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Early recordings from Franco & O.K. Jazz, the greatest of all the Congolese rumba bands! These twenty tracks, recorded between 1956-57, capture the emerging sound that would come to dominate much African music over the next three decades. The tracks are concise, favoring tight ensemble interplay and stunning harmony singing rather than the extended soloing that would later mark the style, and they exhibit the strong influence of Latin rhythms like merengue, bolero, and rumba, ingeniously adapted to accommodate native dance forms. The group's leader is just starting to sink his teeth into the extended possibilities of the electric guitar, so many of the tracks still feature rhythmically complicated parts played on acoustic guitar, and there's no shortage of jaunty horn work as well. Dazzling! Tracks include the band's erstwhile theme song "On Entre OK, On Sort KO," as well as "Lina", "Botika Tembe", "Mosala Ekomi Mpasi-Embonga", and "Motindo Na Yo Te".

Classic material from one of Gambia's greatest bands! This staunchly modern group shook things up at home in the late 60s, playing through Marshall amps and dressing in thrift store duds for a sartorial splendor at home with Swinging London. The band covered "Hey Jude" and wrote some dazzling original rock-soul tunes – including the great "Love's A Real Thing", recently heard as the title track of Luaka Bop's African psychedelic collection – but more importantly they embraced and updated the traditional styles that most contemporary bands ignored. Singing in Wolof and broken English they forged a beguiling mix of highlife, Congolese rumba, and Afro-Cuban forms, blending in native Mandinka, Fula, and Jola traditions, all delivered with a crisp, rhythmic propulsion. Tracks include "Mandal Ly", "Viva Super Eagles", "Aduna Poti Ndala", "Aliou Gori-Mami", and "Bada Tourey".

A motherlode of music from the legendary Tunji Oyelana – a key figure in Nigerian music from the late 60s onward – with an influence that's almost as important as Fela's! Tunji's style is pretty darn funky, but different too – almost a pan-African sort of range that encompasses older styles from folklore, grooves from highlife, and the growing turn towards soul, funk, and rock that really sparked on the Nigerian scene once the 70s came around. This double-length package is a great illustration of this range – a wealth of wonderful songs, all graced by the rich vocals of Oyelana, and backed with hip grooves from The Benders – a very cool combo who really know how to change things up! Titles include "Ojo", "Which Way Africa", "To Whom It May Concern", "Jewele Jewele", "Ifa", "Fiya Jemi", "Osekere", "Aiye Nla", "Omonike", "Agba Lode (45 version)", "Aduke", and "Lenle".

A motherlode of music from the legendary Tunji Oyelana – a key figure in Nigerian music from the late 60s onward – with an influence that's almost as important as Fela's! Tunji's style is pretty darn funky, but different too – almost a pan-African sort of range that encompasses older styles from folklore, grooves from highlife, and the growing turn towards soul, funk, and rock that really sparked on the Nigerian scene once the 70s came around. This double-length package is a great illustration of this range – a wealth of wonderful songs, all graced by the rich vocals of Oyelana, and backed with hip grooves from The Benders – a very cool combo who really know how to change things up! Titles include "Ojo", "Which Way Africa", "To Whom It May Concern", "Jewele Jewele", "Ifa", "Fiya Jemi", "Osekere", "Aiye Nla", "Omonike", "Agba Lode (45 version)", "Aduke", and "Lenle".

The brilliant follow up to the first Congotronics album – and a set that goes even deeper than the initial groundbreaking work by Konono! This album follows in a very similar spirit to Konono's Congotronics set – and like that one, focuses on musicians with a unique electro/acoustic approach to African rhythms! Groups on the set all hail from the Kinshasa scene, like Konono, they retro-fit older styles with homemade amplification – in a way that electrifies the grooves, but often with a sound that's highly distorted – creating great fuzzy tones and noises alongside the rhythms! Konono appear on one track in the set, but the real strength comes from these other groups working in a similar mode – as they bring new instruments, sounds, and modes of expression to the format – showing that the style is not just a happy accident, but a powerful new wave of music from the urban African scene! Titles include "Mulume" by Basokin, "Bosamba Ndeke" by Bolia We Ndenge, "Kiwembo" by Sobanza Mimanisa, "Wa Muluendu" by Masanka Sakayia & Kasai Allstars, "Soif Conjugale" by Kisanzi Congo, "La Laboureur" by Masanka Sakai, "Koyile/Nyeka Nyeka" by Kasai Allstars, and "TP Coleur Cafe" by Konono No 1.

A massive look at the music of Franco – the guitarist whose music really helped transform the sound of Africa in the 60s and 70s! The career-spanning set features tracks from three different decades – beginning with some very rough early sides, then moving into a rich array of recordings that shows an incredible transformation in sound. Franco's guitar work is often a lot more sensitive than some of his contemporaries, but still as rhythmic as the rest – and his vocals have this sweetly crackling sound that makes the tunes come alive with a sense of universal soul that goes way beyond the boundaries of language – something that helped him and his OK Jazz group reach a very wide audience over the years. The package features 2CDs and a 44 page booklet that's filled with notes and vintage photos – plus a whopping 28 tracks that include "Esengo Ya Mokili", "Azda", "Mambu Ma Miondo", "Liberte", "Alimatou", "Kinsiona", "Mabele", "Infidelite Mado", "Nazube Oleka Te", "Bomba L'Heure", and "Marie Naboyi".