When I’ve been working in Rwanda, only some African music was distributed over there; it was on tapes, on a series that started in the early 1980s, called “African Hits”. Volume 4, called "Success 1985" brought the two hits by Sam Fan Thomas, African Typic Collection and Sabina, to my ears, and I remember everyone dancing to this music. Both were originally released by Sam Fan Thomas on his international debut, Makassi, produced in Paris in 1984. More on Sam Fan Thomas over at Makossa Original. I hope you will enjoy!
Aladji is Nder's tape from 1998. he started singing in 1991 with Lemzo Diamono, but left the group in 1995 to start with his own project, Le Setsima Group. Enjoy! Tracks: 1. Serigne Mansour 2. Aladji 3. Nguëam 4. Thiaat 5. Tivaouane 6. Drogue For more information see his discography at Toshira Endo's page and Wikipedia.
Rwandan singer/songwriterManu Matbaro aka E. Sekimonyo with a little cassette here from the 1980s, accompanied by Inono Stars. Tracks: Face A: 1. Umwana w’umuyarwanda / 2. Ururabo / 3. Icyo nkundira mu kinyaga // Face B: Umwana utagira iyo ajya / 2. Amatage / 3. Imbabazi bambe. Enjoy!
Pape Fall, born 1947, is one of the well known salseros from Senegal who earned a little interenational reputation during the late 1990s when he featured high on Earthworks' compilation "African Salsa". Here we present his second K7, Doumou Ndeye, who's tracks made on the afore mentioned CD. More on Pape Fall at The Leopard Man's site and Jama Rico wikia. Enjoy!
Yeah, today is Rico's birthday and we wish him all the best, health, good luck, lots of friends and, and and ... for another 50 years.
Listen to Shimmy & Twist from 1960, 50 years old but still fresh.
Rico, born 1934, is son of Cuban-Jamaican parents. He was raised in Kingston and attended the famous Alpha Boys School. He recorded since the late 1950s with all important Jamaican producers. This one was recorded for Lloyd Daley and was originally released on blank label with Neville Esson as featured artist. Is was reissued in 1994 on a CD called It's Shuffle'n Ska Time with Lloyd "The Matador" Daley on Jamiacan Gold. If you're interested in the whole CD, please let me know. It's actually not available.
Soon there will be more music from Africa on this blog site.
Today I would like to share a well known artist with many well know songs. Many of Sam Mangwana's LPs have been reissued via the blog-sphere; this one - I think - is not jet distributed here. I bought my copy around 1984, and as I made a K7 copy the LP remained almost untouched for years. "Affaire Disco" is a kind of song, that enters your ears and will stay there for long. And when I've been driving in Africa, listening him singing "Ojeh, Africa" I heard all the misery and all the fun of this beloved continent at the same time. The LP was recorded in Paris with Syran, Pablo and Bopol. Enjoy! The picure below is from Nairobi, ca. 1986/87.
Manguta was for me the first step towards African music. In summer of 1980 I spent four weeks in Rwanda preparing a fund raising program for a youth project in Gisenyi. There was my friend Emmanuel within our group as an interpreter; one afternoon he said that he will go over to Goma to find some recorded music, and he asked me if I would also be interested. Of cource, I was! When he returned, his collection was small, some ten or twelve 7inch records we shared on the spot. Only: I didn't know anything - no names, no music.
Back home (in Berlin at the time) I cleaned the music an listened. Wow! That was something - great. And the undisputed hit for me was this song "Manguta" whom I really love since that time. (The other singles I hope to share in future.)
Without internet I couldn't get any information about the person behind this name N'timbo. Even years later there was nothing to find. Today it's better; but still no serious biography. We don't know when he's born, if he's stll among us ... I really want to make an interview with Nguashi N'timbo. If you know more, please leave me a note.
Recently the friends over at Franco et le TP OK Jazz Restored presented N'timbo's LP Manguta. I decides to put the LP again up as well as the single. In a comment overthere someone mentioned that the versions on single and LP are different. I'm not shure. I also added bigger cover scans.
Interesting is that the LP was made and released in Abidjan, not in Zaire.
Just a short post with music from the early 1960s Congo. Released in 1985 this LP on the African label was waiting for me in - Paris, where else. I hope that this volume with cat.-no. 360.146 has not jet been presented in the blogosphere; a summary (to be continued) of blog reissues for this label you can find here.
The tracks are:
Gary Mobali Ya Tembe
Watchi Wara
Oiga Mambo
Boka Ya Ngele
Kumbele Kumbele
Osengi Lisusus Pardon?
Angele Na Mouyondzi
Okei Liboso Tala Sima
Ezali Na Bato Banso
Bolingo Botioli
You can hear wonderful relaxed songs from bandmembers Kouka Célestin, Nino Malapet, Jojo, Casino and Papa Noel as well as their version of "Watchi Wara". Enjoy!
This picture of banana traders was taken in former Zaire near Goma in 1986.
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