Orchestre Rock-a-Mambo was a Congolese rumba band from
Brazzaville
Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...
of the 1950s. It was a
studio band
A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recordi ...
of the
Esengo music studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for recording and mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enough to record a single sin ...
.
[Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos By Gary Stewart]
Chapter 5: "A Change in Mentality"
/ref>
It was reconstituted in 1963 under former member Philippe "Rossignol" Lando. This version, which lasted until the 1970s, was a launching pad for young musicians including Bopol, Wuta Mayi
Gaspard Wuta Mayi, commonly known as Wuta Mayi, is a Congolese rumba and soukous vocalist and composer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). From 1974 to 1982, he was a member of the band TPOK Jazz, led by Franco (François Luambo Mak ...
, Camille "Checain" Lola, and Henriette Borauzima.[
The band name is a pun with the Kongolese word ''rocamambu'' "the one who looks for problems". In a Kongolese folk tale, Rocamambu is a kind of ]prodigal son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father; ) is one of the parables of Jesus in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. In Luke 15, Jesus tells this stor ...
, who runs from home and comes back rich.[
]
Discography
Rock-a-Mambo music appears on the following albums and compilations.
EPs
*Orchestre Rock-A-Mambo olumbia ESRF 1460; also ESDF1321*Rossignol et l'Orchestre Rock 'A Mambo olumbia ESRF 1793; also ESDF 1321*Orchestre Rock-A-Mambo SRF 1415; also ESDF 1343*Orchestre Rock-A-Mambo volume 2, ESDF 1372
*Nino et l'Orchestre Rock-A-Mambo volume 3 olumbia ESDF 1380*GROUPES CHOC DES ANNEES 50s ESDF 1372
*CONGO LATINO Columbia ESDF 1401
*ORCHESTRE ROCK-A-MAMBO NO 4 (Columbia ESDF 1403; orig: Esengo)
Singles
A large number of singles were recorded by the Esengo studio.[
]
References
Democratic Republic of the Congo musicians
Jazz ensembles
Soukous groups
Musical groups established in the 1950s
Cultural organisations based in the Republic of the Congo
Culture in Brazzaville
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