Congolese rumba in mourning. The record company Syllart announced, Thursday, March 16, 2023, the disappearance of Lokassa Ya Mbongo, which occurred the day before. This guitar virtuoso accompanied the great singers of the Congo before leading his solo career and producing numerous records, notably in Paris. Ill, treated in the United States, Lokassa ya Mbongo was 77 years old.
Marie-Jose, is the title of a song that became a hit, composed by Lokassa Ya Mbongo and sung for almost 20 years by his friend El Maestro Ballou Canta. ” I’m devastated because we traveled the world for almost 15 years “, confides this one.
Lokassa Ya Mbongo, born Denis Lokassa Kasiya in Kinshasa in 1946, discovered the guitar and its gift at the age of 14. And he invented a sound thanks to a little secret. ” By tampering with his guitar a little, instead of D, he had put an E string, and that gave this sound which was all its own », Explains Ballou Canta.
A big void
This very special sound can be heard on the records of the greatest of the congolese rumba such as Tabu Ley Rochereau and Sam Mangwana, as well as those of the group formed by Lokassa Ya Mbongo and Ballou Canta, Soukous Star.
” He’s someone who really marked the Congolese rumba, because today, there are no more guitarists who play like him. He leaves a big void says Ballou Canta.
The imprint is so great that in the maquis of Kinshasa as in those of Paris, the songs of Lokassa Ya Mbongo have not finished resonating.
► Also to listen : The Congolese rumba, from its origins to its inclusion in the Intangible Heritage of Humanity