Franco and TPOK Jazz Essay - 1241 Words

Congolese guitarist, singer, bandleader and composer Francois Luambo Makiadi (Franco) â€Å"the sorcerer of the guitar† was 20th century Africa’s most important musician; he was the greatest. My opinion is amply supported by the recent release of two double CD retrospectives Francophonic Volume 1(1953-1979) 2 (1980-1989). The sets demonstrate Franco’s amazing longevity, prolificacy, and innovation. From 1950 until his death in 1989, he record over a thousand songs, created a dominate style of African guitar playing, trained generations of musicians, and attained a status equivalent in Africa to Elvis or the Beatles in the West. These collections allow the listener to discover not only the evolution of a musical genius, but also the history†¦show more content†¦OK Jazz was a formidable group ranging from six to over 20 musicians produced a who’s who of African musicians and vocalists. Songs start slow with gentle vocal harmonies, incrementally building speed and adding layers instruments into funky sebenes leavened with strong Latin flavor. Cuban music was as essential to the development of modern Congolese music as African slaves were to the creation of Cuban music. Franco’s pan-African popularity was never matched by popularity amongst western â€Å"world music† fans; it sounds like salsa to most casual listeners, thus ending their exploration. However, there is a tremendous difference, the guitars are forceful, the rhythms urgent, and the vocal interplay is unique. Franco’s music has been difficult to find in the US, shunted aside by â€Å"the world music flavor of the week† or the tsunami of Afro-funk re-releases. I was scandalized by Pitchfork’s recent â€Å"Africa 100† playlist in which completely blew off Congolese music. However, amongst Africans over forty, the music of OK Jazz is held in reverence and his monster hits of the 1980s are inevitable played at parties an d village reunions. Old timers shake their head smiling, â€Å"that’s music† and begin muttering about today’s â€Å"music.† Franco’s mother a professional mourner and market-woman brought the young Luambo to funerals steeping him in traditional music. At twelve, he was