Yeah, actually they’re heading to Los Angeles for a concert. I was kinda shocked when I found out... that’s very good for Ya Jossart for landing a venue like this still.
2 nights too, wish I could attend
Indeed!!
If they produce a show like th one below, I would definitely part withe 60 Dollars...
The Bass and that Traditional ryhme at the beginning is a Killer
kiekie, the way our artists pay our musicians I figured the price could be lowered
Remeber the sensation Kilebu from Maison Mere? He did just that and put out a fire generique and few songs. He's a school teacher in the states. To me this better than all the generiques released this summer. Shout out to him
He's the drummer too:
He even tells the story here
I remember seeing this man in Nairobi when WMM played at the Carnivore. Just before the band took to the stage we were having some drinks, Werrason came in to the pub area with his entourage, accompanied by this 'mzungu' man who proceeded to converse in Lingala to the astonishment of all the other patrons around. Later during the performance he got on stage and proceeeded to dance to the beats like no white man has ever done....
It's crazy. It means that those who were and are very popular in these groups did those type of crazy shit. I saw the interview of Baby Ndombe with Eti Kimbukusu and he said he didn't do witchcraft i was like "come on man how can we believe you ?" It's impossible to be a star without doing witchcraft is it ?
Like Archos indicated, if you happen to come from a secure background financially, the pressure to succumb is much lower. Baby Ndombe (being son of Pepe Ndombe ) would probably have contacts/relatives who would ensure he is well off and does not have to depend on donations and begging.
The Picture that Archos paints though is very dim for anyone who comes from a poor background to make it in music. It looks like talent alone is not enough. The Struggle is real for a musician in Kinshasa and to go back to the original question then I am beginning to agree that maybe it is better to advise that one should think twice.
Having said that, if one does not join a Big Band the chance of being noticed and getting the necessary exposure is almost nil....
You have to also consider the fact that most of the musicans that have come along came from poor background; their hard work and sacrifice improved their economic standing and that of their loved ones. Had music not been an option, many would be languishing in proverty.
You point to the single biggest reason right there. A lot of African musicians ( and Also to a large extent, Black American Musicians ) use music to raise themselves from poverty, and they become big stars making big bucks. Unfortunately, for most of them, the story ends there.
A very select few of them actually take music as a business. They focus on the glamour music offers, and leave the business end to managers or trusted band members to handle, with disastrous results. Tales abound of mega stars who made it big and squandered their fortune.
If my family member was to go into music, I would first ensure they understand that music is a business, it has to pay for their way of life, and like in any other business, it has a sell-by date. That means that there must be a plan B for how the family member is to continue life after his spot in the sun is gone. Talking investments, alternative skills to ensure they can do something else when music does not pay them, e.t.c.
The other issue I would caution them is to ensure they maintain a suitable lifestyle, taking care to handle themselves properly and taking care of their body. Musicians are constantly tempted by the trappings of life on the fast lane, be it women throwing themselves at them, drugs, peer pressure to conform, jealousy and polemics the list goes on.
I personally do not believe in the spiritual attacks stuff, mostly I put to Psychology and the insecurities of the musicians as well as the back stabbings that the members carry on each other to impress the boss. In Africa, nobody of note dies of natural causes; Either one is bewitched, sacrificed or some such explanation. There has to be someone to blame, it goes deep into our cultural belief system where death was this mysterious thing that befell someone wither at the behest of enemies or some supernatural powers we could not explain.
Thereafter we started seeing the same format from the likes of Arlus Mabele and Loketo, Kassav and other session musicians developing what was called internationally 'Soukouss' ....
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You mean to tell me Zaiko are the ones to blame for Kanda Bongo Man and his peers??
Not really, but it is after the success of Nippon Bonzai that the international stations started paying attention to Lingala, and the short mostly instrumental song ( With little or no message) but danceable tunes started getting airplay.
For a beginner of Zaiko, the journey can very long and the number of albume defintely more than 5.
My journey of Zaiko started with the 1976 Ghana Festival ( Zaiko Wa Wa Wa signature tune).
Another landmark point of the Group was the split that gave us Nkolo Mboka and Familia Dei... Depending on the followers, there are those who prefer Nkolo Mboka and those who prefer Familia Dei, although I do not hear of Familia dei much nowadays.
Any news of Familia Dei branch of Zaiko will be welcome, but Nyoka Longo seems to be the last man standing of the Zaiko Clan.
Nippon Banzai, though one of my faves as a kid, is my least favorite album. The album was never live, there were no original songs and the fake applause tracks were annoying. I get the concept, promote the playlist, shorten the songs for the Japanese audience and that formula along with the Japanese tour helped to spring up "soukous" bands in Japan, but again my least favorite.
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That album though was perfect for Western audiences, particularly those who just learned about the band or even African music in general. I agree it takes out the soul of Zaiko, if that was what you were alluding to... it’s like a movie with non-stop action scenes rather than a slow intriguing buildup
The dilema most Lingala bands have with international audiences are 1. Language barrier where the audience does not really understand what the lyrics of the song are 2. For Radio, the average Lingala song is too long for airplay, so most have to be cut short.
Nippon Bonzai was the innovative solution to these two problems in that the songs were limited to just short renditions of their biggest hits, just to highlight the instrumental parts and short enough to fit the three/four minute airplay limit, they sounded complete.
From this developed a concept of short lingala songs contrary to the mainstream greats like Franco and Tabu Ley whose songs would be as long as fifteen minutes. This led to international radio exposure and audiences acceptance.
Thereafter we started seeing the same format from the likes of Arlus Mabele and Loketo, Kassav and other session musicians developing what was called internationally 'Soukouss' ....
Ramazani "Remmy" Mtoro Ongala (1947 10 Feb – 13 December 2010) was a Tanzanian guitarist and singer. Ongala was born in Kindu near the Tanzanian border, in what was the Belgian Congo at the time, and now is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Remmy Ongala travelled to Dar es Salaam where he joined Orchestra Makassy in 1978, and later broke off to form his own band Orchestre Super Matimila (named after the businessman who owned the band's instruments).
Ongala's tune are reminiscent of T.P.O.K Jazz but he sang predominatly in Swahili in a style he called 'Ubongo', the Swahili word for brain. He mostly sang about social topics like the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Corruption, urbanisation and unity and fidelity between a man and his wife. This led his fans to nick-name him Sauti ya Mynoge (voice of the poor man).
Some of his major Hits are Mariam Wangu :
Sauti Ya Mnyonge ( The Poor Man's Voice) :
Siku Ya Kufa ( The day of one's Death ) :
Karola :
Asili Ya Muziki ( The Origin of Music) :
Remmy Ongala exported his music abroad and for a period was based in Sweden, and he toured prominently in Europe. Even as he toured, his message was still on topical issues, translating his songs to English for the European audience :
He is regarded as one of Tanzania's greatest composers/singers.