Joseph Kabasele: the godfather of Congolese rumba
In the modern age, Congolese music is among the most influential within the wider continent of Africa. The pages of Congolese music history, however, would be distinctly barren without the innovative rumba sounds of Joseph Kabasele, alias Grand Kallé.
Congolese rumba music originated during the colonial era of the mid-20th century. Characterised by a unique blend of maringa dance music, with its roots in the tribal history of the nation, as well as Cuban son dance music. There is a distinct groove to Congolese rumba, beyond comparison to similar musical styles, with the backbone of the music formed from funky basslines and upbeat guitar melodies.
The music scene’s roots can be traced back to the 1930s when many musicians across the continent, but particularly in Congo, began to incorporate more modern instruments like guitars into their traditional styles. The movement did not properly take flight until Joseph Kabasele formed the pioneering group African Jazz in the early 1950s amid the backdrop of horrific colonial rule by Belgian forces in the Congo. Despite their band name, the group were not an overtly jazz-orientated group, playing exclusively rumba.
Building upon the immense success of African Jazz, who quickly became one of the most popular Congolese rumba groups in the country, Kabasele set up Surboum African Jazz, the first record label in the country to be founded by a Congolese musician. The vast majority of material released in the early years of the label consisted of African Jazz in its various forms. At the peak of the band, the line-up read like a supergroup of prominent African musicians, including the likes of Docteur Nico, Dechaud, Rochereau and Manu Dibango, among countless others.
Elsewhere on Surboum African Jazz, Kabasele released incredible and adventurous tunes from O.K. Jazz and the various solo projects of Manu Dibango. The record label was a true original, both in content and operation. Whereas many of the independent record labels that sprang up around the African continent in the 1960s and 1970s were using fairly primitive recording and pressing equipment, resulting in the vinyl records having a charmingly lo-fi feel to them, Surboum Jazz favoured high-quality releases.
Kabasele achieved such a feat by striking deals with prominent European record labels, producing high-level recordings and record pressings to be sold in the Congo and the wider Francophone market. Much of the material released on Surboum was recorded in Belgium in the period after Congo won independence from its colonial ruler – which, incidentally, Kabasele had a hand in achieving as a member of the Congolese delegation, which negotiated for independence.
The contributions of Joseph Kabasele, not only to the musical landscape of Congo but to rumba and jazz music on the whole, cannot be overstated. Surboum, as a label, was fairly short-lived, barely making it to the end of the 1960s, but its legacy is enduring. The record label was instrumental in modernising the music of Congo, with all future Congolese musicians owing something to the pioneering work of Kabasele and his label.
