Mariama

The older Congolese dance songs were mostly rumbas. Congolese singer of Angolan-Zimbabwean descent, Sam Mangwana, has recorded many, many rumbas. He is also a big interpreter of salsamusic thanks to his proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese. Think of music by l’Orchestre Aragon, Johnny Pacheco, Tito Puente, et cetera. When Sam Mangwana sang for the Tabu Ley Rochereau orchestra, they always called on Mangwana whenever they would perform a song with Latin-American lyrics.

The orchestra Ry-Co Jazz was founded in Brazzaville in 1957. Ry-Co is a contraction of “Rythmes Congolais“. The band’s singer and conga player is M’Bilia Casimir, also known as M’Bilia Casino and Casino Kasingo. Ry-Co Jazz make the French Antilles their home base for four years from 1967. This is where they import the Congolese rumba, while bringing Martinique’s rhythms to Africa, like biguine and cadence. These Antilles rhythms have not gained a lot of popularity in Africa ever since, while the opposite happened with the merengue.

In West Africa they also play rhythms such as merengue and rumba, for example by bands from Guinea, like Bembeya Jazz and the Super Boiro Band.

Not only French West Africa plays Latin-American music, but also the English speaking countries. This shows in the song “Daavi Loloto” by Ghanaian singer, trumpetist and saxophonist E.T. Mensah. He calls the rhythm Cara Cara, and the songs are sung in Ewe, the language that is spoken in South-East Ghana and Southern Togo.

In Benin it is the singer Gnonnas Pedro, leader of the band Gnonnas Pedro et ses Dadjes, that sings and records many salsa songs. Some songs are sung in Fon of Yoruba, others in French or Spanish.

The band Africando was founded by salsa musicians from New York and singers from Senegal In 1992. Later on a few singers from other African countries would join them. When Senegalese singer Pape Seck passes away in 1995, he is replaced by Gnonnas Pedro as the lead singer of Africando. He continues as the lead up until 2004, when he died from prostate cancer at 61 years old.

Africando mostly plays salsa songs. On their CDs you will hear Gnonnas Pedro who also repeatedly sings salsa songs that he recorded on his own LPs many years before.

Laba Badara Sosseh was born in Bathurst on 12 March 1943. This used to be the capital of Gambia before the name was changed to Banjul. Then at ten years old he moved to Dakar, where he came in contact with the music world, which at the time was monopolised by Cuban rhythms such as rumba and son. When Laba Sosseh returned to Gambia after graduating from his French training, he started performing with bands. Later on he would sing in several orchestras in Dakar and Abidjan. Then he had the opportunity to visit New York, where he stayed connected to the salsa world for 30 years. He recorded a series of LPs by the name “Salsa Africana“. He also made recordings together with the Cuban Orquesta Aragón, Roberto Torres and with Africando. He died on 20 September 2007 in Dakar.

With special thanks to Muziekweb in Rotterdam.

Also special thanks to Barbera Schuil, for letting us use her African LPs.

Playlist:

1. Sam Mangwana et l’African All Stars: N’Simba Eli, 7:02, LP Sam Mangwana et l’African All Stars, 1982, CELLULOID CEL 6639
2. Casino Kasingo: Djonga nori, 3:28, LP Afro֊Succès, 1976, Soukous SV 13004
3. Casino Kasingo: Demaustration, 2:50, LP Afro֊Succès, 1976, Soukous SV 13004
4. Casino Kasingo: La danse c’est la vie, 2:43, LP Casino-Kasingo, 1977, Vogue LDY 28088
5. Casino Kasingo: Mbwa na e kange, 3:17, LP Afro֊Succès, 1976, Soukous SV 13004
6. Franco & de T.P.O.K. Jazz: Merengue, 3:06, CD The Rough Guide to Franco, 1957, World Music Network RGNET 1071 CD
7. Super Boiro Band: Singa, 3:01, LP Niaissa & sa trompette, 1972, Editions Syliphone Conakry SLP 32
8. E.T. Mensah & his Tempos Band: Daavi Loloto, 3:21, LP E.T. Mensah’s African Rhythms, 1969, Decca (West Africa) WAPS 27
9. Gnonnas Pedro & ses Dadjes: Azon’kplon doun nde, 1975, 4:53, CD Gnonnas Pedro La compilation vol. 1, Ledoux Records ASLCD/1 79556
10. Africando: Dagamasi, 5:37, LP Gombo salsa, Sterns Africa STCD 1071
11. Laba Sosseh: Yolanda dime que si, 4:36, LP Guantanamera, Disques M.A.G. MAG 104
12. Laba Sosseh: Me gusta más el son, 7:13, LP Coco Yee, 1982, SARSLP 1029
13. Laba Sosseh: Coco yee, 6:17, LP Coco yee, 1982, SARSLP 1029