What Made Franco great was not his guitar wizadry nor his ability as a composer and it was certainly not his vocal skills. What made him great was his ability as a bandleader , organizer and recruiter of great talent.
In the 35 plus years of its existence , TPOK Jazz which stands for Tout Pouissant Ochestre Kinshasa ,produced an array of glittering stars many of whom later launched successfull solo careers. Indeed a list of TPOK Jazz alumni reads like a musical dream team. More than anything else , TPOK Jazz was a members band not just for Franco himself but also for the rest of the band members. Members were given due credit and recognition for their contributions. They were allowed to cut their own albums within the Ok Jazz set-up and the more significant band members often had their names and pictures appear on album sleeves. This is unlike most other bands where the band leader often appears to hog the credit while keeping other band members in the background.
Franco respected people with talent and whenever he discovered a talented musician who would fit in the Ok Jazz mould , he never rested until the musician was a member of the band.
Franco's exceptional organizational skills enabled him to produce sophisticated musical arrangements the calibre of which have yet to be reproduced by any other African band. Organizing a group consisting of up to 50 musicians is no easy task. Often the band was split into two : A touring band which travelled across the globe on tour with Franco and a home based band led by Simmarro Massiya.
While on a recording session or on tour, the band was manned by a vocal frontline of 4 or 5 singers supported by a chorus section providing rich harmonies. The string section usually had 2 solo guitarrists , a mi-solo guitarrist , a bassist and up to 4 rythm guitarrists. The fascinating interweaving and intertwining of the various guitar sounds is just one of the aspects of this great bands that has not been matched
by any other. The Mi-Solo guitar is a phenomenon unique to Congolese and African Music. It provides the interface between the solo guitars and the rythm guitars. TPOK jazz were the leaders in this phenomenon and made extensive use of it. The horn section was manned by various trumpets, saxophones and clarinets. Each time a saxophone provided a solo tune , the trumpets provided a thunderous refrain. the song Nganga Lopango Batekisa by Simmarro is a perfect example of this arrangement. Not to be left behind were the percussions such as drums which often introduced and punctuated the sebene section.
There were frequent defections but there was always talent available to fill the gaps. Musicians who had left the band were almost always welcome to return to the band.
In this section I introduce a few of the more significant TPOK Jazz members.
- Lutumba Massiya Simarro was Franco's chef de Ochestre. He was an excellent guitarist and composer earning himself the nickname Le Grande Poette because of the soulful and spiritual nature of his songs. In fact His songs are so soulful that they can move listeners to tears. Just listen to Testament Ya Bowule or Couerr artificiel to understand what I am talking about. Simmaro was shy and rarely appeared in concerts or on album sleeves.
Simmarro joined the band in 1963 from Orchestre Micra and later became the bands chef d' Orchestre.
- Josky Kiambukuta Londa : Josky was a talented vocalist and composer. His voice is the most recognizable among TPOK Jazz members. He has an uncanny ability to vary his voice from the high soprano as he does in the hit song missile all the way to a deep bass as he does in Alerte.. His songs usually feature a slower introductory section followed by the faster , hip swinging sebene section.
Josky joined the band from Orchestre Continentale via Africa Fiesta where He played alonside Tabu Ley and Dr Nico. Upon joining Ok Jazz , He immediately made an impact with hits like Monzo and Zenaba .
- Zitani Dalienst Ya Ntesa : Yet another talented vocalist and composer in the Ok jazz arsenal. He composed and sang several great hits such Bina na Ngai na respect and Mamie Zou. Before joining Ok Jazz in 76 , Dalienst played in Vox Africa before joining Festival de Macquisards. At its height , Festival
featured an array of talented among them , Michelino , Sam Mangwana ,Jerry , Dizzy and Matalanza. It is rumoured that Franco was instrumental in breaking up the band which posed a serious threat to his dominance. Dalienst was the perfect compliment for vocalists such as Josky and Mangwana. His voice was excellent for singing backup ,chorus sections as is evidenced in songs like Zala Sportiff and Burreau de Couerr. Dalienst died of a brain tumour in 1996.
- Mavatiku Visi , known to most as Michelino was arguably the best guitarist to play with the band. He was also an excellent arranger. Songs featuring Michelino as the rhythm or Mi-solo guitarist have an irresistible, unique beat. Michelino played briefly with Ok Jazz and with Afrisa International, but mainly plied his trade as a session guitarist in Paris.
- Biallu Madilu "System" known also as the man with the golden voice. Madilu entertained fans throughout the late 80s and early 90s with a combination of his husky tenor voice and stylish compositions such as Pesa Position and Boma Ngai. Madilu burst into fame after performing several duets with Franco all of which were major hits.
Before joining Ok Jazz Madilu pursued a solo career whence He rleased song like Zunguluke and Nzele. He then joined Tabu Ley's Afrisa before joining TPOK Jazz.
- Sam Mangwana was nicknamed La pigeon Voyageur because of his nomadic tendencies.He was also a member of the great Festival Macquisards group of the ealy 70s. Mangwana had two stints at both Afrisa and Ok Jazz before launching a solo career in West Africa. Mangwana's biggest strength is his versatility : he successfully experimented with West African styles such as Afro-beat and highlife. He also sang in various African languages.
His voice is suitable for singing love songs or sentimental songs. Zala Sportif is a classic example of a song where Mangwana's voice pierces deep into the hearts of listeners.
