Washington, DC — This 40-track, multi-artist compilation takes us to the origins of African rumba, a musical genre that was developed during the 1930s-40 and later gained continent-wide acceptance.
Review of Roots of Rumba Rock - Congo Classics: 2-CD set, 2 hours of music - Release date: 2006
Most of the tracks featured here are in Lingala, a Bantu language widely spoken in the Congos. Also, the bulk of the selections listed here were taken from the Loningisa label, which was formed by young artists in Leopoldville (today's Kinshasa), with Bowane as their artistic leader and talent wizard.
This compilation has great historical value derived in part from the insight it gives into the evolution of a musical genre that relied so heavily upon the common heritage shared by Africans and Afro-Cubans.
The contribution to history lies in the fact that up until these tracks were released, little was known of the 'Fathers' of Congolese music. Indeed their successors enjoyed much more fame and appreciation than the youngsters of the colonial era.
While groups like Zaiko Langa Langa, TP OK Jazz, and Empire Bakuba in the one hand, and individuals such as Kanda Bongo Man, Papa Wemba, and Koffi Olommide on the other, gained continental recognition, the founding fathers for the most part did not get credit for their contribution to the musical heritage of the continent.
It is this unjust oversight that this compilation seeks to address.
Indeed it tells us that before Koffi Olomide, there was Francois Luambo, and before he became 'THE' Franco, there was Pepe Kalle, before Pepe Kalle, there was Grand Kalle (Joseph Kabasele, who fathered 'Independence Cha Cha'), and before him stood Bowane, Liengo, De Wayon, Adikwa, Pierre Kalima, Taureau and Nganga.
These are the artists whose legacy is restored through this compilation.
The themes covered in the compilation cover a wide variety of issues, serving an equally varied set of objectives--entertainment, education, social criticism, philosophical inquiry...
Assessing the contribution of each of the artists in this compilation is a task that would require more space than is currently allocated here, however let's briefly mention some of the most prominent of these musicians--Adikwa, Bowane, Kalima, and De Wayon.
Adikwa
Adikwa was known for his guitar mastery. He is one of the most preeminent of the artists featured in this collection. Unfortunately only two of his works are listed in this compilation. His style as a guitarist is best expressed through 'Kanisa, Elise' (track 7B), where one can hear him decisively pull the strings to create a sound fraught with nostalgia. Another signature of his work, we learn, is that his songs generally were written as sketches with a plot. This practice was picked up by many others, and reached its culmination with Franco Luambo's "Mario." Also, Adikwa seemed to particularly enjoy songs with a strong folkloric component. Most of the titles he plays in this compilation (including Josephine Amba's 'Belito' 9A) are essentially traditional songs that integrate authentic African folklore with Afro-Cuban sounds.
Bowane
Bowane is one of the top geniuses featured in this collection. It appears he was the number one artist of his time. Bowane was instrumental in the reappropriation of Rumba. A traditionalist much like Adikwa (see above), he insisted on blending traditional instruments (such as Likembe) and sounds (including 'mouth-drumming') with stylistic imports from Cuba. We learn from the CD insert that "he was the first
to imitate the sound of tam-tams with the use of onomatopoeia." Highly talented, he is also credited with the creation of several dances, including Esasa and Mokulumbembe. He inspired many of the great ones who came after him, including Grand Kalle himself.
De Wayon
De Wayon is originally from what is now known as Equator province; he sings in both Lingala and Kimongo. Dubbing himself "The Priest," he was one of the trend-setters in Leopoldville. He collaborated with many other artists of his time. In this collection, he partners with both Nganga and Jean Bokelo (his younger brother who went on to have a successful career of his own). He also introduced to the scene other major figures, including Franco Luambo, who plays the guitar in "Esengo ya mokili" (Track 19B, 'the pleasures of life'). At the time, Franco was "in his early teens" and it is believed to be one of the earliest songs he recorded.
Kalima Pierre
Kalima's style comes as one of the most discernible in this collection. He directs a brass band, and is bent on overwhelming the listener with a plethora of sounds and melodies that still manage to remain quite harmonious. He played both tuba and the piano, and one of his titles actually is an instrumental ("Bomba na motema" 20B).
The missing links
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The very narrow time period covered by this compilation (1953-54), coupled with space constraints, constitute its major weaknesses, although understandably (you can only squeeze a limited number of songs in a 2-CD set). As a result, both Franco Luambo and Joseph Kabasele (aka Grand Kalle), two incredibly talented musicians with a tremendous legacy, were left out. Also, the contribution of Taureau is reduced to just one title. Likewise, we only get one track from Liengo, although he was "second in fame only to Bowane."
And yet, this compilation is highly recommended not only for its enormous historical and artistic wealth, but also for undertaking the admirable task of restoring to the CD age the musicians who brought back home the sounds carried away by African slaves taken to the Americas. In the process, they laid much of the groundwork for one of the most influential musical genres of today--Soukous, from which derive many of the dances that are now part of the shared African musical heritage, including Kwasa kwasa, and Ndombolo.
Francois Gouahinga is a staff writer at allAfrica.com.
In his homeland of Gabon, he's been exposed to Congolese music since his early childhood. He is currently learning lingala, a language that both his parents speak.
