Fiesta in the Park / Cowley Road Carnival

Talking with Kanda Bongo Man Great to speak on the phone today to that iconic figure of Central African music. To be enlightened by his expounding of the influence of Cuban rumba, on modern Congolese music; which reminded me of the influence of American R'n'B, in modern Jamaican music. Of how the Congolese raised the tempo of rumba, creating a music called soukous; music of dance and celebration. Then from Congo to the Caribbean: to Martinique and Guadaloupe. To the music called zouk, which came from soukous. From Africa to its diaspora and back again: for soukous is often fused with zouk. Of the need to sing in Lingala, as the French language doesn't blend so naturally, with the melodies of soukous.

Then he sang for me. A few bars; to show the similarity and the difference, between soukous and zouk. That great voice sang just for me.

I know we're going to get a full blessing, those of us who gather in South Park on Saturday evening. During our conversation, he called soukous, "music for festival and carnival", so it's fitting that he should grace the South Park stage, as we celebrate each other over the coming weekend, at the Cowley Road Carnival.

It's the end of the month – payday. If you have fifteen pound spare, you can treat yourself to time with Kanda Bongo Man. I promise you, you'll be dancing all night, even when he's left the stage. Most of you will be going to see Roots Manuva. I'm going to see the Bongo Man.

Natty Mark Samuels (Unverified), 01/07/11

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