The Rough Guide to Franco: Africa's Legendary Guitar Maestro

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They called him the "Sorcerer of the Guitar," and with his band, O.K. Jazz, he helped shaped not only the history of Congolese rumba, but also soukous. Franco was a giant, not just physically, but also in reputation, a guitar god every bit the equal of Hendrix or Clapton, but unknown in the West. This first U.S. compilation devoted to his work begins in the mid-1950s, when he was still a teenager, with "Merengue," and runs through 1987, and "Attention Na Sida," his final recording before dying of AIDS two years later. In between you get to understand his genius, not just as an instrumentalist, but also as a singer and writer, his band shading and filling out the music beautifully, while Franco himself produces flurries of notes and fluid runs that call to mind both Wes Montgomery and Ali Farka Toure. Compiled by biographer Graeme Ewens, these songs capture all the facets, from the brief catchy singles, the sizzling live magic, and the extended album tracks--and every one is vital. --Chris Nickson

Tracks:

Merengue
Motindo Na Yo Te
Aya La' Mode
Finga Mama Munu
Infidelite Mado
Likambo Ya Ngana
Ou Est Le Serieux?
Tailleur
Kinshasa Mboka Ya Makambo
Mario
Chacun Pour Soi
Attention Na Sida

Amazon.com

They called him the "Sorcerer of the Guitar," and with his band, O.K. Jazz, he helped shaped not only the history of Congolese rumba, but also soukous. Franco was a giant, not just physically, but also in reputation, a guitar god every bit the equal of Hendrix or Clapton, but unknown in the West. This first U.S. compilation devoted to his work begins in the mid-1950s, when he was still a teenager, with "Merengue," and runs through 1987, and "Attention Na Sida," his final recording before dying of AIDS two years later. In between you get to understand his genius, not just as an instrumentalist, but also as a singer and writer, his band shading and filling out the music beautifully, while Franco himself produces flurries of notes and fluid runs that call to mind both Wes Montgomery and Ali Farka Toure. Compiled by biographer Graeme Ewens, these songs capture all the facets, from the brief catchy singles, the sizzling live magic, and the extended album tracks--and every one is vital. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Franco's Greatest Hits.......2007-01-09

The songs are good and cover a good stretch of his career. I also appreciated the very useful liner notes, giving a background on all of the songs, which are mostly sung in Lingala or French. However, I also have a number of his other recordings, and some great songs were left off of this collection--how about a Vol. II and Vol. III and Vol. IV from the Rough Guide?

disappointed.......2006-01-18

Altho I like some of Franco's music, I was diasappointed. Maybe I would have liked him live. I bet he had a lot of charisma. I just did not enjoy this CD. The songs were too long and somewhat repetitive for my taste. I love the Mali sound and Salif and Babaa Maal and Rough guide to Mali and Guinea and Tuku but this one for me did not ring any bells for very long.

riding with a master.......2003-11-15

This album helps you capture the spirit of a master of african music (franco).From early recordings until the end of a triumphant career, you feel the vibration of the soul of africa at its best.Franco's guitar and voice brings a flashback of history when that continent was a land of strong men and happy go lucky people.This album is really the sound of being genuine...

Congo's best.......2003-07-09

The country that is best known within Africa for its music is Congo, and the musician who is best loved within Congo is Franco. And here is Franco at his best--highlights from early on in his career (starting with "Merengue," clearly showing the Latin influence in what became soukous, Africa's dance music) to late (ending with "Attention na SIDA"--watch out for AIDS--the artist's plea for others to avoid his own fate). My favorite sample of the harmonious vocals and soaring guitar solos (a soukous trademark) is track 7: "Où Est le Sérieux." Great music from a monumental African singer and guitarist.

Superb introduction to Franco.......2002-08-06

While it is possible to obtain many various CDs of the music of Franco and the OK Jazz (also called the TPOK Jazz) in larger stores, there are two very good reasons to recommend this compilation. First, it contains very good liner notes, which provide a wealth of information about Franco, the recordings, the musicians, and the development of Congolese pop music. The notes were written by Graeme Ewens (author of "Congo Colossus: The Life and Legacy of Franco & OK Jazz") who helped select the recordings. [It should be pointed out that informative liner notes are generally not a feature of the African music CDs that have been issued up until now; the Rough Guide series has raised the bar in this regard.] Second, this is a great overview of Franco's career, with recordings from the 1950s through the 1980s. Some of his most popular, as well as most important, songs are showcased here. The recordings are arranged chronologically, guiding the listener through the growth of the OK Jazz from what was basically a band doing Caribbean rumba-style songs into an institution in African music with a distinctive Central African style.

Highly recommended. Good as it is, this should not be your only Franco CD, but it's by far the best selection for a first Franco CD.

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