April 30, 2012

Soy

I have been very busy with other matters, but wouldn't like to finish the month without at least a small post. There is plenty more to come, and I hope to have more time in the coming month.

Anyway, here is a single originally recorded for Franco's Boma Bango label. But it's not by the O.K. Jazz, but by the Negro Succes, the orchestra which Vicky Longomba had started in 1959 before joining Kabasele at the Table Ronde in Brussels.

I particularly like the A-side "Yo Se Que Soy", as superb bolero which I am sure Franco would have loved. It's probably a cover of a latin song, and I have tried very hard to find out by whom. Going by the dramatic lyrics and the words used, I would guess the original is Cuban. But so far I have not been able to trace the source.
Perhaps you have an idea. If so, please let us know.

Side two is rumba, composed by Franco's brother Bavon Marie-Marie, and very much in the Negro Succes style, which the typical maracas shaking in the background.

For more singles I refer you to the great Dial Africa blog which is sharing some great Congolese singles (and please do go on!). But in the future I will be posting some more singles as well.

 African 90.202

6 comments:

dial africa said...

Thank you for your kind words concerning my little amateur blog.

jan duinkerken said...

THANK YOU STEFAN!

Anonymous said...

Primero que todo gracias por compartir esta musica. YO SE QUE SOY se llama UNA AVENTURA MAS de Oscar Kinleiner,Bolero, Argentina, 1952
Raúl Shaw Moreno (primera voz)
puedes escucharlo en este link:
http://www.eltriolospanchos.com/eltriolospanchos/cancionero/letras/una_aventura_mas.htm

FrancoPepeKalle said...

Good post. Vicky was a great singer back in the early days of Congolese Music.

WrldServ said...

@Anonymous: Muchissimas gracias. That explains a lot. Several (older) people in Cuba recognised the song, and the songs of Los Panchos were very popular & have been covered all over Cuba, by loads of groups.
About the composer I read: "Óscar Kinleiner: Guitarrista y compositor argentino. Con su esposa Elbita como vocalista y Héctor Santos primero y luego Emilio Yacante, formó el Trío Melodías. Debutó en 1946 en Radio Litoral."

Well, that's got it pretty much covered, I guess.


@FrancoPepeKalle: I assumed that most readers of this blog already know of Vicky's role in African - and more specifically Congolese - music.
And I sincerely hope you are not suggesting that Vicky is singing in this song....

FrancoPepeKalle said...

I am not suggesting that a bit. What I am saying is that Vicky was a pioneer of Congolese Music during the early days. I did not say Vicky sang on any of those songs you mentioned. OK. But these songs are interesting to me.