One of my first blog entries for this blog was Nkombo Ya Yo Nini. As I delved into the collection of Congolese music I had acquired I noticed that many songs I loved were titled simply by a woman's name. The songs almost always had great stories at their center and expressed a lot of emotion ranging from sheer happiness to melancholy. Congolese music is very expressive by nature but something about those songs dedicated to a particular individual that seem that much more emotional.
Anyway just yesterday a Tambour d'Afrique follower left a comment under that post with a very nice mix of Congolese rumba attached. The mix was inspired by my blog post Nkombo Ya Yo Nini and shares the same name. Once I heard it I had to share it.
Thank you, Antony for sharing your wonderful mix with us! Check out his Mixcloud page where he posts under the name Lemonzorba
01 BAKWETU - PAPA WEMBA
02 ANNE MARIA - PAPHELLY NGANGA
03 MOLANGI YA MALASI - ROCHEREAU & AFRICAN FIESTA
04 MUKALA - ROCHEREAU & AFRICAN FIESTA
05 SADI NABOYI MASUMU - DR. NICO & AFRICAN FIESTA SUKISA
06 TU M'AS DECU CHOUCHOU - DR. NICO & AFRICAN FIESTA SUKISA
07 UPOSA/LISAPO - ZAIKO LANGA LANGA
08 AH NGAI MATINDA - VERKYS & L'ORCHESTRE VEVE
09 CHACUN POUR SOI - FRANCO & TP OK JAZZ
10 ZELA NGAI NASALA - FESTIVAL DE MAQUISARDS
11 GUYGUY MADIMBA - PEPE KALLE & EMPIRE BAKUBA
12 ZING ZONG - KANDA BONGO MAN
13 BEA - FRANCO & TP OK JAZZ
14 BINA NA NGAI NA RESPECT - FRANCO & TP OK JAZZ
Having children has always been a matter of economy. When you have children one has to think of whether or not the child can be fed and also what can this child bring to the family by way of support. Here in the United States parents worry more about if their children will be able to support them when they get old. While in developing countries it is more likely that the child will have to essentially support him/herself by working. My cousin said something wise to me the other day as we discussed sports and getting children involved in sports or other interests. I said to him that I thought it was a good idea to get kids involved and try to see what they'll enjoy whether it be sports or music/art. He said "children are an investment...with all the money you spend on kids you have to get them into something so the money comes back." So basically it is no wonder why so many parents think along the lines in which I was thinking. Many would love for their child to be the next big childstar like Michael Jackson was or a genius in some other sport like Tiger Woods with golf or Venus and Serena Williams with tennis. The dreams are more lofty here in America for obvious reasons. This after all is the Land of Opportunity. In developing countries however for many gaining the mere skill of reading and writing is a dream in and of itself.
The Global rule is reading and writing will lead to better job opportunities.. It allows you to get the degrees necessary to move upward in society. In today's world depending on where you live access to learning is more than most of the working poor can afford. Many families work extremely hard just to be able to send one of a handful of children to school. In many cultures around the world the choice comes down to the simple matter of sex. Girls are not just discouraged from education but kept from getting one outright. Boys are seen as more suited for education as it would allow them to bring home the money. While the girls are raised to be wives and mothers. This practice can lend itself to abuse in many cases where families are desperate they may marry their girl children off to grown men for the money they could receive in return.
In developing areas throughout Asia and Africa this is all too common. Young girls worldwide on autopilot, doing what society wants them to do. Their creative and intellectual drive is being suffocated. What can reading do to lift a girls self esteem? Read this article from the Lutheran World Relief website. I'm not the biggest fan of missionaries but this article gives great insight into how reading brings hope to girls and women in Democratic Republic of Congo.
I will leave you with the song Education Injustice by Empire Bakuba Pepe Kalle sings on the state of education in the Congo
Sorry I took so long in between entries. I make my own music and I've been working on that lately and lost track. I still aim to bring new entries as frequently as possible. Thanks for staying tuned...And remember tomorrow night Tambour D'Afrique airs on Radio Triomphe...PEACE
Another star who got his start with Le Grand Kalle & L'African Jazz was Pepe Kalle. His connection to Le Grand Kalle is unique in that he was a homeless boy that Le Grand Kalle took in. Read his story here:
Here is an obituary. What I find interesting about this obituary is that it does more to explain Congolese music and how it took shape and how Pepe Kalle took part in that than it does the life of Pepe Kalle but it's a good source of information.
For someone with such a large stature he was definitely a dynamic performer, as evidenced by the kwassa kwassa clip I posted up last Sunday. His voice is also one of the best in Congolese music. His baritone is extremely smooth and clear. Empire Bakuba's arrangements and blending of different sounds (particularly Zouk & Kompas) and ability to update that same sound that made them popular in the 80s is amazing. Listening to his music it is really no wonder why he is so popular. It speaks for itself.
I chose 3 random (but great) songs. One for each decade starting with the 70s. Enjoy:
Last night's show was cancelled due to technical difficulties. As stated in the first entry of this blog the servers have failed in the past. In the case that this happens I will just bring you some music and some commentary to go along with it. I still intend to bring you the rest of the Pepe Felly interview in english, please hold tight with that.
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"Mama bina, nzoto elingana..."
The quote above means "Dance Mama, your body wants/needs to..." It's from the song Ikwa by Flaisha Mani (1996). Dancing is a HUGE part of Congolese music. After all, music (for the most part) is supposed to cause the movement of the body as well as the spirit. Congolese music has no problems doing both...
As a child in the late '80s the first dance craze I was introduced to was the Kwassa Kwassa. Before the roger rabbit, the cabbage patch and running man (three different dances that took over hip hop in the late 80s/early 90s) took over my dancing technique, I was a wee youth attempting the kwassa kwassa with my older sister to Congolese music. 'Kwassa' is a variation of the french for 'what's that' ('quoi ca?'). It wasn't until recently did I realize that several different artists chanted "KwassaKwassa..KWASSA!" on their tracks when the craze hit. For the longest time I thought it was a particular song to which a dance was made lol Here's to learning new things everyday!
The other day I found footage (thank goodness for YOUTUBE seriously) of Grand Zaiko Wawa performing on TV and PC Mpondolo and Co. showing the world how the Kwassa Kwassa is done!
These guys really killed it. You can't help but attempt the moves when you see it.
The Dancers for Empire Bakuba bring more variation to the dance and check out the ladies getting down. Pepe Kalle, the inventor of the dance, gets busy with it at the end too!
I urge you ALL to try this at home! lol
Catch you all tomorrow, there will be a show and tell, everybody get your youtube clips of you doing the Kwassa Kwassa ready...just kidding lol but If you want to by all means! Until tomorrow...PEACE :)
In Congolese rhumba/soukous/miziki ya Congo, I noticed the trend of having songs where the title is a woman's name. In most cases the song involves a young man pleading his love for the young lady or asking her for a dance. Other times it may be a story about a particular relationship envolving the girl whose name is featured in the title. As I discover new (old really) music every day find that the songs with the womens names in them tend to be really good. Here are 4 selections I chose as examples of this trend in the music (mp3 links provided):
Sanda - Empire Bakuba I actually JUST downloaded this song and heard it for the first time about 30 minutes ago and it's actually the reason for this blog. It was yet another in a long line of songs with a woman's name in the title that are just really nice. I don't know if it's the names that just have a certain ring to them that makes the songs so catchy but I'm still waiting to be disappointed by one of these. They say Adio Sanda at the beginning of the song. So I'm guessing he's said that she left (like Adios). 'Sanda....Naleli yo' (I cry for you)...
Fifi - Verkys et L'Ochestre Veve On this one the guy is asking Fifi why she's avoiding him. I love the 'Ooooh' and 'Eeeeeh' theme throughout the melodie. Goes well with the saxophone. The break or soukous part of the song is really nice as well. Light but upbeat. I just heard this song for the first time yesterday.
Jiji - Super Mazembe From their 70s Virgin Records release Kaivaska. I love the lyrics to this song. They're really simple but beautiful. It's a man singing to the mother of his child. He's telling her not to let gossip break up their marriage. One of the best songs I've heard, period. Great song.
Sophie Elodie - Rocheraux Tabu Ley-Sam Mangwana This is early Tabu Ley in collaboration with Sam Mangwana. What can I say about this song. It's just so pretty. The Hawaiian guitar mixed with the Congolese style of drumming is magic. And Tabu Ley's voice fits the track so beautifully. He's singing about his girl Sophie Elodie.
Tonight Tambour D'Afrique is a re-broadcast. Still tune in if you've missed out in the past. Log onto RADIO TRIOMPHE
