Dec 8/07
The Voice of Lightness
Another disc that arrived in the Stern’s package the other day was one I’ve been meaning to buy for a few months: Ken Braun’s compilation of Tabu Ley Rochereau’s music, The Voice of Lightness. It’s even better than I anticipated.
Tabu Ley Rochereau was born Pascal Emmanuel Sinamoyi Tabou in Belgian Congo in 1940. The liner notes taught me that Rochereau earned his name as a boy in Catholic school when he successfully named Colonol Pierre Denfert-Rochereau as a French hero in the Franco-Prussian war. His classmates found that hilarious, so the name stuck.
The compilation covers Tabu Ley’s career throughout the 1960s and 70s, including his work with African Jazz, African Fiesta, Afrisa International and Onaza.
I’d never heard Aon Aon, the first track I’ll post today. Amazing.
The second track, Savon OMO, isn’t necessarily my favourite on the compilation but anyone who has lived in Africa will know why I picked it. Ah, the heady scent of OMO on my badly washed clothes. N’daye of the purple brasier, where are you now?
My favourite track on the compilation is probably Karibou ya Bintou, but I’ll leave that for you to discover on your own…
Tabu Ley Rochereau – Aon Aon
Tabu Ley Rochereau – Savon Omo
I saw Tabu Ley in Victoria BC in the late 80’s at the curling club and I didn’t know what I was in for.
He and his band blew the roof off the place and knocked all of us white kids on our butts. That is one gig that I will never forget.
Grant, that’s the most Canadian comment I’ve had yet. The Curling Club, I love it! …”during the winter its used for curling. During the summer they melt the ice and use it as a large hall for concerts and other events.” A perfect pairing.
Hi Matt,
Aon Aon is one of my favorite Tabu Ley tracks. Thanks for spreading the word on this compilation. Nice to see all these great Tabu Ley compositions on cd.
I saw Tabu Ley in Chicago at the end of the 80s. Also a strange location: a kind of banquet hall for weddings or a cafeteria, not a concert hall. Few people (100+) knew about it; still, it was one of those great (late) nights with lots of dancing…
Salut d’Anvers (I’m up north for work but can’t wait to get back to East Africa: it’s too cold and dark for me!!).
Pieter
Funny too, although he was established in Africa and (maybe?) Europe as a big name he obviously didn’t feel it was beneath him to play a small venue (curling club) to a bunch of young Canadaians.
The band gave it their all with a silky fat sound complete with smiles, great dance moves, humour and a sparkle in their eyes. Yuhshuddabinthere.
Oh! also Kanda Bongo Man opened for him! Geez it is almost twenty years later and I’m still ravin’ about it.
Tabu Ley was an established name in most African countries but certainly not in Europe, when he played in Brussels for instance (early 1980’s) 99.9 % of the audience would be Congolese. He certainly made some great music but he didn’t reach the heights of Franco, although that is my personal taste. Anyone interested in most of his lp covers (though not all) and some cd covers, I posted them here:
http://vibesdafrique.proboards83.com/index.cgi?board=3
Ronald, those are some great covers. Thanks for taking the time to scan and share them all
Pieter, nice to see you back! I assume you’re in Antwerp for the holidays? A second good friend is moving to Arusha in the coming months, so I’ll have to get there soon to visit. Hopefully I can buy you a pint in Mwanza sometime in 2008.
Karibu Mwanza anytime!
I’m even further north: in Glasgow for work till Friday, then Antwerp next week (teaching), and then back to East Africa to spend the holidays in Lamu. I shouldn’t tell you that, seeing you like islands and are longing for tropical heat
Baadaye,
Pieter
very well post. i love music of tabu ley.
visite my blog http://africansong.blogspot.com/
tabu ley together with dr nico were surely one angelistic pair i cant imagine music in any radio without the mention of their names and am sure you globe trotters must be appreciating their genres all over the world.