Franco

loped by artists exposed to Cuban music in the Forties and Fifties, brought to some sort of perfection by musicians like Le Grand Kalle, Dr Nico, Tabu Ley (aka Rochereau before Mobutu’s Authenticity programme encouraged African names) and ultimately Franco and TPOK (Tout Puissant OK) Jazz. Later, in the Eighties and Nineties, the music speeded up, and in the hands of smart Parisian-Kinshasa sapeurs like Papa Wemba and Zaiko Langa Langa turned into Soukous.

In the early days the songs were short, but by the time of the band’s maturity, OK Jazz songs could last 20 or 30 minutes. “Like a well-oiled machine” is the inevitable phrase: they plugged in and just got into a groove you felt could have gone on forever.

This is a cheap introduction to Franco’s music. As the man said, “On entre OK, on sort KO”.