I have mentioned before (on the previous website Vibes d'Afrique) that I am a descendent if you will of Zaiko Langa Langa. My great uncle (my mother's uncle) is Mbuta Matima Mpiosso.
My father met my mother through a friend who was dating my mother's aunt. Her and her aunt happened to be close in age and hung out together. One day my father accompanied his friend to go see my mom's aunt that he was dating. This day they actually met at a Zaiko Langa Langa rehearsal. it was there that my father met not only my mother but members of Zaiko Langa Langa.
My father formed friendships with some of the band members, but in particular Pepe Felly. This friendship brought about this beautiful composition which was written by my father in haitian-kreyol and translated with the help of Gina Wa Gina, called Souci Mady:
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Pepe Felly and his band Les Yatoupas play the music and my father is the lead vocalist. Any way from that time on my father and Pepe Felly have kept in touch. In the early 2000s they embarked on a project that due to unforseen circumstances was abandoned. Finally over the last month my father, Guy Angrand, (host of Tambour d'Afrique on
www.radiotriomphe.com) and Pepe Felly were reunited and have been working on this project. This passed sunday I went to visit my father and was finally able to meet the man, the myth, the legend!
First I must say he is a very very kind soul. He is humble and open to working with anyone who has the same level of passion as him in music. My brother's friend who is a guitarist wanted to meet him and he jammed with him in my brother's room for a little more than an hour. Pepe even went so far as to learn from my brother's friend whose strengths are in Blues guitar and Pepe is interested in learning more. As great of a guitarist that he is he is always open to learning even if it is from a 22 year old young man.
I will not post pictures for his privacy. If you follow him on facebook though you will see pictures of him and my family in front of my father's house. It was an honor to meet him. He considers us to be his family and we the same. Finally my connection to Zaiko Langa Langa feels legit. He said to us that Matima was his brother so we are his nieces and nephew. He is Tonton Pepe to me, now. I just wanted to share with you all because it really made me happy to meet him and to know that he has this bond with my dad. Although he is younger than my father, my father does admire him and it was cool to see them hanging out and discussion music among other things.
Right now Pepe Felly is kind of on a U.S. tour. He came earlier in the summer for a few concerts in Pittsburgh and DC and has another in Chicago on September 8th with Congo Fest. My father is helping him perhaps get more dates in NYC before he returns to Europe. I hope to maybe record a track with them for their project before he returns.
Without giving any details I am going through some rough things in my life right now so this weekend really was a pick me up. I hope you all are well. Peace....
