THE BIG BRAINS

October 03, 2024 - 07:05 PM

THE BRAINS BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF FRANCO

As the clock ticks towards his 35th anniversary, musicologists and lovers of music are still marveling at how this legendary musician managed to achieve this rare feat of growing such a magnificent stature in the world of music.

It is worth pointing out that as much as there is a consensus that Franco was immensely talented; there is consensus that music is generally teamwork and he wouldn't have achieved a fraction of his success if he had not surrounded himself with a team of talented and dedicated musicians, scattered in several specialties.

Who are these, and what were their contributions to the band's success?

 

 SIMARO LUTUMBA

This long-term Franco deputy was an instrumental player in the band's success, having joined OKJ from Micra Jazz and having had a stint at Congo Jazz with the bug man Madiata.
Franco was the band's face of the rhythm guitar, having played in almost all of the band's recordings from 1961 when he joined to 1973, when Gege Mangaya joined the band. Although Armando Brazzos could also juggle rhythm with bass, Simaro was the band's first choice.

In that era, the band excelled in the pachanga subgenre, and Simaro seemed to master this so well. It was he who played more rhythm guitar than any of the band's other rhythms. However, the band's music took a new trajectory in the mid-1970s, and henceforth, Simaro never played in any Franco song and vice versa.

He only played in his own compositions and in concerts. Simaro, who took over the band's leadership after the Denise of Franco, had also cut a niche for himself as an astute poet who introduced a concept in creating philosophical compositions as opposed to normal lime about love, etc. that the audience's ears had become accustomed to. That was the essence that the wordsmith was christened the Shakespeare of African music or, to others, Le Poet (the poet).

Simaro composed close to 100 songs with the band, making him the second-best composer after Franco himself. Siamro was born a few months before Franco in 1938 and died in March 2019. It is also worth noting that Simaro didn't participate in any singing, and the only moment his voice can be heard is in the matata ya mwasi na mobali conversational introduction and in interviews.

 

JOSKY KIAMBUKUTA

Josky is the third most known member of OKJ after Franco and Simaro. Born in the valentines of 1945, Josky began his career at African Fiesta Sukisa of Dr Nico, then moved to Orchestra Continental before finally settling at OKJ in 1972.

Josky, who died in March 2021 in Kinshasa, was a versatile vocalist with a wide vocal range. He could easily shift from low tones to the highest, which made him a very flexible singer who could do both lead and backup vocals.

In the song Sandoka, for example, he is paired with Josky in a duet that also features Ndombe Opetum and Wuta Mayi on the other side. Since Ntesa is naturally a high tenor, Josky has steps down and sings a lower tone. This is an example of his versatility. He was also an astute composer who made some of the band's most successful songs and even contributed to albums within the band.

He was equally an important asset to the band.

 

LOLA CHECAIN

Lola came from a musical family that also had Frank Lassa, a first-generation Congolese musician, and Johny Bukassa, who was a rhythmist with Tabuley's African Fiesta National.

He joined OKJ in 1967 and stayed put in the band until his demise in 1992, three years after Franco's death. Lola was a prolific backup vocalist and is the person who participated in more recording than any other person, except Franco.

For the 25 years that Lola was a member of OKJ, he also composed some of the band's most sought-after songs. He composed 'libala ya bana', nganda macampagne, toboyana kaka, and meka okangama, among others. In his other composition titled 'lolaka,' he sang alone, without any other backup singer.

The song aptly captures his singing prowess. Lola was once quoted saying that from his numerous compositions, he never made any money, essentially putting Franco's honesty to the test.

 

NDOMBE OPETUM

This was previously an African Fiesta National musician. He is among the group that joined Tabuley in 1968, when the band lost all musicians after a ban on the band was imposed, preventing it from any activities.

He had joined Tabuley's band, alongside soloists Pierre Attel Mbumba, guitarist Lokassa Ya Mbongo, and others. Ndombe performed in the Olympia concert of 1970 and joined OKJ in the mid-1970s, after stints at Afrizam and Makina Loka.

 At OKJ, he composed the hit song Voyage Nabandung, in which he captures his figurative journey from Afrisa to OKJ with a literal boat journey from Kinshasa to Bandundu, his birthplace.

He also composed " Nayebi ndenge bakolela, hetitier," Bena, and many others. He was known for his trademark bass, the lowest in pitch of all OKJ vocalists. He sang both lead and backup vocals.

 

GERRY DIALUNGANA

This is the man you see besides Franco in most photographs. He was always standing next to Franco, and when this writer inquired from the band's other guitarist, Dizzy Mandjeku, the response was that it happens as such because the wireman had the happiness of plugging in the two solos next to each other in channel allocation in the amp. Gerry, who was born on 1st January 1951, died on 2nd February 2002. (Notice the coincidence in the dates.).

Gerry began his career at Grand Maquisards under the tutelage of Dizzy Mandjeku before crossing over to OKJ in 1978 and establishing his place in the band as the first-choice lead guitarist.

Franco and a segment of OKJ spent the better part of the 1980s in Europe, with another faction remaining at their Kinshasan base at Un Deux Trois, and Gerry was with the Europe team.

In the OKJ post-1972 guitar arrangement, he mostly paired with Franco on the first and second solos, respectively, in a formation that also included Gege Mangaya on rhythm guitar and Mpudi on bass. He also had a few compositions.

The band had many more musicians and each left a footprint. We will serve them, in clusters.
The next batch is up next.


By Jerome Ogola


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See also

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