Apostolo

During recent years, Kinshasa-born singer Bumba Massa has enjoyed a career revival as part of the four-man vocal front– line of Congolese rumba revivalists Kékélé. Prior to that he had a respectable musical career, dating from the mid-60s. This included a spell in OK Jazz in the 70s and some really fine solo rumba-soukous albums in the 80s (recordings that really deserve to be reissued on CD).

The new album, Apostolo, allows us to hear what a fine, if slightly unspectacular, voice he has. Within Kékélé, Bumba Massa’s voice was understandably overshadowed by the infinitely more recognisable Nyboma and Wuta Mayi. Here he sings solo with an incredibly sympathetic small combo of Afro-Latino musicians. The music is sung primarily in the Congolese Lingala language. An all-acoustic affair, it’s quite similar to Kékélé’s own interpretations of the essentially Cuban son style. Leading the superbly polished instrumentalists is guitarist Mauro Mandjeku (elder brother of Dizzy Mandjeku), who has a credible pedigree of his own, having played in Orchestres Continental and Veve. Bass, hand percussion, piano, sax and trumpet round out the instrumentation on an album that gently washes over the listener. This doesn’t set the world on fire, but is excellent, understated Congolese rumba– salsa.