AFRICAN RETRO / BOLINGO EKOMA NIONGO / 2C 064-15959
This iconic entry captures the golden-era sound of Orchestre T.P.O.K. Jazz (led by the inimitable Franco Luambo Makiadi) as showcased on their celebrated mid-1970s retrospective and archival pressings distributed in Paris on the Pathé label (such as their seminal African Retro series issued in 1977).
The Pathé Paris Connection: During the 1970s, Pathé (under Pathé Marconi EMI in France) served a crucial role in curating and pressing definitive retrospective collections of vintage Congolese masterpieces, packaging the pristine recordings of O.K. Jazz for international audiences and diaspora collectors in Europe.
This body of work bridges smooth, syncopated Latin-inflected rhythms—blending traditional Congolese rumba, cha-cha-chá, and upbeat dance grooves—with Franco’s legendary biting guitar counterpoints (“Odemba” style) and the harmonized vocal majesty of singers like Vicky Longomba and Michel Boyibanda.
VG+ / VG+

Fela Kuti
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