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Le Grand Kallé
Joseph Athanase Tshamala Kabasele (16 December 1930 in Matadi, Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) – 11 February 1983 in Paris, France), popularly known as Le Grand Kallé, was a List of people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese singer and bandleader, considered the father of modern Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congolese music. He is best known for his role as leader of the band, ''Le Grand Kallé et l'African Jazz'', in which capacity he was involved in a number of noted songs, including ''Indépendance Cha Cha''. Background Joseph Athanase Tchamala Kabasele was born in Matadi, Bas-Congo in what was then the Belgian Congo, modern Democratic Republic of Congo. He came from a prominent Congolese family, which included Cardinal Joseph Malula. Kallé went to secondary school and became a typist at a succession of commercial firms in the capital of the Belgian Congo, Léopoldville. Career In the early 1950s, at a new recording st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opika
Opika was an early record label in the Congo Free State, Congo, which recorded and promoted African pop, guitar, and rumba - not only from the Congo, but from Cameroon and Ghana as well. The label also recognized the value of ethnographic recordings, which were featured on a number of their releases. Started by brothers Gabriel Moussa Benetar and Joseph Benetar, from the Greek island of Rhodes, Opika was a prodigious producer of 78 rpm shellac recordings through the late 1950s. The company was initially called "Kina," but the name was subsequently changed to “Opika” from a phrase in Lingala, “opika pende” meaning “stand firm”. The name Opika was chosen in some sense as a challenge to the reigning and monolithic recording house Ngoma (record label), Ngoma that this new recording company was a force to be reckoned with. The label was the first to sign Le Grand Kallé, Joseph Kabaselle who, along with other Opika session players Nico Kasanda, Nico and Decherd, Tennessee, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tabu Ley Rochereau
Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu (13 November 1940 – 30 November 2013), better known as Tabu Ley Rochereau, was a Congolese rumba singer and musician. He was the leader of ''Orchestre Afrisa International'', as well as one of Africa's most influential vocalists and prolific songwriters. Along with guitarist Dr Nico Kasanda, Tabu Ley pioneered soukous (African rumba) and internationalised his music by fusing elements of Congolese folk music with Cuban, Caribbean and Latin American rumba. He has been described as "the Congolese personality who, along with Mobutu, marked Africa's 20th century history", and was also dubbed "the African Elvis" by the ''Los Angeles Times''. After the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko's regime in 1997, Tabu Ley also pursued a political career. His musical career ran parallel to the other great Congolese rhumba bandleader and rival Franco Luambo Makiadi who ran the band TPOK Jazz throughout the 1960s, 1970s and '80s. During his career, Tabu Ley composed up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soukous
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, song structures and longer dance sequences. Soukous fuses traditional Congolese rhythms with contemporary instruments. It customarily incorporates electric guitars, double bass, congas, clips, 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, Kikongo, French and S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-growing Megacity, megacities, with an estimated population of 17 million in 2024. It is the List of cities and towns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most densely populated city in the DRC, the List of cities in Africa by population, most populous city and List of urban areas in Africa by population, third-largest metropolitan area in Africa, and the world's List of largest cities, twenty-second most populous city and List of national capitals by population, fourth-most populous capital city. It is the leading Economy, economic, Politics, political, and cultural center of the DRC, housing several industries including manufacturing, telecommunications, List of banks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, banking, and entertainment. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gombe, Kinshasa
Gombe (formerly known as Kalina), also known as La Gombe, or Downtown Kinshasa, is one of the Communes of Kinshasa, 24 communes of Kinshasa, in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Encompassing a vast area of approximately 29.33 square kilometers (11.32 square miles), it is home to an approximate population of 49,024 residents (2014). Functioning as both a residential area and a central business district, Gombe houses several key government institutions of the DRC, including the Palais de la Nation (Kinshasa), ''Palais de la Nation'', the Central Bank of the Congo, various Ministry (government department), ministries, Mass media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, media organizations, and List of diplomatic missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, diplomatic representations. Gombe serves as the epicenter for the DRC's leading financial establishments, the hub of its business activities, and the headquarters of the MONUSCO, United Nations Organiza ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Table Ronde
"Table Ronde" was a successful song written by Joseph Kabasele in the popular Congolese rumba style and performed by his band L'African Jazz. It was written for the Round Table Conference on Congolese independence held in Brussels, Belgium in 1960 which gave the song its name. History In December 1959 it was announced that a round table conference would be held in Brussels, Belgium in 1960 to discuss the future of the Belgian Congo. Joseph Kabasele's L'African Jazz and OK Jazz were both invited to perform at the event. Only two musicians from OK Jazz were able to attend, so they briefly performed with L'African Jazz. Kabasele took part in the conference, and collaborated with his musicians to produce some songs to commemorate the event. The most notable of these were "Table Ronde" and " Indépendance Cha Cha". While "Indépendance Cha Cha" was celebratory, "Table Ronde" was more assertive for the cause of Congolese independence. It featured a guitar solo by Nico Kasanda. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Congolese Round Table Conference
The Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference () was a meeting organized in two partsJoseph Kamanda Kimona-Mbinga"La stabilité du Congo-Kinshasa: enjeux et perspectives"2004 in 1960 in Brussels (January 20 – February 20Réseau documentaire international sur la Région des Grands Lacs"Des «Dialogues» belgo-congolais aux Dialogues intercongolais 1960-2001: À la recherche de l'unité et de la légitimité en R.D.C."/ref> and April 26 – May 16Jules Gérard-Libois, Jean Heinen"Belgique Congo - 1960"1993) between on the one side representatives of the Congolese political class and chiefs () and on the other side Belgian political and business leaders. The round table meetings led to the adoption of sixteen resolutions on the future of the Belgian Congo and its institutional reforms. With a broad consensus, the date for Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), independence was set on June 30, 1960. Background The idea for a round table conference was first formulated in 1959 by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Kabasele And Vicky Longomba Performing At The Round Table Conference
Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic countries. In Portuguese and Spanish, the name is "José". In Arabic, including in the Quran, the name is spelled , . In Kurdish (''Kurdî''), the name is , Persian, the name is , and in Turkish it is . In Pashto the name is spelled ''Esaf'' (ايسپ) and in Malayalam it is spelled ''Ousep'' (ഔസേപ്പ്). In Tamil, it is spelled as ''Yosepu'' (யோசேப்பு). The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and ''Joseph'' was one of the two names, along with ''Robert'', to have remained in the top 10 boys' names list in the US from 1925 to 1972. It is especially common in contemporary Israel, as either "Yossi" or "Yossef", and in Italy, where the name "Giuseppe" was the most common m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pépé Kallé
Pépé Kallé, sometimes written as Pepe Kalle (November 30, 1951 – November 29, 1998) was a Congolese soukous singer, musician and bandleader. Biography Pépé Kallé was born Kabasele Yampanya in Kinshasa (then Léopoldville) in the Belgian Congo, but later assumed his pseudonym in hommage to his mentor, Le Grand Kallé. With a multi-octave vocal range and a dynamic stage presence, the and vocalist recorded more than three hundred songs and twenty albums during his two-decade-long career. Known affectionately as "the elephant of African music" and "La Bombe Atomique," Kallé entertained audiences with his robust performances. The guitarist was Solomon. Musical career His musical career started with l'African Jazz, the band of Le Grand Kallé. He later performed in Bella Bella and became the lead singer of Lipua Lipua, where he sang alongside Nyboma Mwandido. In 1972, Kallé along with Dilu Dilumona and Papy Tex, left Lipua Lipua to form their own band named Empire B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Africa Fiesta
L'Orchestra African Fiesta, often known simply as African Fiesta, was a Congolese soukous band started by Tabu Ley Rochereau and Dr. Nico Kasanda in 1963. History Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico were originally members of the seminal band Grand Kalle et l'African Jazz. They left African Jazz and started their own group, African Fiesta, with which they helped elevate the genre of African rumba into the genre now known as Soukous. Tension between Tabu Ley and Dr. Nico led to a split in 1965, with Tabu Ley renaming the band African Fiesta National and Dr. Nico forming African Fiesta Sukisa. Dr. Nico withdrew from the music scene in the mid-1970s. Tabu Ley and African Fiesta National continued to dominate the Congolese musical scene. By 1970, their records routinely sold in the millions. African Fiesta National served as a breeding ground for such future African music stars. In 1970, Tabu Ley formed Orchestre Afrisa International, Afrisa being a combination of Africa and Éditions Isa, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francophone
The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important as part of the conceptual rethinking of cultures and geography in the late 20th century. When used to refer to the French-speaking world, the Francophonie encompasses the countries and territories where French is official or serves as an administrative or major secondary language, which spans 50 countries and dependencies across all inhabited continents. The vast majority of these are also member states of the (OIF), a body uniting countries where French is spoken and taught. Denominations Francophonie, francophonie and francophone space are syntagmatic. This expression is relevant to countries which speak French as their national language, may it be as a mother language or a secondary language. These expressions are sometimes misund ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TPOK Jazz
OK Jazz, later renamed TPOK Jazz (short for ''Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinois de Jazz''), was a Congolese rumba band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo established in 1956 and fronted by Franco Luambo, Franco. The group disbanded in 1993. Location The OK Jazz band was formed in 1956 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), in what was at the time the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). At one time in the late 1970s and early 1980s the band grew to more than fifty members. During that period, it often split into two groups; one group stayed in Kinshasa, playing in nightclubs there, while the other group toured in Africa, Europe and North America. History 1950–1959 The musicians who started OK Jazz included Vicky Longomba, Jean Serge Essous, François Luambo Makiadi, De La Lune, Augustin Moniania Roitelet, La Monta LiBerlin, Saturnin Pandi, Nicolas Bosuma Bakili Dessoin and vocalist Philippe Lando Rossignol. They used to play at Loningisa Studios in Kinshasa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
