TPOK Jazz

OK Jazz, later renamed TPOK Jazz (short for Tout Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa, "all-powerful Kinshasa orchestra"), was a soukous band from the Democratic Republic of the Congo established in 1956 and fronted by Franco. The group disbanded in 1993.

Location

The OK Jazz band was formed in 1956 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), in what was at the time the Belgian Congo. On independence in 1960, the Belgian Congo became the Republic of the Congo, later Zaire and is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At one time in the late 1970s and early 1980s the band grew to over fifty members. During that period, it often split into two groups; one group stayed in Kinshasa, playing in nightclubs there, while the other group toured in Africa, Europe and North America.

History

1950 - 1959

The musicians who started OK Jazz included Vicky Longomba, Jean Serge Essous, François Luambo Makiadi, De La Lune, Augustin Moniania Roitelet, La Monta LiBerlin, Saturnin Pandi, Nicolas Bosuma Bakili Dessoin and vocalist Philippe Lando Rossignol. They used to play at Loningisa Studios in Kinshasa as individual artists, before they got together to form a band in June 1956. The name OK Jazz originated from the bar in which they played which was named OK Bar, owned by Oscar Kashama. The new band played regularly at a specific studio in the city during the week and on some weekends they played at weddings. In 1957, the lead vocalist, Philippe Lando Rossignol, quit OK Jazz and was replaced by Edo Nganga, from Congo-Brazzaville. Later in the same year, Isaac Musekiwa, a saxophonist from Zimbabwe joined the band. Up to that time the band's leadership was shared between Vicky Longomba, Essous and Franco.