We already know a small pile of records by these guys. Although
the line-up of this band changed quite a few times, this is a nice
piece of music again. It concerns a Kenyan release by the group
that originally came from the Congo off course. Zaïko Langa Langa
is the name and the album is from 1989 or 1985..
Sleeve speaks of 1985 and label of 1989, which one is it..?

tracks;

1 Etape
– Moselebende
– Kamanzi
– Misolina
– Etape
2 Zizita
3 S.v.p. mbey
4 Mokili echanger

Do you know that feeling ? Hunting for records, walking
through piles of vinyl at fairs and in dusty old stores in
hidden boxes and under counters. The moment one
stumbles upon an lp like this one is just what we do
it for. You see the image, read the name and a chill
rolls down your spine..you think, do not react too
enthousiastic now, the price will go up if I do..Then
later when walking out the door with yet another
treasure recovered one feels like an archeologist,
can’t wait to get home and play it. If it is as good
as you imagined upfront, mostly the first spin is
disappointing having expectations far too high.
But playing it again and again, one starts to
realize, this is gold. This is why we love
to collect & hunt vinyl,
total satisfaction!

tracks;

1 Safari ya mangelepa
2 Zoao
3 Harare
4 Odesia

An lp from the seventies, Congolese on Pathé Marconi,
what’s the chance we won’t like it ? Very small indeed.
This one was first released in 1964 and re-released in
1978. Some of the tracks towards the end sound quite
dusty without any traces of being played a whole lot.
It seems they took the tracks from lp instead of from
the mothertapes. One way or the other,
as far as I’m concerned, 17
songs to lick your lips with,
Get it & Spread it.

tracks;

1 Mbanda tolinga tomeka
2 Na zonga na motema
3 Na’ sombela yo eva
4 Tout brazza
5 Evolution merengue
6 Jalousie na nini
7 Destino
8 Na lembi bipale
9 Ah! que pena
10 Yambi cherie
11 Pa’vacillar
12 Brazza mbok’etumba
13 En diable merengue
14 Fatou akamue
15 Padrona de la musica
16 Una noche
17 Luiza

Good morning, how are you groovers today ? I hope very well.
I’ve been holding quite some records with the idea to post them
as soon as the new page would be ready. Now the work takes
so much more time then assumed upfront, some of the treasure
needs to find you folks with precedence I reckoned. This swell
collector on Pathé Marconi contains some of the best rumba’s
by Franco’s O.K. Jazz. Tracks from the hand of Franco himself
but also by Edo, de la Lune, Vicky and Brazzos. Recorded in
1960, 1961 and 1962 but re-released in 1977. Don’t miss this
lp, another piece of Congolese musical inheritance.
Get it & Spread it !

tracks;

1 Franco et O.K. Jazz – Bolingo ekoma niongo
2 Franco et O.K. Jazz – Mousica tellama
3 Franco et O.K. Jazz – Rumba de ondo ondo
4 Edo, Malape, Franco et O.K. Jazz – Zozo kobanga te
5 Edo, Malape, Franco et O.K. Jazz – Aimee wa bolingo
6 Orchestre O.K. Jazz – Cha-cha modeiro
7 Franco, Vicky et Edo – Micorasson
8 Vicky et O.K. Jazz – Cha cha cha de mi vida
9 Vicky, Rossignol, Franco et de la Lune – La fiesta
10 Brazzos et O.K. Jazz – Tcha tcha tcha de mi amor
11 Edo et O.K. Jazz – Taxi avalon
12 Groupe Rythmique O.K. Jazz – Aya la mode

One of the things I’m always struggling with is how
to tell you about the quality of an album. We tend
to use the same superlatives all the time, great,
fine, swell, superb, awesome, words that loose
their true meaning when used too much. Now I
need to tell you how fantastic this lp really is and
don’t have the words. To me, finding an lp like this
one, on Pathé Marconi, from 1973, concerning a
Congolese collector, almost sure it is dynamite.
Now better believe me and don’t hesitate,
cause it is..

tracks;

1 Orchestre Sinza – Dipato
2 Orchestre Hi-Fives – Kyrie eleison
3 Orchestre Mando Negro – Daudet lingaka
4 Orchestre Les Noirs – Mosasa ndembo
5 Moji and the Tropicals – Duniani mateso
6 Orchestre Mando Negro – Na boyi danbinzi
7 Orchestre Sinza – Telephone 001
8 Orchestre Hi-Fives – Agy “I love you”
9 Paul Ebeny – London bwam
10 Orchestre Manta Lokoka – Dellya wa lucette

Tchico Tchicaya started in 1970 as a singer in the Brazzaville based
group called Manta Lokoka.
From 1972 to 1974 he was one of the lead singers in Les Bantous
de la Capitale. He occasionally collaborated with influential Zairean
group OK Jazz Band and recorded with le Groupe Kilimandjaro and Tchico
& the Officers. From 1977 to 1979 he stayed in Nigeria where he recorded
4 albums, Afro Festival, Amie Clara, Golden Voice and Méditation.
His nickname was ‘La Voix d’or’ and in that era he sang together with
Lolo Lolita with who he made one of his biggest hits ‘Jeannot’. Tchico
moved tp Paris in 1983. This lp is from 1987 and was made with Jacqueline
Brouta – vocals, Samba Kadhi Bell – backing vocals, Denis la Cloche –
solo guitar, Casanova de Ketchel – rhythm guitar, Remy Salomon – bass,
Denis Hekimian – drums, Lolitta Babind – percussion, Tony – keybords,
Jean-Marie Kabongo – Saxophone and Jean-Claude Léandre on trumpet.
I am affraid you will find dead links on all the older posts for now,
in the future however it’s promised to bring them all back. Listen…

tracks;

1 Soukous machine
2 Mabele mboka etumba
3 Mamy rosa
4 Doudou pas quitté moin

Ryco-Jazz was founded by Henri Bowane in 1958. The name was
composed from Rythme Congolais, Ry-Co in short. From 1960 to
1964 they toured west Africa and later moved to Martinique where
they were very popular. Their styles varied from tumbele, biguine,
bolero and rumba. Back in Paris in 1971 the group splits up and
spreads. Jean Serge Essous for instance went back to join Les
Bantous de la Capitale..enjoy..

tracks;

1 Mimi
2 Bana biafra
3 Nabenga yo nani
4 An drole di chance
5 Blue sugar
6 Basi na angola
7 Desarmement
8 N’doto kitoko
9 M’puli mua munie
10 Ivecia

If you are going to have a newyear’s party, may I suggest
some hot 1989 dance material ? Diblo’s soukous jives like
no other, sparkling guitar work and bubbling basses, tight
rhythms, what else do you need ? His supergroup’s name,
‘Loketo’, means ‘move your hips’ in lingala and I promise,
that is something you won’t be able to avoid.
Get it and spread it …

tracks;

1 Super K
2 Etoula
3 Amour et souvenir
4 Bolinga
5 Kelele

Last saturdaynight the world has lost a great artist. Tabu Ley Rochereau
was a legend, at the age of 73 he died at the Saint-Luc hospital in Sint-
Lambrechts-Woluwe near Brussels, Belgium. He suffered from a stroke
some years ago and never really recovered. “His condition got worse a
lot since last monday.”, his son in law Jean-Claude Muissa stated. Pascal
Tabu was born november 13, 1940 in Bandundu, Belgium Congo in those
days. He wrote his first song barely 14 years old for African Jazz. The lp
we’ve got here today is on Ngoma, a real gem.
Give it a couple of spins and remember
Tabu Ley Rochereau,
pass it on as much as you can..
P.S. This is a RE-POST.

tracks;

1 Mokrano
2 Gipsy
3 Kashama nkoy
4 Caroline mama
5 Toyota
6 Kasala
7 Mon mari est capable
8 Bel Abidjan

Who remembers les Mangelepa ? It is one of those Congolese
groups that moved to Kenya and made lots of records there. This lp
is from 1989 and was released by Gramma and produced by Bothwell
Nyamhondera & Henry Peters. Label and first producer
I only knew from Zimbabwan artist Thomas Mapfumo, now
with Mangelepa. They call this music Kwasa-Kwasa
dance, a type of soukous also made by for
instance Pépé Kallé, listen
and dance away..

tracks;

1 Cherie tracy
2 Tosambela nzambe
3 Kamulabi
4 Mokili