At 91 years of age, Jeannot Bombenga is easily one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of the living Congolese musicians. With some superstars of the genre having died young, like Bavon Marie Marie, Franco’s younger sibling, who starred with Negro Success and died at 26, or Mbaraka of Super Volcano, who died at 35, a misconception that musicians die young has become a subject of much discourse themed on Congolese rumba.

A photo of Jeannot with Sam Mangwana, posted on Facebook by an enthusiast of Congolese rumba, Herman Bangi, rekindled memories of their days at Vox Africa, a band Jeannot formed with Franklin Boukaka in 1959. It was noteworthy that even Mangwana himself, at 80, has outlived most of his peers, bringing into sharp attention the longevity of Jeannot, who is more than a decade older.

Mangwana debuted in the mid-1960s with African Fiesta of Dr. Nico and Tabu Ley while still a teenager and a student. In fact, police wanted to pounce on him and arrest him because it was illegal for a student to enter a nightclub in those days. Most of his peers, Kwamy Munsi, René Kasanda, Ndombe Opetum, Johnny Bokasa, etc., are all gone. However, some, like Youlou and Dizzy are still alive.

Jeannot was among the very first lot of the second generation of Congolese musicians. Among the first musicians were Camille Feruzi, Paul Kamba, Manuel D’Oliveira, Leon Bukasa, Henrique Tinapa, Adou Elenga, Henri Bowane, among others. This was a lot that was in their 20s in the 1940s. For example, Camille was born in 1912. They are all dead. The last one to die was Wendo Kolosoy, who was born in 1924 and died in 2008 at the age of 84.

Jeannot Bombenga’s age-mates include Dr. Nico, who was born in 1938 and died in 1985 at the age of 47, and Isaac Musekiwa, who was born in 1930 and died in 1990 at the age of 60. Most of them began their music journeys in the mid-1950s, and that was the case with Jeannot Bombenga.

He was first employed as a boat mechanic and coxswain on the vessels that plied the navigable waters of the River Congo, also known as Ebale Ya Zaire in Lingala, the local language. It was while on duty that he bumped into a passenger known as Joseph Kabasele, also known as Grand Kallé, who in the mid-1950s was the biggest musician in DRC, then Zaire.

His band, African Jazz, was a household name and a national treasure, having been established in 1953 as the first fully professional band. Jeannot struck a rapport with his passenger, and that’s when it dawned on Grand Kallé that Jeannot was deeply interested in music.

Given his ethnic background, the Mongo, Jeannot was a natural storyteller, an attribute that made composing songs a walk in the park for him. Grand Kallé mentored him and helped him create Vox Africa in 1959, alongside Franklin Boukaka, another big name of the era.

However, it was not until 1963 that Jeannot Bombenga came into the limelight. This was after the big bang that happened at African Jazz, which saw several bigwigs quit Grand Kallé’s band, among them Dr. Nico, Tabu Ley, Willy Kuntima, Charles Mwamba, Roger Izeidi, among others. This team created a splinter group known as African Fiesta.

The resultant void forced Grand Kallé to recruit a new batch of musicians. Among them was Jeannot Bombenga, an already established name in the industry. He could compose, arrange, play maracas, and sing. He was a big asset to this new team that also included soloist Damoiseau Kambite, the wizard who later featured for Afrisa in the early '80s. He is the one strumming in “Monsieur Malonga.”

The others were alto saxophonist and veteran first-generation musician Maproco, and a vocal formation comprising Alex, Rolly, Matheus Kouka, and Grand Kallé. The rhythmist was Casino Mutshipule, very accomplished at the task and considered among the finest. The tenor saxophonist was Michel Sax, also called Yuma Kasongo.

Some of the songs that came out from this team included the famous “BB 69,” “Ilunga Zepherina,” among others. This team also sought the services of Papa Noël.

However, Bombenga didn't last long with the revamped African Jazz and went back to his own Vox Africa. Here he teamed up with Mangwana, Ntesa Dalienst, Papa Noël, and Coco Kanyinda, who later starred with Les Mangelepa, among others.

This is the band that made Ntesa a superstar. This is also the band that earned Jeannot Bombenga a place in the rumba Congolaise hall of fame. Songs like “Yekoke,” “Magi,” and “Feza Margarita,” among others, were born. This band specialized in the Fiesta school of rumba and, alongside Tabu Ley, became the most successful of Tabu Ley’s protégés.

Jeannot Bombenga quit active music but has been attending national functions and music-related events as an icon.

By Jerome Ogola