"African"

As has happened a few times before, in the process of writing this post I found that others (in this case Global Groove) have posted the same (see below) album. In this case I am going to completely ignore this. Well perhaps not completely. But I am nevertheless going to post it.

I know I should get over it, but even with the steady process of aging and the tolerance this is supposed to bring I can still get disproportionately irritated about the indiscriminate use of the adjective "African". The World Cup in South Africa provided plenty of opportunities to congratulate/sympathise with/praise etc. the "African" people/organisers/public and what-have-you. Do these commentators, big shots and others seriously think that there is one common factor in this immense and mindboggling variety of peoples, cultures and worlds which can be found in the African continent? Can anyone explain why a Senegalese should be primarily seen as "African", while an Italian is rarely addressed as "European"?
And I could even see the logic of the latter. There is a far greater homogeny between Europeans than there is between the inhabitants of the African continent. There are plenty of reasons why Africa can not be seen as a country. For one thing, infrastructurally Africa is in parts still in the (relative) dark ages. And I could go on, elaborating on the ethnic diversity of individual countries, the vast differences between cultures within a single country etcetera.

So please, think before chucking in "African", while talking about one country in the continent....

Now that I've got that of my chest, let's get to an example of an "African" lp. A multi-country affair, with music from Congo (Zaïre) but released in Nigeria. A rather strange compilation with two part two's and a mistake which wouldn't look out of place with a African (!)/Sonodisc or a Syllart compilation.

Ntesa Dalienst is represented with two of his compositions with Les Grands Maquisards, "Biki" and "Maria Mboka" (misspelled "Mariam Mboka"). The version of "Biki" is by far the longest I know; it's more than three minutes longer than the version on African 360.014 and the one on African 360.155, and even longer than the almost eight minute version on Ngoyarto NG 034. Like "Biki", the wonderful "Maria Mboka", with Diana, Kiesse Diambu and Lokombe in the chorus, is one of the many highlights in the career of Ntesa (who sadly passed away in 1996).

The first two tracks certainly merit their selection in any compilation of Congolese music. I can think of few songs which are more typical of Johnny Bokelo's Conga 68 (Success) than "FC Dragons", and I can see how the break after 2'52 would appeal to a Nigerian dance crowd.
I can only speculate, but it appears to me that "Lisumu Lisango" by the Elegance Jazz was (also) included for the 'rootsy' feel of the song. And this may also be the reason for the selection of the two part two's. Verckys' "Mfumbwa 2" would undoubtedly get Nigerian 'booties' shaking.... The same goes for Orchestre Bella-Bella's "Sola 2" with the 'get down' break after only 50 seconds.

As a European I am strongly inclined to look up the first part of these part two's. I would like to argue that in both cases these are an essential part of the composition. The song "Mfumbwa" is just not the same without the "bolingo " after 1'11, the subsequent clucking, and - of course - the great horns.
And with "Sola", composed by Mulembu Tshibau, who apparently died this year, I get goosebumps from Pépé Kallé's backing vocal in part 1 in particular and the vocal harmonies in general, plus the horns, the bass player (!) ... and I could go on.

So, European as I am, I am adding the complete tracks as an extra to this post.

The last track, by the way, is not by Bella-Bella, but - of course - by Verckys and his orchestre Vévé (and can also be found on the African 360.014 lp I mentioned above). This song "Na komitunaka" ("I keep asking myself") has been the subject of many studies. In it Verckys asks why all the saints are white. Why is God not an African?

Soundpoint SOP 042
extra

P.S. It appears that this lp has been released at least twice in Nigeria. This version, which I bought at least 25 years ago, is on the Soundpoint label, while the lp Global Groove posted is on a label called Deram.
Has anyone ever seen the volumes 1, 2 or 3???

Africa Mbonda

In an earlier post I have expressed my surprise about the lack of information on the www about Johnny Bokelo. There has been no improvement since, and it seems unlikely there will be in the near future.

So we have to rely on our ears for information.
This record is a good as any starting point. Released in Kenya in 1988 it does tell a story about the mechanics of Bokelo and his orchestra. The first track gives an immediate insight into his influences. The song kicks off with a rhythm resembling the 1987 TP OK Jazz song "Tala Merci Bapesaka Na Mbua"; the vocals are definitely influenced by Pepe Kalle. The influence of Franco has been predominant in the whole of his career and, like Franco, Bokelo has moved with the times. When, in the 1980s, Franco incorporated the successful vocal sound of Empire Bakuba's heavyweight star by moving Madilu to the foreground, Bokelo followed...
If you listen carefully you will detect some influences from the east of Africa; most notably in the singing in the second track. Bokelo catered for the considerable following he had in those countries.

This is not Bokelo's best lp, but in my opinion it still manages to beat the majority of the records that have been released since.

KVL 5007

Mbonda Africa

Again I am surprised. This time about the lack of information about Johnny (Jean) Bokelo on the internet. From Gary Stewart's "Rumba On The River" one might get the impression that he was constantly fighting with record companies. But, luckily for us, he has also found time to produce some great records.

Bokelo started (as far as I can ascertain) his musical career at the Loningisa label, where he recorded his first compositions in February 1959 (I'll post those tracks later, in the Loningisa series of posts).
Via Conga Jazz, Conga Succes, Conga De La Capitale, Conga 68 and Conga International (and there may be other variations) he ended up in the 1980s with his orchestre Mbonda Africa. A start of a discography can be found at this forum. If there is any call for it, I will post some of his Editions Mbonda singles later.

Here, however, is the album from 1983 which Bokelo released on one of his own labels. It is a great example of Bokelo's heavyweight soukous, with solid male vocals, multi-dimensional horns and classic Bokelo guitars.
Very danceable.

JBI 001