(2-CD plus 104-page Book) Joseph Kabasele - the Grand Kallé, as he was known to colleagues, fans, and even heads of state - lies at the very center of the great mosaic that is African popular music. Without him the picture would be unrecognizable.
In the Sixties and Seventies, Le Grand Kallé remapped an entire continent`s music. He adopted Cuban rumba and became the first Congolese musician to record with an electric guitar. His Independance Cha Cha (1960) was the soundtrack of a revolution, and his bands spawned world-historic bandleaders Manu Dibango and Tabu Ley Rochereau. This two-CD overview does him full justice, up to and including the riveting liner note

DISC 1:
1. Valerie-R Gine
2. Kale Kato
3. Parafifi
4. African Jazz
5. Baila
6. Tujala Tshibemba
7. Mozonki Ya Mboka
8. Tembe Nye
9. Table Ronde
10. Naweli Boboto
11. Ind Pendance Cha Cha
12. Jamais Kolonga
13. Africa Bola Ngombi
14. Matanga Ya Mobido
15. Kamulanga
16. Bana Na Nwa
17. Nabongisa Kala
18. Tika Ndeko No Te
19. Mama Ngai Habanera
20. African Jazz Mokili Mobimba
21. Miwela-Miwela
22. Bolingo Suka Te
DISC 2:
1. Mindule Mipanzana
2. Jolie Nana
3. Nzambe E Mungu
4. Makwela Ya Bana Mboka
5. Merengue Fontaine
6. Biwela-Biwela
7. Carrefour Addis Ababa
8. Butsana Mama
9. Lipopo Ya Banganga
10. Moselebende to Bolingo
11. Mbombo Ya Tshimbalanga
12. BB 69
13. Ko Ko Ko - Qui Est L ?
14. Suzi Na Edo
15. Africa Boogaloo
16. Mokili Zala Ata Juste

Some of the earlier recorded tracks on here, dating back to 1951, took some getting used to --- mainly due to the low fidelity --- but even those hooked me after a few listens.

The very informative liner notes that come with this 2-CD package --- booklet? No, let`s just call this a book, it`s that thick! --- mention how much the Congolese were influenced by the Cuban "dance music" of the time. This Congolese version of rumba is described as sounding closer to Cuban "son" than Cuban rumba, if you can get your ears around that distinction. But this sentence helps to clarify: "Congolese rumba was a brash but graceful balance of engaging dance rhythms, genial melodies, insouciant harmonies and unabashed sentiments." I love that description. They could just as easily be describing the music of Tabu Ley Rochereau instead. In fact, Tabu Ley was a member of one of Kabasele`s early bands, so clearly he -- and others --- was influenced by this musical pioneer.

Disc 1 covers the years 1951-1962, while Disc 2 covers 1964-1970. One note on the booklet: yes, it has 104 pages, but roughly half of that page count is written in French! The first 47 pages of the booklet are in English, along with 2 more pages in the back of the booklet (sorry, book!) that have a full list of personnel that Kabasele used for these recordings. An essential purchase for fans of Congolese music!