Black World Music thread

[NoirDynosaur]

I noticed that we don't have a world music thread specialized on international black music. I'll be first to talk about the vari

history, rhythms of the genre, the impact, etc.

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[NoirDynosaur]

Soukous/Rumba​

Soukous (from French secousse, "shock, jolt, jerk") is a genre of dance music originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo (formerly French Congo). It derived from Congolese rumba in the 1960s, with faster dance rhythms and bright, intricate guitar improvisation, and gained popularity in the 1980s in France. Although often used by journalists as a synonym for Congolese rumba, both the music and dance associated with soukous differ from more traditional rumba, especially in its higher tempo and longer dance sequences.

Soukous fuses traditional Congolese rhythms with contemporary instruments. It customarily incorporates electric guitars, double bass, congas, clips, a third guitar (misolo), and brass/woodwinds. Soukous lyrics often explore themes of love, social commentary, amorous narratives, philosophical musings, and ordinary struggles and successes. Singers occasionally sing and croon in Lingala, French and Swahili and bands often consist of a primary vocalist accompanied by several backing singers

The genre's origins can be traced back to the early 20th century when urban residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo embraced the fusion of intertribal Congolese maringa dance music near Pool Malebo, infused with guitar techniques from Liberia.[8] The outflow of Kru merchants and sailors from Liberia to Brazzaville during the mid-19th century introduced distinctive guitar-playing techniques that ultimately influenced the use of the accordion to emulate local "likembe" (thumb piano, best known worldwide as a mbira) rhythms. As early as 1902, the accordion's melodies resonated through the streets near Pool Malebo's factories.

 

[Swahili P'Bitek]

Any recommendations on where I can get information on the influence of cuban music in congo from the 1920s, as well as the French antilles influence on sokous in the 80s?

 

[NoirDynosaur]

Any recommendations on where I can get information on the influence of cuban music in congo from the 1920s, as well as the French antilles influence on sokous in the 80s?

The only books that I can find that documents the influence of Cuban Music in Congo are these:

^^ This is more of a informative takes on variety of African Music styles

^^ This is more of a comprehensive detail look on the history of Congolese Music

^^ IMO, this is the band book as it documents the various eras and bands that dominated each scene of both Kinshasa (Leopoldville) and Brazzaville

As for the French Antilles influence on Soukous/Congolese Rumba, this is what I found

Page 8 goes into description about zouk's influence on Congolese Soukous

^^ These two books mention the Congolese band Ryco-Jazz. They played a small but important role in Cadence/Early Zouk music by adding Congolese Rumba into the West Indies during the 60's and Early 70's. I'll talk more about them later in the thread

 

[NoirDynosaur]

Dr Nico Kasanda

What was Dr. Nico Kasanda's contribution to Congolese music?

Nicolas Kasanda (1939-85) was one of the most influential guitarists to come out of Africa. He and his brother, Dechaud, as members of Joseph Kabasele's African Jazz (1952-63), pioneered a new style of guitar called mi-solo which interpolated a third guitar between the rhythm and lead. The mi-solo could double the lead or fall back and augment the rhythm creating a more complex sound. The style quickly caught on and was adapted throughout the continent.

From Angola to Mali bands covered Nico's sound as he broke away from African Jazz and created an exciting new band, African Fiesta, with Tabu Ley Rochereau on vocals. There is a decided Cuban feel to many of the band's mid-sixties recordings but Nico's ecstatic solos transcended musical genres.

He also adapted the Hawaiian guitar with echo for a unique haunting sound on his ballads. After Rochereau split at the peak of African Fiesta's career, Nico went through several new combinations. In 1969 he launched a 6 month tour of West Africa. In Sierra Leone he created a new dance, the Kono that took the continent by storm. His band became the proving ground for many new talents (including Josky & Bopol) but he was clearly a tough boss and his career went into a premature decline. Though overshadowed by the successes of Rochereau and the rival camp of OK Jazz, Nico was a highly respected musician & left an incredible legacy of magical music. This is the first monograph devoted to the artist and places him on a level with better-known African superstars such as Fela & Franco.

 

[NoirDynosaur]

FRANCO LUAMBO MAKIADI AKA THE SORCERER OF GUITAR!

When Franco, known as “the sorcerer” or “the god-father,” died in 1989 at the age of 51, his legacy was secure as a pivotal figure in the evolution of rhumba, the sound developed in the Belgian Congo (later Zaire, now Democratic Republic of the Congo) from Afro-Cuban music (also called Congo rumba or, simply, Congo music). His popularity, as the Rough Guide reports, “transcended the boundaries of language, class, nationality and tribal affiliation. His music was as hugely popular in anglophone Africa as in the French-speaking countries.” During a nearly 40-year career, Franco released more than 150 albums and composed close to 1,000 songs. His vast repertoire was not only a social commentary on Congo’s liberation and the long Mobutu dictatorship, but also a celebration of the ordinary pleasures of everyday life. Lauded by the Mobuto government for his role in the state-sponsored authenticité movement, which celebrated traditional or nativist culture, Franco also irked the authorities and landed in jail on more than one occasion.


Born François Luambo Makiadi on July 6, 1938, in the village of Sona-Bata, in the Bas Zaire region. His father worked for the railroad while his mother sold bread at the local market. Franco learned to play guitar on a homemade instrument when he was seven. He was tutored by the guitarist and bandleader Paul Ebengo Dewayon. Franco caused a sensation with his professional debut, at the age of 12, in Dewayan’s band.

Starting in the late 1940s, Afro-Cuban music was the rage in many African big cities. Radio stations played 78s imported from Cuba, and the music was imitated by Congolese bands, incorporating their own distinctive sounds. Franco quickly found work as a session guitarist, helping to develop the Afro-Cuban music into the “rumba Congolaise,” later known as soukous. The songs were sung in Lingala, a hybrid language that emerged during the construction of cross-continental railroads that allowed workers from different tribal groups to communicate. In 1953 Franco released his solo debut, entitled “Bolingo na ngai na Beatrice” (My love for Beatrice).

In 1956 Franco, then 18 years old, helped form the sextet OK Jazz, along with Jean Serge Essous. By this time, the capital of Belgian Congo, Leopoldville (now Kinshasa,) was bustling with activity. Bars, dancehalls, and recording studios echoed with new musical sounds. OK Jazz wasted no time recording their debut album, whose title track (composed by Franco), “On entre OK, on sort KO” (“You enter OK and leave knocked out”),—soon became the group’s motto. When cofounders Essous and Vicky Longomba left the group to join rival Joseph Kabasselleh’s Africa Jazz, the most influential band in the Congo, Franco took over sole leadership of OK Jazz (later named TPOK Jazz, with the addition of tout puissant “all-powerful”).



In 1960 the Belgian Congo became independent and, after a tumultuous start, the new country, renamed Zaire in 1971, settled into the relative stability of the Mobutu dictatorship. Kabassaelleh helped OK Jazz secure a recording deal in Europe. Throughout the next three decades Franco and TPOK Jazz were prolific, releasing dozens of records and establishing the popularity of soukous. The music scene in Zaire flourished during this period and many of the musicians who had passed through OK/TPOK Jazz or Africa Jazz eventually struck out on their own. During this time President Mobutu helped establish the authenticité movement, which encouraged African artists and intellectuals to examine their roots and return to more traditional modes of expression. Franco accepted the challenge and, in the words of the Rough Guide “re-Africanized the Afro-Cuban rumba by introducing rhythmic, vocal and guitar elements from Congolese folklore.” As his music continued to evolve, Franco used TPOK as a podium from which he could expound his views about changing African society, sometimes testing the limits of the freedoms allowed under the dictatorship.

By the mid-1970s Franco was one of the richest men in Zaire and owned four of the capital city’s largest night-clubs. TPOK packed the house at the Un-Deux-Trois Club each weekend. From the late 1970s to early 1980s, TPOK dominated the African charts and saw their popularity spread to Europe. Around this time Franco also converted to Islam and adopted the name Abubakkar Sidikki.


During the early decades of the Mobutu dictatorship, the blossoming music scene was an integral part

In the 1980s Zaire fell into economic decline, fueled partly by government corruption and profligate spending. The once-vibrant music scene began to suffer and many of Zaire’s best musicians went to Europe. Although Franco moved his recording base from Kinshasa to Brussels, Belgium, he did not abandon his home base. His songs became longer and often involved elaborate narratives. In 1985 he released “Mario,” a song about a young man who, despite his education, prefers to live off the earnings of his wealthy lover, a woman twice his age. The song became Franco’s biggest hit.

As Africa was hit by the burgeoning AIDS epidemic, Franco became one of the first to address the issue with his 1987 release, “Attention na SIDA.” This 15-minute-long drum- and guitar-driven song was a clarion call for caution in sexual relationships and a plea for government intervention in the spreading epidemic. Shortly after the release of “Attention na SIDA,” Franco fell ill and rumors spread about the cause of his disease. He converted back to Catholicism and was again baptized François Luambo Makiadi. He died after a long illness on October 12, 1989, in Brussels, leaving behind a wife and 18 children. Many believe that the great musician was claimed by the disease he had sung so passionately about.

Franco’s body was flown back to Zaire and the government declared four days of national mourning. Crowds lined the streets of Kinshasa to pay their last respects as Franco’s hearse passed by, covered with the national flag. State-run radio Voix du Zaire played nothing but Franco’s music. He was finally laid to rest on October 17.

 

[NoirDynosaur]

Beyonce paying tribute to the GOAT Franco

 

[NoirDynosaur]

There's more to Franco than just the songs posted. This dude released more than 1000 songs!

Check out his Discogs page to find more of his detailed discography
Franco

 

[Swahili P'Bitek]

My favourite rhumba songs are the slow and sombre ones like

 

[NoirDynosaur]

MAKOSSA​

Makossa is a popular style of music and dance that originated in Cameroon, a country in Central Africa. It is known for its infectious and upbeat rhythm, characterized by a lively fusion of African, jazz, and funk influences. Makossa music often features prominent brass instruments, catchy melodies, and lyrics in various languages spoken in Cameroon, such as Duala and French.

Emmanuel Nelle Eyoum is considered to be the father of Makossa. It is he who, for the first time, used the word during a benefit at the Flambeau Bar, in Douala, in his song Mot'a Ogono mo asi ma nanga ndabo. Starting in 1958, the style was popularized in the other cities of the country by the group Négro Styl. Makossa saw its first success on the continental level with the musician Eboa Lotin, who represented Cameroon at the Panafrican Festival in Algiers in July 1969. The genre then grew and diversified in the 1970s and 80s, becoming Makossa New Wave, Makossa Pop, Makossa Funk, Makossa Soul, etc., according to the inspiration of the songwriter.

One of the most famous Makossa songs is "Soul Makossa" by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, which gained international recognition and influence in the 1970s. The song's distinctive sound and rhythm contributed to the development of modern African and world music.




It is not until 1973, and the impressive success of Soul Makossa in the United States, that the musical genre made its mark in Western markets. The piece by Manu Dibango, recorded in France and launched by Decca in 1972, initially had limited success; neither the public nor the French music industry paid much attention to it. It caught on when David Mancuso discovered Manu Dibango's record in a West Indian shop on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn and made it a hit in his private club, the Loft. American DJs quickly picked up the song, especially the well-known Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker, who played it on African-American radio station WBLS. Soul Makossa won over black, white, and Latino listeners, and became an important ingredient in the development of disco.

This vibrant scene incited Ahmet Ertegun, the director of Atlantic Records, to distribute the record in the United States. At his invitation, Manu Dibango undertook a 24-concert tour at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, in the company of the Temptations, and appeared at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. with the group Osibisa, and at Yankee Stadium with the Fania All Stars in front of 50,000 spectators. In August 1973, Soul Makossa cracked the Billboard Top 100 in sales and radio play, and stayed there for 9 consecutive weeks, peaking at number 21 and accumulating 2 million sales by the end of the year. On his return to France, Manu Dibango was invited for the first time to play as a headliner at L'Olympia de Paris from the 14th to the 17th of May 1977.

If the United States is the place where Makossa made it big, France remained a major hub of production and distribution of this musical style. In the 1980s, the Left then in power authorized the creation of private radio stations, permitting the musical genre to break away from the African ethnic audience to which it had been effectively confined.


Since the 1970s, Makossa has been the object of various and complex reappropriations in the Atlantic world. Some titles were adapted, without authorization, by North American and European singers. James Brown thus discovered Hot Koki by the Cameroonian musician André Marie Tala when he visited Kinshasa in 1974 to participate in the giant concert for the opening of the fight between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman. The song, played on Zairean radio, captured James Brown's attention, and he remade it as The Hustle in 1975.




The same story was repeated with Soul makossa by Manu Dibango who, in 1982, saw his refrain sampled by Michael Jackson in Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' on the album Thriller. The legal disputes surrounding the affair have added to the song's renown and its success endures; in 2007, the singer Rihanna integrated part of the chorus into her song entitled Please,
don't stop the music.

A whole Makossa song was once remade and sung in another language; Demis Roussos remade the song Elongi by Ekambi Brillant under the title Kyrila. Two versions followed: one in English and the other in German. More recently, on the occasion of 2010's football World Cup, Shakira drew her inspiration from the song Zangalewa by the group Golden Sounds, for the chorus of her hit Waka Waka.

Makossa has had a significant impact on popular music worldwide and continues to be celebrated for its vibrant and danceable tunes. It's not only a musical genre but also a cultural expression of the people of Cameroon.