Album Notes

Recorded during Kekele's 2005 winter tour in Canada and the U.S., this album shows the maestros at their peak of perfection and as tight as skin. The songs here are from the great 2004 Congo Life and 2000 Rumba Congo albums, and here's what reviewer Rick Sanders of fRoots Magazine (U.K.)said about Kekele's first two studio recordings:

"It doesn't sound so difficult: all you need is a bunch of veterans who've served their time in Congolese rumba and ask them to play the music that moved them in the first place. Then see what they do with it. This is what happened when three-quarters of the golden-voiced Quatre Etoiles - Nyboma, Wuta Mayi and Syran Mbenza - joined up with Bumba Massa, Papa Noel, Yves Ndjock, Jean-Papy Ramazani and others, retreating from the flash and grab of soukous to the acoustic wellsprings of rumba. On the strength of their album Rumba Congo, a new career took off - and here, a couple of years down the line, comes number two, an album that shows even more warmth, wit and soul than its predecessor."

Musicians on tour who participated in this concert recording were Syran Mbenza, Rigo Star Bamundele (acoustic guitars), Nyboma Mwan Dido, Loko Massengo, Wuta Mayi (vocals), Vincent Hamamdjian (bass), Komba Bellow (drums), Jimmy Mvondo (saxophone), Deba Sungu (congas), Sebastien Malherbe (accordion).

This live recording is clean, recorded off the board and professionally produced--NOT a bootleg! It was previously only available from band members for a very limited time; now on digital download for the first time ever, right here on CD Baby. All proceeds go directly to the artists. Thank you for supporting African music.