Ab-Titchaz
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- Jan 30, 2008
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Franco ‘orphans' struggle to keep his torch burning
By AMOS NGAIRA
The story of Congolese music star Franco, whose 20th death anniversary is being marked from this weekend, is incomplete without the mention of his music orphans. Just as he loved composing songs, singing them and playing the lead guitar, Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, as he was later known, thanks to President Mobutu Sese Seko's cultural revolution, had equal passion for discovering and nurturing new talent.
This was perhaps a means of expressing his personal appreciation for having acquired his skills at the feet of greats such as guitarists Paul Ebengo Dewayon (an elder brother of the late Johnny Bokelo Isenge) and Tino Baroza, and inspiration from Grand Kalle (Joseph Kabasele Tshamala).
Most lovers of Latin beats will recall African Jazz, the early 1950s band that featured Rochereau (Tabu Ley) and the duo of Dechaud and "Docteur" Nico Kasanda, who is remembered for having promoted the Hawaian music. Throughout his more than three decades' pop music career, Franco led a huge band of more than 40 members - TP OK Jazz - with some talented singers coming in and leaving at one time or another. The group was divided into two parts such that, while one toured Europe the other stayed in Kinshasa under the leadership of his long-serving vice-president, Lutumba Simaro.
As has been noted, occasionally there would be a few defections who would pursue solo recordings. Most of the surviving former TP OK Jazz members are either based in Brussels, Belgium, Franco's European headquarters, and France. When Review reached some of them by phone earlier this week, most expressed delight at being based in Belgium, arguing that it makes them feel more "at home as Franco's long-time foreign base".
One of Franco's favourites, who produced some of TP OK's greatest songs, was Prince Youlou Mabiala. Franco loved his colossal influence in East and Central Africa. Franco had gone to the other side of the Congo River to the city of Brazzaville to recruit him. The mellow-voiced singer, who also became a good composer and later leader of Kamikaze Band for a number of years after Franco's death, kept the TP OK legacy alive, performing with the band's name in Kinshasa and occasionally in Brazzaville with some former band members.
However, in the recent past, Mabiala who also lives in Brussels, has been inactive since he suffered a mild stroke more then two years ago. Some of his most memorable duets with Franco were Mado and, later, Motema na Ngai Television. Another of Franco's favourites still actively involved in music is Sam Mangwana, who was born and brought up in Kinshasa. He is remembered for having done the last album with Franco, Forever.
His parents were Angolans who had fled the Portuguese colonial rule. The collective genius of Franco and talented Mangwana, who was in and out of the band since he joined it in 1972, was harnessed to result in a collaboration album, Co-operation, better known in Kenya as Odongo of the 1980s. The collection contained a number of hits and did remarkably well in sales in East Africa.
Totally ‘Congolese'
Incidentally, Mangwana became so totally "Congolese" that music fans in East Africa, were shocked many years after Franco's death to learn that he had returned to his home country, where he continued with his music for some time before returning to Kinshasa.
As a romantic crooner with love for heartfelt ballads, Mangwana, mainly doing solo projects, earned himself the title, Le Pigeon Voyager, or the solo voyager. Franco fans will recall the first major hit song he recorded with TP OK, Mabele, a Simaro composition.
Then there was Franco's deputy of many years, (poet) Simaro, also a great composer and immensely talented guitarist. After Franco died, there was the much documented fight for the control of TP OK Jazz between Simaro and his former master's family.
He opted to form a new band, Bana OK, with his former TP OK colleagues, and they went on to make great music. Incidentally, on Monday, Simaro will be among artistes in the frontline in marking 20 years since Franco's death.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/670554/-/unxvxl/-/index.html
