58, recordings by Hugh Tracey
as an addition to my previous post Les Sapeurs, battle of the dandies here is an interesting -and beautiful- book that deserves your attention, ‘ Gentlemen of Bacongo‘ by Daniele Tamagni (hardcover – Jun 1, 2009).
It was brought to my attention by fellow blogger A.G.Nauta Couture who wrote an interesting post on Les Sapeurs du Congo
See also this video-report from the night club Saint-Hilaire in Kinshasa in August 1967
At the same time a new fashion was emerging in the Saint-Hilaire and other clubs in Kinshasa. To dress perfectly like Europeans. It had begun 500 yards across the Congo River in Brazzaville but had spread to become a cult of elegance among young Kinshasans.
They were members of what they called La Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes – Sapeurs for short. At the heart of the vision was a dream of Paris. It had started in the 1950s with trying to dress like post-war Parisian existentialists – or “existos”, but now it was all about wearing labels like Dior.
See also In pictures: Congo migrant fashion show
excerpts from the blog by Adam Curtis
Today I want to share some interesting news out of Soul Safari’s mailbox; your comments, requests and music….keep sending!
‘ Today I posted an album Champeta of Colombia con Influencias the Music of South Africa, I have posted 3 tracks. 2 of them are South African versions with Instrumentation of some artists from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, this album is the Year 1991, La Banda Keniantu was created in Cartagena Colombia in the 80s under the direction of Wady Bedran Singer of afrocolombian Cumbias’ 
Good day to all. Today’s post shines a light on a rather exquisite album by singer and musician Nyboma from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Zaire; “Doublé Doublé”(1982 Celluloid, France). 
“Doublé Doublé” and “Papy Sodolo” were big hits at the time of release and they still sound as fresh and convincing as on the day they were recorded. It’s actually an excellent album from start to finish. If you like Congolese rhumba and soukous then these recordings are a very good reference.
The LP cover is equally nice, a painting from 1979 by artist Moke that evokes scenes from Parisian underground nightlife where the African diaspora was relatively small at the time, but the parties were lively, nonetheless. No wonder this album was released in France.
Nyboma started singing with L’ Orchestre Négro Succes. In 1969 he joined the band Baby National, then Bella Bella. After these collaborations he joined a band called Lipua Lipua, with which he scored the hit “Kamale”. When he left Lipua Lipua, he called his next band Les Kamale. In the 1970s Les Kamale was a popular danceband with their hits “Salanga” and “Afida na ngai.” In 1979 Nyboma was drafted into African All-Stars from Togo, after the band’s founder Sam Mangwana had left. They recorded the hits “Doublé Doublé” and “Papy Sodolo”.Another tune from the album “Doublé Doublé” is equally strong and appealing; Nyboma -Kabanga
Nyboma is one of the big names spreading musical greatness from Congo. He has worked with Pepe Kalle,Madilu Système, Kamale, Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and others.
In the new year Soul Safari continues to bring you a personal selection of great music and all things African. In all colours of the Rainbow Nation and beyond. Books, music, art, culture.
Soul Safari proposes this Congolese gem by Le Trio Africain Los Makueson’s for the launch of the new year.
♦Happy New Year♦♦2011♦♦Bonne Année♦
Le Trio Africain Los Makueson’s -Bonne Année (makossa)
Gérard Akueson made his way to Paris from his home in Togo. He worked on the periphery of the French entertainment industry singing his compositions as a solo performer and together with friends as the Trio Los Makueson’s. As his familiarity with the ways of Paris grew, he began to produce concerts for other African artists, including Ry-Co Jazz and Cameroon’s Francis Bebey. Akueson expanded his activities still further in 1968 with the launch of his own record label, International Disques Akué.
Among the label’s first releases were Akueson’s own works and those of a vocal group from Congo-Brazzaville calles Les Echos Noirs. The next year he recorded a new young singer from his own country named Bella Bellow. *
Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos
*excerpt from a book by Gary Stewart
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