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Joseph Kabasele – or the Grand Kallé, as he was known to his fellow musicians, his fans and even to Heads of State – lies at the very centre of the great mosaic that is African popular music. Without him the picture would be unrecognisable.
Kabasele led Orchestre African Jazz, the seminal Congolese rumba band which included the preeminent guitarist of the time, Dr Nico, the singer and songwriter Tabu Ley Rochereau and the saxophonist Manu Dibango. In the turbulent times before and after Congo's independence in 1960, Kallé and his band were the most influential in Africa, and today their sound is still a key foundation upon which its popular music is built.