Time With an African music icon.

MBILIA BEL

They are gone now but during the 70s and 80s, Africa's two great dance music masters, Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau were in a friendly rivalry (sometimes strained) for the title of best Congolese artist.

Franco, the child guitar prodigy, whose band defined the rumba Congolese sound with his band OK Jazz, came first; Rochereau, whose sweet tenor was honed in choirs, favoured a softer more international sound.

By the early 80s, the two stars were fronting huge orchestras that toured the continent, and increasingly Europe. While Franco added more guitars and a bevy of singers to supplement his singing and guitar pyrotechnics, Rochereau brought in young musicians, expanded his brass section and added both Caribbean rhythms and features from US soul music. You could argue that Rochereau was the one to internationalise the Congolese dance music but at the same time you'd have to admit that the young generation, led by Zaiko Langa Langa, was already doing that with their stripped-down, brass-less, smaller combo sound. 

More: Bangkok Post

Jazzamba’s jazz nights - Ethiopia.

Jazzamba’s jazz nights still alive in Addis Ababa

Heaps of twisted iron, piles of ash and a charred microphone are all that remains of Jazzamba, the iconic Addis Ababa nightclub that revived Ethiopian jazz after it had all but disappeared under Communist rule.

The fire that destroyed the venue in January has left the country’s vibrant and growing jazz scene in disarray.

“I still do not believe it,” says musician Misale Legesse, who was a regular performer at the wood-panelled club, inside the Taitu Hotel.

The Nile Project at Boston University.

The Nile Project

Forget about the Charles River. This week, everyone’s going to be buzzing about the Nile River.

The Nile Project, a collaborative enterprise that combines music, education, and leadership and innovation programs to promote sustainability of the Nile River’s ecosystem, begins a five-day residency on campus today. The BU Arts Initiative, in conjunction with the African Studies Center (ASC), the College of Fine Arts School of Music, and World Music/CRASHarts is sponsoring the visit, which will include panel discussions, educational workshops, and musical performances.

SXSW Live Shot: Africa/Caribbean Night

Two-way cultural pollination.

Just outside the Palm Door, a steel drum band from Trinidad marched down Sixth Street in the rain Friday night. It proved the perfect prelude to a dual showcase that was “all about the waist,” as Congolese-British comedian/emcee Eddie Kadi put it.

Two-way cultural pollination was very much in evidence as one walked from the indoor African music stage to the outdoor Caribbean stage. Sets changed, but the rhythms never ceased and the connections between traditional West African sounds and its diasporic offspring were always in sharp focus.

Seychelles Carnival in pictures.

Seychelles Carnival