the original Ngoma

More sweet, sweet Congolese Rumba and its roots: a pair of reissues from the original Ngoma, "one of the first record labels intended to provide local African music to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The label was created circa 1948 by the Greek businessman Nicolas Jéronimidis, and was active until 1968. Its catalog included many known artists at that time including Camille Feruzi, who is said to have popularized rumba during the 1930s, Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, one of the biggest names of all-time in Congolese music, the Angolan Manuel d´Oliveira, Léon Bukasa, Antoine Mundanda and Albert Luampasi, the guitarist who is said to taught a certain François Luambo Makiadi (Franco) his first guitar chords. (!!!! - zhao)"

Ngoma: The Early Years, 1948-1960

Ngoma-souvenir ya l'indépendance

and if you want to read about the tragic turn of political events in 1961 which occured as the joyous sounds on the Souvenir collection were being recorded... the 1961 CIA murder of democratically elected Congo leader Patrice Lumumba, an assassination which had catastrophic consequences for the region which last until today.