THE INDISPENDABLE VOICE

Just how important was the role Josky Kiambukuta played in the band that he became indispensable?

When he made himself unavailable at the band’s headquarters at Un Deux Trois for a few days, Franco launched a manhunt for him. A physical search was conducted in town to establish his whereabouts until he was finally found. Each time the band was traveling abroad for performances, he was the very first to be cleared. He literally participated in all concerts that the band held abroad during the period he was with the band.

Could it be for the reason that he was a versatile vocalist, gifted with a wide vocal range on the musical scale, which made him fit anywhere as a lead or backup vocalist? Maybe it was because he had been with the band for long and carried some institutional memory critical to the band’s output in performances. But this can easily be debunked by the reality that Lola joined the band before him (1967) and did not leave at any time, and so would have definitely beaten him on that front. Josky joined in 1973.

It is also possible that Franco had a preference for him as a dependable commander of the vocal section; and having participated in many studio assignments in the band’s repertoire, Franco feared that leaving him behind would have crippled the band in some way. Although he had sung with two other bands before—African Fiesta Sukisa and Orchestra Continental—between 1969 and 1972, it is actually at OK Jazz that Josky stamped his authority as the band’s most prominent member and one of the superstars from the DRC, the "land of musical gods," as Peruvian filmmaker Allan Brain refers to the DRC.

For the reason that the two bands did not last long and were also little known, at least compared to OK Jazz, it is only reasonable that Josky’s greatness is defined by his period in Franco’s band. "OKJ was definitely a bigger platform," opines Shaddy Shihusa of Jabulani Radio. The presenter, who hosts Rumba Overdose, points out that the relationship between Josky and OKJ was symbiotic in the sense that despite Josky gaining a bigger platform, the band also had a dependable musician in its rank and file—one who was instrumental in the band's success in the 1970s and 1980s. “Josky’s voice became the band’s signature,” he adds.

From the period he joined throughout the 1970s, he composed several songs and participated in the singing of many others that were not necessarily his own compositions. At the time of his joining, the band already had Sam Mangwana, Prince Youlou Mabiala, and Michel Boyibanda. He joined alongside Wuta Mayi, who had previously been his colleague at Orchestra Continental, the band that also had Bopol Mansiamina, Serpent Kabamba, and others. Singer Paul Ndombe also joined OK Jazz not long after.

It is said that Simaro was instrumental in the recruitment of Josky into OK Jazz. Despite having settled in the band, in terms of singing, most of his earlier attempts at composing while at OK Jazz invited ridicule from Franco, who insisted that the songs did not conform to the OK Jazz school of rumba, also referred to as Odemba. Franco insisted that the songs were actually of the African Jazz school of rumba, also known as Fiesta, and having had stints at African Fiesta Sukisa and Continental only meant that his style was inclined in that direction.

However, Franco tasked Simaro to help Josky conform to the OK Jazz School. Watching the OK Jazz 20th anniversary concerts, one gets the idea that in terms of performances, Josky had settled. His voice became a constant feature in most of the songs of the period. His own compositions, like Selija, seem to confirm that he was not just fast at adapting to the Odemba style, but was fast rising to become a star singer of the style that had previously been associated with the voice of Vicky Longomba.

The composition of Propriétaire in 1980 became Josky’s defining moment. The song, composed in the context of a woman lamenting her abandonment despite her charming beauty, became a huge success. It became the band’s most popular song of the period and naturally thrust Josky into the limelight for more glory. The whole of Kinshasa was humming along to the song, which came out perfectly in an Odemba style, featuring Franco and Gerry on solo guitars.

With fans thirsting for more, Josky did several compositions as follow-ups to that success. Josky participated in a zing zong that involved Michelino, an ex–OK Jazz musician who had left the band in 1978 and flown to Paris after a sojourn in Nairobi with his band Makfe. In a typical lisanga ya banganga, Josky, Michelino, Matalanza the sax player, and Franco did an album which featured the songs Chacun pour soi (Josky), Laissez passer (Matalanza), Suite lettre 2 (Franco), and Missile (Josky).

Michelino, still based in Paris, told Jabulani Radio that despite having a prominent saxman, Matalanza, on board, they chose to exclude the saxophone in the songs to allow Franco’s serene guitar to thrive. In the songs that featured no horns, Bofi Banengola played drums while Thims Toroma played bass. Michelino played solo and rhythm while Franco concentrated on the serene. However, in Suite lettre 2, Franco only sang but did not play any guitar—in itself a very rare occurrence.

The songs recorded in 1983 also became very popular. The epitome of Josky’s creativity as a musician hit fans with the release of exclusively Josky compositions in the album Franco Presents Josky. The first of the twin albums contained the songs Limbisa Ngai, Masini, Mehida, and Alita Tshamala. Another early-1980s milestone for Josky was his song KSK (Kasongo Seif Kitima), which was released in the album L’Ancienne Belgique. This album also contained hits like Mukungu (soloist Dialungana), Ndaya (bassist Decca Mpudi)—whose first part is sung in Kintandu, his native language—and Pesa Position, composed by Madilu.

The album featured the band’s dream team of Gege Mangaya on rhythm, Mpudi on bass, while Gerry and Franco were on first and second solo respectively. The 1980s decade was Josky’s. He did very many songs with the band, both as lead and backup vocalist. He also emerged in some zing zong (makeshift bands) that yielded songs like Lela Ngai na Mosika and Likongo Limboka. These songs featured several OK Jazz musicians, among them Ntesa, whom he sang with. The songs were composed by Momene Mikengo.

Josky kept the tempo, and even in the post-Franco era, he composed Chandra and Mibali Bosali, songs arranged by Dizzy Mandjeku, all of which became hit songs. The album also featured Kakoma Nado on drums, Gerry and Dizzy on solo, while Josky sang with Ntesa, Madilu, and Malage. Veteran percussionist Bosuma Dessoin also participated.

Away from OK Jazz, Josky also did other collaborations that became equally successful. Among them was an album he did with guitarist Rigo Star that contained the songs Jotongo, Bon Payeur, Promise Ezali Niongo, Bilei Special, and Malia. Another was the album Sans Frontière that he did with Ntesa, which contains the songs Selengina, Le Monde et ses Problèmes, Aye Pitié, and Limbisaka. The album features Assan Corvin on solo, Djo Djo on rhythm, Dele Pedro on sax (a Nigerian saxman who played for OK Jazz), and Didier Boluwe on drums, among others.

Another Josky project that helped define his greatness was Destin Sincérité, which featured Madilu and Lita Bembo, formerly of Stukas, on vocals. The album, recorded at Cartex Studios in Brussels, featured Rigo Star on guitars. Other songs on the album are Erreur and Pierre.

Despite composing songs that did remarkably well with African Fiesta Sukisa and Orchestra Continental, OK Jazz was the natural home of Josky Kiambukuta. Josky was born on Valentine’s Day in 1949 at Gombe Matadi and grew up in Barumbu in Kinshasa. He died on March 7, 2021, at Ngaliema Hospital.

As the world marks what would have been his 77th birthday, there is a rich discography to keep his fans dancing. His remains may be resting at the Nécropole Cemetery in Kinshasa, but his voice resides inside the hearts of fans. Radio Jabulani has dedicated an episode of Rumba Fiesta to this icon, among many other events in Congo, Africa, and beyond, themed at celebrating this singing genius.

By Jerome Ogola

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