PEACE Come to find out the episode that aired last Saturday was indeed the very first show to broadcast. In order to not confuse anyone any further I will leave the shows numbered the way they are for now. Sorry about that. Now on with the blog...
In the first broadcast Guy briefly discussed Wendo Kolosoy and then went on to talk about the two main "schools" in Congolese music that existed during the late '50s and '60s. Those two schools were African Jazz and OK Jazz. OK Jazz spun off of African Jazz and became a 'school' in its own right. When we use the term 'school' we mean the artists who played with these orchestras learned a particular sound. Some would take what they learned and eventually spin off into another group of their own. As been stated before of these two schools several Congolese musical stars came forth. Some were more known than others. Tino Baroza is one of these lesser known stars. He was a solo guitarist for African Jazz before he left to start the band Rock A Mamba with guitarist Papa Noel and others. I bring up Tino Baroza because on last week's show my father played a version of Jamais Kolonga that the liner notes of Congo: Rumba on the River credit to him, recorded in 1959. Last week when I blogged about Sam Mangwana I linked his rousing, upbeat 1996 version of Jamais Kolonga from the album RUMBA not realizing that I had heard the song before. Tino Baroza's version is a slower and sounds more traditional as far as the rumba rhythm is concerned. I love both versions. Here is Tino Baroza's:
Jamais Kolonga (1959)
I wish I had more information on Tino Baroza. All the information I have posted on him here come from the liner notes for Congo: Rumba on the River Vol. 1. I can't even find so much of a picture of the guy. But he is remembered.
Another song they I was surprised to hear in last weeks broadcast was the original version of Kelya as sung by Tabu Ley Rochereau for African Jazz. This version of the song was recorded in 1959, the year Mbilia Bel was born. She would eventually remake the song under Tabu Ley et L'Afrisa International 24 years later and release it on her debut album "Eswi Yo Wapi" (spelled Kelhia for some reason). Here are both versions of the song, which do you like best? I personally can't choose:
Kelya (Tabu Ley/African Jazz)
Kelhia (Mbilia Bel/Afrisa International)
It's always cool to me to here the different versions of Congolese songs remade and appreciated by different artists. Hope you can appreciate them too.
PEACE
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