Jabulani Library

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

March 10, 2025 - 08:32 PM There was a beehive of activity at Maya-Maya International Airport in Brazzaville on June 28, 2023. Crowds thronged the airport, making it evident that an anticipated visitor would arrive. The Republic of Congo was filled with hope and excitement. Their revered son, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Prince Youlou Mabiala, was returning home after a long stay abroad, where he had received medical treatment. Fellow musicians, fans, family, and friends gathered at the airport long before his flight landed, following news of his long-awaited homecoming.Prince Youlou Mabiala had been in and out of several hospitals in Paris for nearly 20 years, seeking treatment after suffering a stroke in......

THE SOUKOUS ACE WHO SANG & DANCED HIS WAY TO OUR HEARTS

March 07, 2025 - 04:46 PM In a photograph posted on his Facebook page to celebrate his 66th anniversary, the Republic of Congo's sensational musician looked frail, forlorn, and pale. His once vibrant smile, which depicted a man full of life, had since been reduced to one of misery. He was evidently sickly. Throat cancer had drained the life out of the Loketo supremo, who rocked the continent’s music scene in the early 1990s with electrifying stage performances in concerts. Congolese rumba has constantly been in a state of evolution. The slow-paced and heavily spiced Fiesta and Odemba styles, which prominently featured the saxophone, clarinet, trumpets, accordion, maracas, and more, passed the baton to......

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

March 03, 2025 - 04:41 PM Bango bakanga biso mayele boye, (They've hoodwinked us this much) Nkisi ya bankoko bango baboyaka, (Traditional/herbal medication they declare evil) Bikeko ya bankoko bango bandimaka te, (All sculptures of our ancestors, they do not accept) Kasi na ndako ya Nzambe, biso tomonaka, (In church, we see sculptures as well) Tokosambela bikeko bitondo ndako, (We worship in churches full of sculptures, and this is right according to them) Mais bikeko yango se mindele, (But the sculptures in these churches are those of a white man) This is a translated excerpt from the song "Nakomitunaka". Ordinarily, it is credited as a Verckys Kiamuangana composition, as stated in the LP. However, Nyakwar......

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

February 28, 2025 - 05:08 PM Who is Good Enough to Replace a Guitar god? This was likely the question that troubled many Tabu Ley fans upon learning that the singing superstar, son of Bagata, had parted ways with Dr. Nico in the short-lived band, African Fiesta. The band emerged in 1963 following a significant split within Grand Kalle's African Jazz, resulting in a mass exodus. The new group was led by both Dr. Nico and Tabu Ley. However, Dr. Nico was musically more experienced and, therefore, more prominent than Tabu Ley. While Tabu Ley was a talented singer, he was considered comparable to other singers of the time, unlike Dr. Nico, whose guitar virtuosity was undisputed. Thus, when Ley and Nico separated due to......

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

February 22, 2025 - 02:00 PM CELEBRATING SAM MANGWANA'S IMPACT ON MUSIC When the 'Shakespeare of African music,' Simaro Lutumba, was asked which vocalist he felt delivered his poems best, he unequivocally stated that it was Mangwana. Indeed, Mangwana brought to life songs like "Ebale Ya Zaire", "Mabele", and "Faute Ya Commercant" in a way that captivated listeners. While Simaro had composed several songs prior, it was these two 1973 tracks that helped him gain recognition as an astute poet, with lyrics that were rich with philosophical interpretations.The fact that Simaro regarded Mangwana as the greatest, despite working with other vocalists like Josky Kiambukuta, Vicky Longomba, Youlou Mabiala, Djo Mpoyi, Malage De......

THE LAST MAN STANDING

February 17, 2025 - 06:53 PM “There was a woman fan of our band in the late 1970s. She frequented our shows and seemed to have been craving the attention of bassist Atia Joe, who apparently was reluctant to yield to her gestures. This lady, in typical determination, became more aggressive and began sending anyone willing to play an emissary role to Atia,” Bua Mangala, aka Loboko Passie, told Jabulani. “The habit became so often that Atia’s colleagues in the band began chiding him frequently with the phrase ‘mama anakuita,’ which after some time became his sobriquet, hence the many times you hear the line dropped in Mazembe songs.” This is the shot that darted the bull’s......

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

February 13, 2025 - 03:27 PM The city streets are filled with the fragrance of fresh roses because all spaces adjacent to the busy streets have been converted into makeshift flower shops. Hotels are advertising special offers for couples, and gift shops are abuzz with activities, all because love is in the air, and soon it will be Valentine's. February 14 is marked globally as a day of lovers. Although this tradition, with roots in the ancient Roman Empire, hadn't gained much traction in Africa until recently, it is now observed even in remote villages, where it is not strange to find the local grocer selling plastic roses. On Valentine's Day of 1949, a major development happened in the port city of Matadi, when......

ATOMIC, THE BOMB MEANT TO FLATTEN JAMHURI JAZZ

February 12, 2025 - 07:00 PM Just like deprivation, rivalry begets creativity. Some of the most popular rumba songs, ie 'mokolo tonga aka taileur' of Franco or 'Jela' of Ochieng Kabasele, were composed while the musicians were incarcerated at Makala prison In Kinshasa and King'ong'o Prison in Kenya, respectively. The same can be said of rivalry. At peak of their careers, Tabuley and Luambo oftentimes sought to outdo each other and this urge worked wonders in pushing creativity a notch higher. When Tabuley and Nico disagreed over the management of African Fiesta Original, the altercation led to the creation of two of the finest bands: African Fiesta Sukisa and its sibling, African Fiesta National, which......

MZEE LEONARD MAMBO MBOTELA: AIAGA DUNIA

February 11, 2025 - 12:57 AM Habari za Kusikitisha: Leonard Mambo Mbotela, Baba wa Uandishi wa Habari za Redio Nchini Kenya, Afariki Dunia Habari ya kusikitisha imetangaza kuwa Leonard Mambo Mbotela, baba wa uandishi wa habari za redio nchini Kenya, amefariki dunia asubuhi ya tarehe 7 Februari 2025 katika Hospitali ya Nairobi, ambapo alikuwa amekabidhiwa matibabu. Mzee wa miaka zaidi ya thelathini alifariki karibu saa tatu na nusu asubuhi, kulingana na taarifa zilizotolewa na mpwa wake, Anne Mbotela. Habari ya kifo chake ilisambaa haraka, huku Wakenya wakimlilia katika mitandao ya kijamii, kama mtu ambaye sauti yake ya uongozi ilitawala maonyesho ya redio nchini, hasa kupitia taarifa za michezo, ikiwemo mpira wa......

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

February 10, 2025 - 06:23 PM The Story of Hugh Masekela, The South African Jazz Hero With no less than 40 albums to his name, all world-class jazz classics, and having had musical engagements with leading American superstars, Harry Belafonte, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder among others can only mean one thing that Hugh Masekela, the South African Jazz maestro was a global music titan. Hugh was a master of trumpet, with extraordinary skills, but it would be grossly inaccurate to restrict the narration on who he was to his prowess in music. He was also an anti-apartheid crusader, with immense contribution to the struggle for liberation in a country where day-to-day life was defined by racial......

Jabulani Library

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

THE SOUKOUS ACE WHO SANG & DANCED HIS WAY TO OUR HEARTS

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

THE LAST MAN STANDING

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

ATOMIC, THE BOMB MEANT TO FLATTEN JAMHURI JAZZ

MZEE LEONARD MAMBO MBOTELA: AIAGA DUNIA

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

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Jabulani Library (249)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

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WEEKEND RHUMBA TWILIGHT MIX

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

WEEKEND ZILIZOPENDWA MIX

WEEKEND RHUMBA MIX

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Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

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Jabulani Library

THE SINGING PRINCE FROM BRAZZAVILLE

THE SOUKOUS ACE WHO SANG & DANCED HIS WAY TO OUR HEARTS

THE SHAKESPEARE OF AFRICAN MUSIC

WHO IS GOOD ENOUGH TO REPLACE A GUITAR GOD?

THE GOLDEN VOICE OF AFRICA

THE LAST MAN STANDING

THE MAGICAL VOICE OF JOSKY

ATOMIC, THE BOMB MEANT TO FLATTEN JAMHURI JAZZ

MZEE LEONARD MAMBO MBOTELA: AIAGA DUNIA

FROM DOWN SOUTH TO THE WORLD, WITH A TRUMPET

News

Jabulani Library (249)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (30)

Programs

WEEKEND RHUMBA TWILIGHT MIX

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

WEEKEND ZILIZOPENDWA MIX

WEEKEND RHUMBA MIX

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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