Remembering legendary ‘Le Poete’ Lutumba Simaro and veteran saxophonist John Izungu

For fans of the legendary Congolese musician Lutumba Simaro since last weekend it’s been a period of marking the fifith anniversary since his death.Though no major live concerts have been arranged in his honour, most of his fans have been celebrating his music online.

Some FM radio and TV stations have been playing his music to celebrate him.

The legendary composer and guitarist popularly known as ‘Le Poete’ is best remembered as a long serving vice president of the legendary TP OK Jazz under Franco Luambo Makiadi.

A remarkable feat by Simaro, who died at 81, was his choice of commanding solo vocalists in some of his most popular compositions. Some of the most notable songs featuring lone vocalists were Mabele (Sam Mangwana), Kadima (Djo Mpoyi), Mandola (Djo Mpoyi), Maya (Carlito Lassa), Dati Petrole (Madilu System), Ebale ya Zaire’ (Sam Mangwana), Faute Ya Commercant (Sam Mangwana), Testament ya Bowule (Malage Lugendo) and Mbongo (Djo Mpoyi).

Notably his fans will recall with nostalgia the Mabele song he composed in the mid 1970s on which he had “predicted a thunder storm on the day he would die”.

True to the wordings in his song indeed on March 30 , 2019 after news of his death broke, what he had composed came to pass, as there was a thunderstorm and flashfloods in Kinshasa. Some of the surviving former counterparts of Simaro in the TP OK Jazz band include guitarists Dizzy Mandjeku, Nedule Papa Noel, Celi Bitshou, Michelino Mavatiku, Makos Kindudi and Flavian Makabi.

Others are singers Sam Mangwana, Michel Boyibanda, Prince Youlou Mabiala, Wuta Mayi, Malage Lugendo, Nana Akumu, Baniel Bambo, Lassa Carlito and Lokombe Ntal.

Long-serving Safari Sound band member mourned

The Kenya Musicians Union is this week mourning the death of veteran saxophonist John (Mohammed) Izungu who died on Thursday evening . John was a long serving member of the Mombasa-based Safari Sound band. The band is popular for hit songs like Mama Lea Mtoto, Lala Salama, Nakupenda and Pole Pole. They regularly performed at most of the top Mombasa beach hotels and occasionally toured Europe for shows.

Fellow musician Them Mushrooms band leader John Katana eulogised him as a social and inspiring musician whose musical efforts will be remembered by many both locally and internationally. Elsewhere ,the inaugural edition of Nairobi Soma Festival is set to end today at the McMillan Memorial Library on Banda Street, Nairobi. It is a culmination of months of conservations amongst members of Association of Self-Published Authors Information and Resource Centre (ASPIRE).

Notably ASPIRE seeks to make locally self-published books more accessible to Kenyan readers.

Compiled by Amos Ngaira . [email protected]