Roots of OK Jazz: Congo Classics 1955-56

This is a reissue of a collection originally released in 1993 as part of the excellent ‘Zaire Classics’ series. Since then Zaire has reverted to its original name of Congo, an extra track has been added, and the liner notes and packaging enhanced. The music captures Franco and the original members of OK Jazz in the year immediately prior to the official launch of the Congo’s greatest rumba orchestre. In 1955 and 1956 the group typically consisted of two guitars, vocals, saxophone or clarinet, double bass, and percussion, occasionally augmented by Solavox organ. Franco was only 17 at the time and very much the precocious junior of the group, with 22-year-olds Essous (sax) and De la Lune (bass) the senior members of the outfit. At the time of these recordings they were the studio house band at record label Loningisa, the most progressive of the Kinshasa (then Leopoldville) record labels. There’s a clear influence from jazz and even some leanings to the then burgeoning phenomenon of rock’n’roll. Underneath it all is the genius of the Congolese urban guitar style, developed from the traditional folkloric music of the village. This placed the group, known as Bana Loningisa (the Loningisa Boys), at the cutting edge of youth music of the time, with particular appeal to the ‘Yankees’ and ‘Hindubills’ – the Leopoldville equivalent of street gang fraternities.

You’ll not hear Franco’s famous gravely voice here, nor his trademark electric guitar riffs – those came much later in his career. However you will hear some delightful tunes and lively instrumentation – really quite sophisticated considering the naivety of the era and comparative youth of the players.