Jabulani Library: Most Popular

TP OK JAZZ BAND BIOGRAPHY

May 20, 2024 - 09:44 AM Biography of the great O.K. Jazz. Distinguished Congolese rumba band, formed in 1956; disbanded in 1993. Classic late fifties lineup: Antoine "Brazzos" Armando (born Kinshasa Apr. 21, 1935; guitar), Nicolas "Dessoin" Bosuma (born Mbandaka, Congo-Kinshasa, July 11, 1936; died Kinshasa 1990; conga), " Franco" Luambo Makiadi(born Sona Bata, Congo-Kinshasa, July 6, 1938; died Brussels, Oct. 12, 1989; guitar), Edouard "Edo" Ganga (born Brazzaville, Oct. 27, 1933; vocal), Célestin "Célio" Kouka (born Brazzaville, 1930s; maracas, vocal), Victor "Vicky" Longomba(born Kinshasa, Dec. 13, 1932; died Kinshasa Mar. 12, 1988; vocal), Daniel "De La Lune" Lubelo (born Mambenga,......

MBILIA BEL BIOGRAPHY

May 17, 2024 - 10:00 PM Real name, (M'bilia Mboyo, Marie-Claire), is a Congolese singer; born in Kinshasa, Aug. 14, 1959. M'bilia dropped out of school in 1977, at the age of seventeen, to accept a position in the troupe of singers and dancers that accompanied the grand dame of Congolese music, Abeti. Well-seasoned after four years with Abeti, she joined Sam Mangwana for a series of concerts around Congo-Kinshasa (then known as Zaire). Near the end of 1981, as the Mangwana tour came to a close, Mbilia auditioned for Tabu Ley, leader of the Congolese rumba band, Afrisa. Ley hired her on the spot, giving her the stage name Mbilia Bel.Mbilia's sexy good looks and limpid soprano revitalized Afrisa and sent its......

LE GRAND MAITRE FRANCO LUAMBO LUANZO MAKIADI

May 09, 2024 - 10:00 AM RHUMBA LEGEND (1938 - 1989) Did you know that Franco had several marriages which resulted in 18 children of which 17 were girls? He released more than 150 albums and composed close to 1,200 songs in his 37 years of music career. Franco was born on 6th July 1938 in Sona-Bata village in the current Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His genre was Rhumba music and was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Franco was known for his mastery of Rhumba and was nicknamed the "sorcerer of Guitar". His Father Joseph Emongo was a railroad worker and his mother sold homemade bread at the local market. He began his musical career at a tender age. By 7 years, he had already built his......

REMEMBERING A CONGOLESE RUMBA KING

March 31, 2024 - 08:00 PM Hail Rumba King One of Africa's undisputed biggest hitmakers, Tabu Ley Rochereau, a star with a honeyed voice went on to become one of the continent's most successful music impresarios. He was born Pascal-Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabu in either 1937 or 1940 (sources differ) in a small village in Bandudu province in what was then still the Belgian Congo and is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He became one of Africa's most prominent musicians — dubbed "the voice of lightness" for his effortlessly sweet tone — and along the way was one of the pioneers of Congolese rumba, the dance music that managed to meld the sounds of a Cuban bandstand with an African lilt and that later......

FRANCO LUAMBO & TPOK JAZZ TOP SONGS EXPLAINED

March 30, 2024 - 12:00 PM Mario (1985):Franco’s biggest hit, it tells of an educated man who prefers to wallow in aging wealthy women. This gigolo doesn’t want to apply for jobs. Mario is the story of a Portuguese man. Mamou (1983):A woman laments about her friend (Mamou) for whom she covers but goes around blaming the woman for her woes. Mamou is a cheat but tells her husband that every other man she is found with is her friend’s boyfriend. The friend obliges to save their marriage. Yet Mamou goes around blaming the same woman for her marital woes. Attention na Sida (1987): An intense 15 minutes. After a UN summit asked African governments to make deliberate efforts to create......

LEGENDARY RHUMBA MAESTRO "Le Poet" SIMARO LUTUMBA

March 20, 2024 - 08:12 PM Happy Birthday to Legendary Rhumba Maestro Le Poet Simaro Lutumba Maestro Simaro (Official name - Massiya Lutumba Ndomanueno, Simon) who was born on 19th March 1938. He was an eminent Congolese composer, guitarist, and band leader. He was a long-time member of the Congolese rumba band O.K. Jazz and one of its best composers, Simaro rose in stature over the years to become second in command to band leader Franco. Simaro learned guitar from mentor Raymond "Ray Braynck" Kalonji in a band called Micra Jazz. He moved on for a brief turn with Gérard Madiata's Congo Jazz before joining Franco and O.K. Jazz in 1961.Simaro played rhythm guitar (called accompaniment in Congo) to Franco's lead......

Jabulani Library: Most Popular

TP OK JAZZ BAND BIOGRAPHY

MBILIA BEL BIOGRAPHY

LE GRAND MAITRE FRANCO LUAMBO LUANZO MAKIADI

REMEMBERING A CONGOLESE RUMBA KING

FRANCO LUAMBO & TPOK JAZZ TOP SONGS EXPLAINED

LEGENDARY RHUMBA MAESTRO "Le Poet" SIMARO LUTUMBA

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Jabulani Library: Most Popular

TP OK JAZZ BAND BIOGRAPHY

MBILIA BEL BIOGRAPHY

LE GRAND MAITRE FRANCO LUAMBO LUANZO MAKIADI

REMEMBERING A CONGOLESE RUMBA KING

FRANCO LUAMBO & TPOK JAZZ TOP SONGS EXPLAINED

LEGENDARY RHUMBA MAESTRO "Le Poet" SIMARO LUTUMBA

News

Artist Spotlight (26)

Editor's Choice (30)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (46)

Jabulani News Archive (34)

Music Lyrics (57)

Playlists (3)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (27)

Programs

JABULANI TOP 7 AT 7

WEEKEND RHUMBA OVERDOSE REPLAY

TOP 10 AT 10

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

Latest podcasts

Find us on

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