Please note!
Most of our CDs have been imported from Europe or Asia. They are not all shrink-wrapped, and I am not going to con you by wrapping them here just to make you think they have been sterilized in America. I guarantee that the CDs and the contents are all brand new and in perfect condition. Whenever I can, I use recycled shipping materials. They may not look as pretty on the outside, but they save money and keep the trash dumps a little bit emptier.
Thanks- Cliff, cdRoots

You searched for: congo zaire
Click on the title to read more or hear some music.

Lokua Kanza - Nkolo - $18.99
(cdRoots# hm-wv479043)
Kanza draws on sounds from his father’s village and his native Lingala tongue. A devout Christian, Kanza started out singing in the church in Kinshasha. Kanza, who now lives mainly in Brazil, was known as "The Brazilian" from an early age. The album' is a mixture of ndombolo [Congolese dance music] and samba, but Kanza also introduces instruments from outside these traditions, such as an ondes Martenot and a cristal Baschet (similar to a glass harmonica). Sung in Lingala, Portuguese and French, Nkolo is a strong cross-cultural mix, a blend of melody and atmosphere, with aesthetics defy simple catogorrization. Listen to Elanga Ya Muinda and Dipano

Franco and TPOK Jazz - Francophonic, Vol. 2: 1980-1989 - $23.99
(cdRoots# st-francophonic2)
2 CDs - Volume 2 of the stunning Stern's collection of the Congolese master's work. Essential!

Ngoma - Souvenir ya l'indépendance - $18.99
(cdRoots# st-ngoma102)
This second volume of Ngoma studio tracks from around the years of independence for what became Zaire (now Congo) and Congo Brazzaville. Since 1948 recording facilities in the studios had been greatly improved. Electric guitar and bass became a standard, but the charm of the early arrangements persists. This edition features music by Bukasa, Isaacmusekiwa (with a real twist number), Manu Dibango, Mavula Baudouin, Paul Mwanga, Polydor, Assassin and Henrique Tinapa and Rico Jazz and others.

various (African Pearls) - Congo 70: Rumba Rock - $24.99
(cdRoots# st-congo70)
2 CD set: Franco, Tabu Ley, Dr. Nico, Bantous de la Capitale, Zaiko Langa Langa, Papa Wemba, Trio Madjesi, Kékélé, many more Listen

So Kalmery - Brakka System - $17.99
(cdRoots# hm-wv479023)
So Kalmery is originally from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country sadly so often in the headlines over the last years. His story is one marked by the rich history but also the misfortunes of this part of Africa. His father was assassinated because of his close ties to the independence leader Patrice Lumumba, and So Kalmery became an orphan and a refugee at the age of seven... He spent many years fleeing from the various wars that devastated the region and finally found asylum in Zambia. It was during this period that the humanism which permeates his songs was forged. Very young, he learned music and played in numerous local orchestras. He established himself in Europe following a tour with the great Congolese musician Franco. A prodigious musician, an insatiable traveller, a poet, singer and dancer in search of the roots and the values of humanity, So Kalmery is an atypical and mystical figure, who plays an unclassifiable music which is at the crossroads of blues, folk music, soul and pop: Brakka.

Franco and le TPOK Jazz - Francophonic (Vol 1, 1953-1980) - $22.99
(cdRoots# st-3041-42)
Subtitled "The Greatest, A Retrospective" and Franco truly can be called one of the greatest musicians to hit sub-Saharan Africa in the 20th Century. From his very first session thru some of his monster hits, this 2 CD, 28 Track set has it all. Incoudes an excellent 48 page illustrated booklet written by Francophile Ken Braun.

Wendo Kolosoy - On the Rumba River - $18.99
(cdRoots# hm-marabi46822)
Along the Congo river sails a boat which never sank, a boat called Rumba. At the helm, Papa Wendo, 82 years young, continues to sing the irresistible music that brightens the eyes of dancers and conjures up soft and sad nostalgia. At the end of 2004 and perhaps for the last time, Wendo Kolosoy went back into the recording studio as the subject of the film "On the Rumba River," directed by Jacques Sarasin. Just like a return upstream to the river source, this CD features new recordings, as well as recordings made in 1950 and 1992.

Papa Noel / Bana Congo - Cafe Noir - $17.99
(cdRoots# tum-141)
Guitarist Papa Noël enters his fifth decade as one of the most popular African musicians on today's scene. Following the success of Bana Congo's first album, Papa Noël is back with a new album, bringing all the creative energies of African music and Cuban rumba into the 21st century. Joined by Cuban singer Ernesto "El Gato" Gatel Coto and legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, Café Noir has already hit the world music charts in Europe.

Mbilia Bel - Bel Canto (2 CDs) - $22.99
(cdRoots# st-belcanto)
2 CDs of crucial recordings of Mbilia Bel, the queen of Congolese music and one of the most popular pan-African stars throughout the 1980s, selected from Tabu Ley's 'Genidia' label by Gerald Seligman with additional notes by Ken Braun. These recordings represent an artist at the peak of her career, and included is a bonus track, the hard-to-get single version of 'Mpeve Ya Longo' - the recording that started her career. Beautifully packaged with a full-color, 44-page booklet with detailed notes, lyric translations, a discography and rare photos. Highly recommended.

Tabu Ley Rochereau - The Voice of Lightness 1961-77 (2 CDs) - $21.99
(cdRoots# st-3027-28)
This 2 CD set is comprehensive look at trhe legendary Congolese artist's career in recordings from the 60s and 70s. Beautifually packaged with excellent notes by Ken Braun. Essential work by a ground breaking singer and bandleader. Highly recommended.

VA/ African Pearls 1 - Rumba On The River (2 CDs) - $22.99
(cdRoots# st-sylap1)
The great rumba-congo bands of the 50s and 60s: African Jazz, Franco and O.K. Jazz, Rock-a-Mambo, African Fiesta, Les Bantous de la Capitale and Festival des Maquisards.

Kekele - Kinavana - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-kekele06)
It traveled from Congo to Cuba to Congo.... some say from Cuba to Congo to Cuba. No matter the origins, the roots of rumba are too intertwined to separate anymore, and the music is as strong today as it was at its birth. On their 2006 recording, Kékélé have created a tribute to Cuban songwriter, singer and guitarist Guillermo Portabales with a solid set, joined by legendary saxman Manu Dibango, singer Madilu "System" Bialu, the grande dame of Congolese music Mbilia Bel and some of New York's finest including Nelson Hernandez and singer Isabel Martinez. Rock solid roots!

Nyboma et Kamale Dynamique - Nyboma Mwan'dido and Kamale Dynamique - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-nyboma05)
Classics from one of the great stars of Congolese music - 10 of his greatest hits, recorded with his best band from 1981 to 1985. Fine music from that magic moment when soukous was still made by musicians and not machinery.

Gaby Lita Bembo and Orchestre Stukas du Zaire - Kita Mata ABC - $18.99
(cdRoots# st-retro18)
Lita Bembo wasn't just one of Zaire's great showmen.In the late 60s and early 70s he was leader of the Stukas, one of the country's wildest bands in that wild era. Listen

Kekele - Congo Life - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-kekele2)
Classic, elegant Congolese rumba lives in this great ensemble, and their 2003 edition is as great as their previous hit.

Wendo Kolosoy - Amba - $16.99
(cdRoots# hm-kolosoy-amba)
Recorded in Kinshasa with his band, the Victoria Bakalo Miziki, Kolosoy offers another dose of near-perfect Congolese rumba

Kekele - Rumba Congo - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-kekele)
Old school Congolese rumba music, sweet, acoustic and sultry, is performed by a super group of master musicians and singers: Papa Noel, Jean-Papy, Syran Mbenza, Nymboma, Wuta-Mayi, Bumba Massa, Yves Ndjock.

Sam Mangwana - Rumba Music - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-mangwana-rumba)
His acclaimed 1993 set supported by first-class African and New York Latin musicians

Sam Mangwana / Dino Vangu - Sam Mangwana Sings Dinu Vangu - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-mangwana-vangu)
A return to the Golden age of Congolese rumba brings singer mangwana back together with guitarist Dino Vanguand create a rumba sound that harkens back to the days of Franco. With Nana Akumu (formerly with T.P.OK Jazz) and bassist Miguel Yamba (Zaiko Langa Langa) at the core of the band, Sam Sings Dino is unsweetened, mellow rumba without the pyrotechnics that begat speed soukous.

Samba Mapangala and Orchestra Virunga - Ujumbe - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-mapangala-ujumbe)
Although originally from Congo and a purveyor of the dominant rumba Lingala, Mapangala migrated eastward to Kenya and began incorporating elements of the local pop music and language to create a melange that became a distinctly East African sound.

Papa Noel - Bel Ami - $17.99
(cdRoots# st-noel)
Like singer Sam Mangwana (with whom he has recorded) Papa Noel exemplifies the old guard's knack for encompassing both style and content. Now sixty years old, he began hiring out as a professional guitarist during his teens, passing through the ranks of Les Bantous and Orchestre African Jazz before joining T.P. O.K. Jazz, where he played second guitar for Franco, the great guitarist-composer-bandleader who dominated Congolese music for decades. Papa Noel's bell-like tone set off Franco's more robust touch to perfection and he got to play lead and compose for the band. - Christina Roden, RootsWorld

Hugh Tracey Recordings - Kanyok and Luba; So. Belgian Congo 1952 and 1957 - $19.99
(cdRoots# st-tracey-011)
A musical portrait of the lesser known Kanyok people, their various direct and indirect Luba neighbours of southern Congo and the urbanizing Katanga mine culture.

various - Ngoma - the early years 1948-1960 - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# st-ngoma-early)
25 rarities from the treasure trove of Phono Ngoma,the first Congolese record company, founded in 1948.