Nyboma Mwan Dido, Wuta Mayi, Loko Massengo: Vocals
Syran Mbenza, Fofo le Collegien: Guitars
Vincent Hamamdjian: Bass
Deba Sungu: Congas
Komba Bellow: Drums
Jimmy Mvondo: Saxophone
Jeoffrey Arnone: Accordion
"Ba Kristo" from Kinavana
Influences
Franco & OK Jazz, Grand Kalle & Orchestre African Jazz, Docteur Nico, Tabu Ley Rochereau & Orch. African Fiesta, Sam Mangwana, Quatre Etoiles, Papa Noel, Trio Madjesi, Orch. Continental, Orch. Bella Bella, Orch. Kamale, Orch. Lipua Lipua, Josky Kiambukutu, Bopol Mansiamina, Pepe Kalle, Vicky Longomba, Guillermo Portabales, Orch. Negro Succes, Johnny Bokelo, Dewayon, Wendo Kolosoy....
London Sunday Times, Sunday 13th April, 2008:
"The Congolese rumba collective Kékélé are the first guests to grace this relaxed, atmospheric eight-part series, their distinctive, acoustic guitar-led sound proving the perfect introduction to a slot that seeks to showcase the best in modern African music. Their performance is interspersed with snippets of the troupe discussing Congolese folklore, politics and the origins of rumba."
SOUNDCHECK AT MOMO'S CLIP
Sounds Like
it's not your father's rumba! Ce n'est pas le rumba de ton papa!
BOOKING AGENTS: www.mondomundo.biz (for US); madminutemusic.com (for Europe)
KEKELE LIVE IN CONCERT -- download now at CD Baby.com
CLICK HERE!
THIS JUST IN: GREAT REVIEW OF KEKELE LIVE from muzikfan.com, April 4, 2008
Thank you Alistair!
http://www.muzikifan.com/
KEKELE LIVE: TOURNEE AMERICAINE & CANADIENNE (only available from CD Baby as a download)
By Alastair Johnston
For the first time I have bought a CD as a download (though I admit I have snaggled a few on the sly, most recently Neil Young in Amsterdam, which is worth seeking out). C.C. Smith, editor of The BEAT sent me the link to a live Kékélé concert: I checked out the sound on the CD Bébé site, which is board quality, so immediately grabbed it. C.C. has also started the inevitable myspace page for the band and if you check their friends there's a link to Quatre Etoiles. As I said in my review of their show in San Rafael from this 2005-6 tour, they were a lot hotter live than on the CDs. On tour they had Rigo Star instead of Papa Noel on second guitar and three singers which kept it focussed. Syran decided to authorize the sale of the concert tape on line.
The CD Baby site also points you to several other albums available for immediate download, including a couple of Samba Mapangala & Virunga albums you probably have, a recollection of Sam Mangwana's Portuguese tracks, Quatre Etoiles' LIVE IN LONDON, and an outstanding soukous album: Syran's SYMBIOSE: BEST OF PARIS. If you don't have it, that disc is essential listening (It includes the same rhythm section and vocalists as Kékélé).
The artwork for Kékélé Live is budget-quality and the liner notes are crummy, but the music is superb (though they clipped the end of a couple of songs). What's really striking -- without watching them play, or the antics of the singers -- is that you really get inside Syran's amazing finger picking. I thought it wouldn't be long before they went electric again, but he has been there, done that (Symbiose is a case in point, not to mention all the Lovy, Somo Somo, Quatre Etoiles, Sam Mangwana, Paris sessions etc, he played on) and now he has taken hold of something that is, to me, the legacy of Franco: a plucked two-finger lead, staggered tempi, and sustained repetitions of a phrase that push the rest of the band into a rhythmic frenzy (He started doing it when Quatre Etoiles did "Mado").
We also have Sebastien Malherbe on accordion and the legendary Jimmy Mvondo on sax (uncredited in the liner note, but Loko gives him a shout-out). Deba Sungu on congas backs Komba Bellow's drum kit. The front line on the tour were three Congolese legends: Nyboma and Wuta Mayi of Quatre Etoiles & Loko Massengo of Vercky's wild break-out band Trio Madjesi (He had considerably bigger hair back then!). Wuta Mayi's "Affaire mokuwa" sounds like his earlier "Enfant Bamileke." In fact there is a familiarity to the whole sound, they have successfully reprocessed many musical ideas from their separate and collective past into a fantastic fusion of supercool rumba. There's now rumours of a Quatre Etoiles reunion tour, though I remember Quatre Etoiles did "Doublé doublé" unplugged on Georges Collinet's radio show Afropop (memo: find the tape), which was probably the spark for the idea of an unplugged band. They should just keep doing this until it gets tired, and if they can get Bopol back then call it a double bill and do both acoustic and electric sets.
But this Kékélé concert is really smoking. The last three tracks lift you right up into the air. The "Ma-ni" chorus appears on the penultimate track so you know they are feeling positively Afro-Cubist. "Ça, c'est la rumba Congolaise," says Loko with satisfaction, as Jimmy breaks out some hot licks, Deba slaps fiercely, and Syran chugs on relentlessly. He finally makes the connection to Franco pointedly: it's an awesome moment as the song ends. One for the ages.
Help save the mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park! Free MP3 download of Samba Mapangala's "Les Gorilles des Montagnes" available at http://drop.io/GorillaSong
BONJOUR COMMENT ALLEZ VOUS! viva afro salsa et la voix d'or de Mr Nyboma. On est fan!! DOUBLE DOUBLE un must!!! VOICI NOTRE PROGRAMMATION DU MOIS DAOUT de BLACK VOICES émission radio en musique africaine latine et antilllaise à écouter sur radiobip.fr
Salut mes freres: come check out my new album in tribute to the 20th anniversary of Franco's passing -- Syran Mbenza & Ensemble Rumba Kongo, Immortal Franco: Africa's Unrivalled Guitar Legend (Riverboat release July 27)
vous invite à écouter un mois de juillet AFRO BEAT AFRO FUNK avec une quinzaine d'émissions des années 70 à nos jours dans l'univers musical incarné par le BLACK PRESIDENT, FELA KUTI , des voyages musicaux et estivaux du NIGERIA au GHANA en passant par le BENIN, de FELA au TP POLY RYTHMO à ANTIBALAS ou SEUN KUTI , FANGA
BONJOUR
nos Emissions black voices à venir en ce mois d'AVRIL (ce soir une spéciale afro salsa avec entre autre le titre Maze de KEKELE)
UNE QUINZAINE COTE D IVOIRE A DECOUVRIR
A écouter tout en lisant la super BD AYA A YOPOUGON elle est géniale pour se mettre dans l'ambiance d'ABIDJAN années 70
bonne écoute A bientôt