Franco's 36th Anniversary: 20 Golden Hits Curated by Planet Ilunga

As the aphorism reminds us, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," and when it comes to assessing the genius of Franco Luambo Makiadi, nothing illustrates his depth and talent more effectively than listening to his music. To properly celebrate his legacy, Planet Ilunga has selected 20 O.K. Jazz songs recorded between 1957 and 1977, taken from the five compilation LPs that Planet Ilunga has dedicated to O.K. Jazz.

Most of the selected tracks are Franco’s own compositions, which portray him not just as Congo’s biggest artist but as a profound portraitist of Congolese society.

Since 2013, Planet Ilunga has focused on reissuing this popular Congolese music from the 1950s to the 1970s—music that has not been re-released since its original issue—providing a crucial opportunity for listeners to experience this historic sound firsthand.

These are the tracks. Most are rare gems that have been unavailable from other sources:

Kenge Okeyi Elaka Te

Translates as ‘Kenge, you left without warning’. What else could be the opening song on our LP compilation devoted to the boleros of O.K. Jazz? The song is about Marie-José Kenge, alias Majos, Franco’s first love and the subject of many of Franco’s compositions in the late fifties. Below is a translated excerpt from the lyrics, sung by Vicky Longomba:

Ah Majos / You left without warning maman / My dear young Majos / You, the flower of my mind / Day and night I’m asking myself / I don’t know where you went / Young Majos, is this a way to test me / To leave me in despair / If you confess this / I am in danger to kill myself / Ah Kenge / Franco worries

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/kenge-okeyi-elaka-te

Lopango Ya Bana Na Ngai

In this magnificent rumba, Franco, who lost his father Yvon Emongo at a very young age, does what he does best: interweaving personal experiences with criticism of Congolese society. The song addresses members of families who seize the property of the deceased to the detriment of the direct heirs, the children.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/lopango-ya-bana-na-ngai

La Mode Ya Pius Apiki Dalapo

The song title translates as ‘La Mode of Pius has planted his flag’. Bana La Mode was an association of fashionable women, and they were unconditional fans of Franco & O.K. Jazz. Pius Bokango was its president. Pauline Mboyo, Franco’s first wife, was a prominent member of the collective. La Mode was often a theme in the band's songs, particularly in the late 1950s, as was its male counterpart, Bana Ages.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/la-mode-ya-pius-apiki-dalapo

Yimbi

Yimbi, released in 1958 on the Loningisa label, is a special song. It was the first time Franco released a song in Kikongo, the language he learned after the early death of his father, when he briefly moved back to his birthplace Nsona-Mbata (Sona-Bata). ‘Yimbi’ is Franco’s take on a traditional fable about a mythical bird (the predator) and a mother (the victim) who begs the phoenix bird to give back her child. Some interpret ‘Yimbi’ as an implicit personalization of the colonial situation at the time, since Franco sings “Give me my child back, I want to feed him. Don’t you hear my tears and those of the child? Don’t you see my sadness?” But according to native Kikongo speakers that I spoke to, neither the original folk song nor Franco’s version refers to Belgian colonial rule.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/yimbi

Baila Charanga

In the mid-sixties, O.K. Jazz covered many songs, not only Cuban but also French, American, and Mexican. Most of the time, the covers were released as own compositions or as ‘arrangement O.K. Jazz’ on the label without mentioning the original composer. This was justified considering the band usually changed the instrumentation, tempo, or even the lyrics of the original song. O.K. Jazz’s ‘Baila Charanga’ is a fairly faithful reinterpretation of the Cuban song ‘Baila Charanga’ by José Fajardo Y Su Orquesta.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/baila-charanga

Na Mokili Mibale Na Mibale

One of the classics of O.K. Jazz, recorded in the late sixties/early seventies. It is magnificently sung by Vicky Longomba. The title translates as ‘In this world, you have to live together as man and wife’. It’s credited to the Angolan guitarist, singer, and composer Manuel d’Oliveira. The song was originally released in 1953 on the Ngoma label as ‘Lokumu Ya Mwasi Mpo Na Mobali’ (‘The honor of a woman is to have a husband’) by San Salvador (a band formed by Manuel d’Oliveira, Georges Edouard, Henri Freitas, and Bila Edouard). San Salvador’s original recording was a Polka Piké, a style in Congolese Rumba that was in vogue in the early to mid-fifties. For many connoisseurs of Congolese rumba, ‘Lokumu Ya Mwasi Mpo Na Mobali’ stands out as one of the most beautiful songs from the early days of Congolese Rumba. Manuel d’Oliveira made another version of the song, together with Groupe San Salvador. It sounds like it was made in the seventies. You can listen to this version on YouTube.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/na-mokili-mibale-na-mibale

Tika Kolela Chérie

In the early seventies, Camille Feruzi and Manuel d’Oliveira asked Franco to play their compositions with the T.P.O.K. Jazz. This resulted in the release of at least six songs with Feruzi and five with d‘Oliveira. Manuel d’Oliveira and Camille Feruzi were among the best musicians from the early days and famous for their releases on the legendary Ngoma label. ‘Tika Kolela Chérie’ (Stop crying, my love) is a composition of the accordionist Camille Feruzi. The title was originally released as a calypso in July 1959 on Ngoma by Camille Feruzi & Orchestre Mysterieux Jazz. The early seventies version with O.K. Jazz is quite different in phrasing, lyrics, tempo, and style. In my humble opinion, it stands out as one of the best songs in the oeuvre of O.K. Jazz.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/tika-kolela-ch-rie

Ndokoyo

In this song, released in January 1959 on the Loningisa label, O.K. Jazz presented its odemba take on the calypso genre to its fans, and especially the female ones. O.K. Jazz loved the calypso vibe in the late fifties, and it usually worked out really well. In ‘Ndokoyo’ we hear vocalist Edo addressing the beautiful women of Kinshasa and especially the members of Bana La Mode.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/ndokoyo

Liwa Ya Emery

Franco’s heartbreaking tribute to Patrice Lumumba, who was murdered in the Katanga province in January 1961. His assassination involved torture and execution by firing squad, with the CIA and the Belgian state—as we would later learn—largely held responsible for orchestrating the killing. The song was recorded in April 1961 in Brussels. Here are some of the translated lyrics:

Lumumba was murdered because he wanted our country to remain united / Oh, who will raise his children?

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/liwa-ya-emery

Mboka Mosika Mawa

The title translates as ‘Faraway Blues’ or, more freely, as ‘Homesick Blues’ and was recorded in 1961 in Brussels, during the first European tour of O.K. Jazz. My personal favorite from O.K. Jazz’s exquisite output of Congolese boleros. Below is a translated excerpt from the lyrics:

You’ve gone to a faraway land / Sadness has taken over my heart / Come home quickly, I can’t take it anymore

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/mboka-mosika-mawa

Tolinganaki Toboyanaki

Most of the boleros of O.K. Jazz were released in the late fifties and early sixties. The slow form of the bolero allowed Franco to express his most profound soul stirrings and to create a style of his own. Thanks to the combination of the suave voice of Vicky (or Kwamy, Mujos, or Edo), the breathtaking and dramatic guitar touch of Franco, and the delicious saxophone licks or solos of Isaac Musekiwa, O.K. Jazz was often able to capture the true essence of the bolero. In the seventies, the bolero was less frequent in the band’s repertoire but became longer, even more dramatic, going into blues territory, and was mostly sung solo by Franco. Below is a translated excerpt from the lyrics of ‘Tolinganaki Toboyanaki’, which translates as ‘We were in love, we broke up’:

When you were with me, you had the body of a woman / Look how thin you are now, it’s shameful / Your miserable life now, because you have a big mouth, shut your mouth, it’s shameful / Your miserable life now, you will die from your narcissism / Swallow your pride, it’s shameful

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/tolinganaki-toboyanaki

Cha Cha Cha Erique

Franco & O.K. Jazz’s take on cha cha cha, recorded in 1961. Note in the title the homage to Enrique Jorrín, the Cuban inventor of the cha-cha-cha.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/cha-cha-cha-erique

Lokolo

This rumba was the first release on Les Editions Populaires, Franco’s label founded in 1968. Franco complains to those, including fellow musicians, who badmouth him, spread rumors and hate, intrude on his private life, and accuse him of witchcraft, most notably that he sold his legs for success. In reality, Franco suffered from a serious leg condition and couldn’t sleep because of the pain.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/lokolo-digital-bonus-song

Ya Mbala

Like the song ‘Yimbi’, modernized by Franco in 1958 (Loningisa 246), ‘Ya Mbala’ (Elder Mbala) is a folk song that originated with the Bakongo people. Mbala is the name of a man living in a remote village who went to Kinshasa and describes what he saw there: white people, motorbikes and cars, cigarettes, etc. It was recorded in 1961, and it shows how confident Franco felt singing in his mother tongue.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/ya-mbala

Pas Un Pas Sans Bata

Commercial song in the bolero style for Bata Chaussures, the shoe brand and retailer that was hugely popular in many African countries. Franco also wrote a rumba for Bata (discover my upload on YouTube). An interesting fact that few people know: Franco was in his younger days an employee at Bata’s subsidiary in Léopoldville. Below you find a translated excerpt from the lyrics:

I was born barefoot / Today I became a man of standing, I wear shoes, thanks to Bata / My friends, let me sing for Bata / Beautiful cheap shoes of Congo you find at Bata / Bata has no competitors in Congo / Our fathers were praising Bata / Let’s avoid problems, buy our shoes at Bata

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/pas-un-pas-sans-bata

Malata

Malata is once again a fantastic example of the collaboration of T.P.O.K. Jazz with Camille Feruzi in the early seventies. Antoine Kasongo, another musician from the early days, was also present in this recording, as we can hear in the complete version of the song (including the intro) that I shared on YouTube. One of the 7-inch releases even credits Kasongo as the composer (though on the one I have, Camille Feruzi is credited as the composer). I haven’t figured out yet what the original version of this song was, but most probably it was released on the Ngoma or Olympia label.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/malata

Minoko

The change of rhythm in the middle, from Congolese Rumba to afrobeat, is what makes this song stand out. Note also the use of English, which is rare for Franco, who seems to have had great fun performing this song.

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/minoko

Mosaka Ya Kilo

It’s really surprising that this exciting bolero of Le Grand Maître, made in 1969, was never reissued until 2024. Wonderful saxophone solo by Verckys!

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/mosaka-ya-kilo

Tika Kobebisa Tango Na Ngai

This excellent bolero, written by Franco and released in February 1958 on the Loningisa label, translates as ‘Stop wasting my time’. Vocalist Vicky delivers the declaration of a man who feels badly treated by his fiancée. The lyrics are rather harsh and misogynistic:

Eating with a wife stands for eating with a witch / The intelligence of a woman is superior to that of a man / My friends, I advise you not to trust any woman / They will turn their back on you and betray you

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/tika-kobebisa-tango-na-ngai

Mbongo Na Ngai Judas

Another bolero on Loningisa, released in January 1959, sung by Vicky Longomba & Edo. It’s about betrayal, hence the word Judas in the song title. Partial lyrics (translated) included:

My dear Marie, you are my most precious one, since we are in love / Why do you always embarrass me by cheating on me? / Afterwards, you change your words

https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/track/mbongo-na-ngai-judas

I take this opportunity through the Jabulani Radio platform to thank and acknowledge the individuals who taught me a great deal and welcomed me into the world of Franco and O.K. Jazz: Yves Luambo Emongo, Hama-Dinga Ya Makilo, Stefan Werdekker, Christian Ongoba, Julien Longomba, Samuel Malonga, Messager, and Sylvain Konko (RIP).

By Bart Cattaert 
Founder, Planet Ilunga
https://planetilunga.bandcamp.com/
www.youtube.com/@planetilunga

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