African Jazz

Founded in 1953 by Joseph "Le Grand Kalle" Kabasele, African Jazz was the country's first full-time, professional orchestra. Their high point was probably the 1960 release of "Independence Cha Cha Cha," which celebrated the end of colonial rule in the Belgian Congo. African Jazz's great musical contribution was to reappropriate Latin American dance rhythms that had crossed the Atlantic from Africa centuries before. They disbanded in the mid-'60s after an immensely productive recording career. ~ Leon Jackson