East African Music - African Radio
Orchestra Super Mazembe was a popular band based in Kenya playing Lingala music. The band had roots in Super Vox, a band formed in 1967 in Zaire and led by N. Orchestra Super Mazembe Albums: Catalogue Number. Kasongo Parts 1 & 2 2. Shida Parts 1 & 2 3.
Doug Paterson's Music Projects...
In preparing the Mazembe @ 45 RPM compilations, I spent a lot of time going over the AI Records catalogue. I wanted to get a complete list of all the singles ever released on the Editions Mazembe imprint. Then I wanted to identify which singles were included in LP releases or later CD compilations and which singles had only been released as 45 rpm singles. Editions Mazembe started off as an EMI label in Kenya. In the lates 70s, EMI withdrew from Kenya and its catalogue was acquired by AIT Records. I haven't been able to determine the exact point in the release sequence where the EMI releases become AIT releases. The EMI releases give the Producer credit to Oluoch Kanindo and I'm guessing the transition took place with EMA21 which was produced by Felix Njakumu (aka Jakomo and similar spellings).
One of the mysteries of the catalogue is what happened to the first five EMA releases. Perhaps they are place holders for some earlier Mazembe recordings. The first documented Editions Mazembe release is EMA 7-06, Kasongo, which was the first big hit for Super Mazembe. Prior to Kasongo, there were other Mazembe 45s available on the Soul Posters label, recorded in Nairobi by EMI but sold from France. For example, I bought my first Super Mazembe single in 1976 at the African Record Centre, Brooklyn NY; songs written by Mazembe's Zambian producer Nashil Pichen called Samahani Catherine and Sikutaki Regena (SP 10509). In the same series was 'The Super Mazembe' Rose Mwape and Impali on Soul Posters SP 10510. They're not dated but they come after TPOK Jazz numbers that can be dated to 1975. During this early period in Nairobi, Super Mazembe also recorded quite a number of songs with Nashil Pichen designated for release in Zambia on the Luapula label.
Here is the current state of my knowledge of the Editions Mazembe and Editions Mwana Mama catalogues from AI Records, Nairobi:
45 RPM Only | Composer | Also on Album (See definitions below) | |||
Yes | Ati Mama | Katele Aley | |||
MM 7-2 | Maga | Katele Aley | |||
Yes | Ezana | Katele Aley | |||
MM 7-8 | Na Weli Nini (Should be Naweli Nini) | Katele Aley | Luapula PKZ 60 (single) | ||
| Kasongo | Katele Aley | 0514/0540 (redo) /0560/ DA7/ GEA | |||
EMA 08 | Samba | Katele Aley | 0514/DA7/GEA | ||
EMA 09 | Naleki Na Ba Zone | Tshishi | M@45V1 | ||
Yes | Amina | Pauni | M@45V1 | ||
EMA 11 | Aleisia | Katele Aley | M@45V2 | ||
Yes | Libala Nde Lisano | Longwa Didos | |||
EMA 13 | Mwana Mazembe | Katele | 1977 | 0514/M@45V1 | |
| Shida | Katele Aley | 0514 | |||
EMA 15 | Sala Keba | M@45V2 | |||
| Na Bimaka Te | Katele Aley | 0560/DA7/M@45V1 | |||
EMA 17 | Izabella | Katele Aley | M@45V1 | ||
Yes | Ndona | Katele Aley | M@45V2 | ||
EMA 19 | Kingo Mwambe | Katele Aley | M@45V1 | ||
Yes | South View | Katele Aley | M@45V1/ On both EMA and MM. See graphic below | ||
EMA 21 | Naleli Libota | Katele Aley | M@45V1 | ||
Yes | Okova | Katele Aley | M@45V1 | ||
EMA 23 | Atia-Jo | Atia-Jo | 2 SEPTEMBER, 1979 | 0530/0560 | |
| Kayembe | Kayembe Rapok | 0560 | |||
EMA 25 | Longwa | Longwa Didos | 4 DECEMBER, 1979 | GEA | |
Yes | Lovy | ||||
EMA 27 | Anna | 3 JULY, 1980 | |||
Yes | Yo-Mabe | Lovy Longomba | M@45V2 | ||
EMA 29 | Biwela (Christmas) | ||||
Yes | Ndeko | ||||
EMA 31 | Nanga | Lovy Longomba | 16 MAY, 1981 | ||
Yes | Mokano | Lovy Longomba | |||
EMA 33 | Ilena | ||||
Yes | Lokele | ||||
EMA 35 | Salima | Kandolo Rondo | 2 JUNE, 1982 | 0560 | |
| Mwana Nyiau | Lobe Mapako Roddy | 0540 (redo)/DA7/M@45V2 | |||
EMA 37 | Nganyiemu | Lobe Mapako Roddy | M@45V2 | ||
| Pepepe | Dack Star Pepe | 0540 | |||
EMA 39 | Presto | Madjo Maduley Abdalla | M@45V2 | ||
Yes | Prekete | Madjo Maduley Abdalla | M@45V2 | ||
EMA 41 | Zulfa | Loboko Bua | 0550 | ||
| Rosy | Lovy Longomba | 0550 | |||
| GEA = Giants of East Africa | M@45V1 = Mazembe @ 45 RPM Volume 1 (Stern's Africa 3063) / M@45V2 = Mazembe @ 45 RPM Volume 2 | ||||
| 0514 = Mwana Mazembe | 0530 = Tenth Anniversay | ||||
| 0520 = Mazembe | 0540 = Double Gold | ||||
| DA7 = DiscAfrique AFRICD007 Maloba D'Amor | 0560 = Their Greatest Hits | ||||
After posting the Editions Mazembe grid above, a Kenyan living in Mombasa got in touch and let me know about several other Mazembe songs not on my singles grid nor the album grid. If anyone knows their catalogue numbers, I'd love to be able to place them among the Mazembe singles and album songs. The mystery titles are: Kanindo Part 1 4:41, Kanindo Part 2 4:45, Bekende Bokila Part 1 4:49, and Bekende Bokila Part 2 4:44. Please get in touch if you have some information to add regarding these songs or more data to add to the singles grid.
An Interesting Anomaly...
Below, you see the same song and catalogue number on two different labels, one for EMI and the other for POK, P.O. Kanindo produced the recording in 1979.
My Kasongo Diversion...
The song Kasongo also has an interesting history. The name refers to Mazembe guitarist Kassongo Songoley and is spelled Kassongo on the Giants of East Africa CD, the DiscAfrique collection Maloba D'Amor, and in the Virgin Records version on the Kaivaska LP (alternatively titled Kaivasha on the disc). However, on all the Editions Mazembe vinyl, the song title appears as Kasongo. There are two different versions of the song, the original from 1977 and a remake for the European audience recorded in 1982. The original version takes several different forms that I'll explain first. Like all the Editions Mazembe singles, Kasongo is divided at the midway point and placed on both the A and B sides of the record: The original Kasongo Part 1 is 4:34 with Kasongo Part 2 timed at approximately 4:22. That's a total of 8 minutes, 56 seconds. For the album versions, the AIT mastering engineers did some cutting and splicing to fit together the two parts of the original single for a combined time of about 7 minutes. They cut away the last 15 seconds of part 1 and the first 15 seconds of part 2 and spliced the two together. For the end, they faded out early cutting off about one minute and 15 seconds. For the Stern's project, we go back to the orginal Kasongo single and combine parts one and two for the Mwana Mazembe download. For the album, Their Greatest Hits, we use a special edit that is similar though (we hope) more elegant than the original album version as well as a bit longer. (2018 update: Following the acquisition of AI Records by Universal Music, the Stern's project downloads have been withdrawn from the online services.)
Back in 1982, Australian producer/engineer Norman Meighell was commissioned to go to Nairobi for recording sessions with Orchestra Makassy and Super Mazembe, the idea being to record to the highest standards possible and release the new materials in the UK and beyond on the Virgin label. Each of the groups redid some of their most popular previously recorded materials. For Mazembe, Kassongo was right at the top of the list. Mazembe's Kaivaska LP includes the new version which is faster than the original, has a prominant pounding snare drum, and combines all the various parts of the original 9 minute song into five minutes and 30 seconds. They succeeded in making a stunningly clean and clear recording in which each part could be heard. This Kassongo is a great alternative version though I think, personally, I prefer the original Mazembe sound.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
East African Music - African Radio
Kasongo - Orchestra Super Mazembe [HD Quality] - YouTube
To contact Douglas Paterson, send email to dbpaterson(at)eastafricanmusic.com.
Last updated 8 December, 2018.