Congo Chants

The Congo is an African country, nowadays known as Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a turbulent history to put it mildly…

After being ruled by various kingdoms, Europeans moved in and started colonizing the shit out of the Congo Basin which led to King Leopold II of Belgium somehow acquiring rights in 1885.

Later it became a Belgian colony leading to a brutal colonial period before independence was achieved in 1960.

Unfortunately this was followed by various skirmishes / wars / uprisings continuing up to the present day…

Despite these dreadful conditions, the music scene somehow thrived and Congolese music is probably one of the most influential music forms of the African continent…

And this brings us to this JOKONKY compilation!

One of the most well known musicians from the area is probably Franco, a Congolese singer, guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, and cultural revolutionary, (take your pick), a central figure in 20th-century Congolese and African music, principally as the bandleader for over 20 years of TPOK Jazz orchestra, the most popular and influential African band of its time.

Franco & OK Jazz deliver here their 1970 rumba composition ‘Congo Mibale’.

Another intriguing African artist was Francis Bebey who delivers an unusual instrumental called ‘Bahia Congo’.

Outside Africa the term ‘Congo’ was used in many different ways, either labelled as ‘exotic’ or ‘tropical fantasy’ and used as such by musicians as Preston Epps and Joe Conwright & His Mighty Men or as a ‘faraway’ place to escape to, e.g. Genesis!

However Jazz musicians used ‘Congo’ as a ‘symbolic’ link to Africa, e.g. Ike Quebec, whose 1962 ‘Congo Lament’ was only released many years later.

David "Fathead" Newman recorded ‘Congo Chant’, a primarily hard bop but definitely cool piece.

Afro-Cuban jazz artist Machito recorded a track called ‘Congo Mulence’ with “Cannonball” Adderley for his Kenya album

Henri Guédon was a French percussionist from Martinique and he utilizes as many percussive (as well as jungle) sounds as possible in his ‘Negro Congo’.

Mongo Santamaria utilizes the congas in his ‘Congo Blues’ with some assistance from Eric Gale, Stanley Turrentine, and Pretty Purdie, a.o. to great effect.

New Orleans’ Congo Square is another famous place that links to Africa and the slave trade.

This square too has been immortalized in numerous songs by artists such as Zachary Richard, Terence Blanchard, and Dee Dee Bridgewater…

Down in Jamaica, despite the Rasta’s obsession with Ethiopia, ‘Congo’ was featured in numerous reggae songs, most prominently by Lee Perry’s group The Congos!

Special mention must be made of Lord Brynner and the Sheiks’ ska song ‘Congo Revolution’, which mentions several Congolese key persons and areas from the mid sixties.

As the song title already indicated, things turn downright weird with Le Forte Four’s ‘Down the Congo In a Backwards Canoe’…

Even drum'n'bass goes Congo, courtesy of jungle godfather Grooverider.

For the dance floor there’s Ray Lugo’s Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra’s 2007 ”Congo Bongo”

And the connection between the Congo and the USA comes out strongly in our final track of Afro Fiesta: ‘Congo to the Mississippi’.

 

Although definitely not a definitive Congo compilation, we do hope you found the music here worthwhile enough!