Franco ‘orphans’ struggle to keep his torch burning

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.

Madilu System (now dead), who formed a great duet with Franco to produce such popular numbers as Mario and Mamou, initially appeared to have attracted TP OK’s attention. His arrival at the group marked a style transformation.

Franco’s talented younger brother Bavon Marie Marie, who was a rather erratic character, who later perished in a road accident after dramatically storming out of a performance, had his own band — Negro Success. The group produced a hit song titled Maseke ya Meme, a lament over black magic, None of the great singer’s children followed in his music footsteps.

Another Franco “orphan” is Belgium-based solo guitarist Dizzy Mandjeku. Kenyan TP OK fans will recall that during one of the band’s tours in the mid-1980s, Mandjeku teamed up with Nedule Papa Noel in solo guitar playing during the band’s 30th anniversary celebrations. It was during this fete that Mandjeku played Testament ya Bowule, featuring Malage de Lugendo on the vocals, and Tala Merci Bapesaka na Mbua.

Mandjeku was also behind the release of Mario III, a remix version of the original popular Mario. Speaking by phone, Mandjeku noted that he had felt honoured to carry on with the TP OK legacy beat. Currently, he leads the Brussels-based Odemba OK Jazz All Stars band. “Despite the ups and downs on the music scene, most of us based in Belgium and France have learnt the art of keeping together,” he said.

Among the leading former TP OK members in the band are singers Malage de Lugendo, Nana Akumu and Baniel. During one of Franco’s tours of Kenya, he recruited Jolie Detta, who later left to join Bozi Boziana’s Anti-Choc band. Jolie later switched to gospel singing in Kinshasa.

Also in the Odemba frontline is veteran saxophonist Dele Pedro who, according to Mandjeku, was among the longest-serving musicians in TP OK, alongside Isaac Musekiwa. “We were recently on an eight-city tour of Europe where, like we have done in the past, we played cover versions of both TP OK Jazz and our own,” he said.

This evening, the group is set to perform during a Franco special show in Lier, Belgium. On Tuesday evening, Review caught up in Paris with Josky Kiambukuta, who has arguably been one of the most consistent singers in TP OK.

Josky, who now leads the Paris faction of Bana OK, is remembered for his voice in some of TP OK hit songs such as Chandra, Mata Kita Bloque and Soweto”. Josky hinted that, as part of the events to mark Franco’s shows, the surviving “orphans” had separately organised concerts in Paris and Amsterdam.

Another long-surviving former TP OK musician is Ndombe Opetum who, for many years, has been allied to Simaro in Kinshasa. He is remembered for such songs with TP OK as Voyager ya Bandundu and Mawe.

Nedule Papa Noel

Meanwhile, Nedule Papa Noel who, like Mandjeku, was one of the top solo guitarists in TP OK Jazz, is best remembered for his composition of Tangawisi, a song featuring the late Ntesa Dalienst on vocals. Noel now lives in Paris, and works as a producer, and is also involved in part-time performances. Incidentally, Dalienst who died of a brain tumour in 1996, spent the latter part of his life in Brussels.

Another long-time outstanding former TP OK solo guitarist, Mosese Fan Fan, who now lives in London, was probably the only soloist in the band with the ability to play the unique Franco style.

This was evident from some of the songs he did, like Mosese and Athumani, which he released while with the TP Somo Somo band he formed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the early 1980s.

He was among the last of Franco’s counterparts to visit the maestro a few hours before he died in Brussels. Besides Mosese, a Franco associate who also lived in Dar es Salaam, was Mayaula Mayoni, who is remembered for composing hits like Cherie Bondowe and Ndaya, which was sung by Mpongo Love who, too, has since died.