Various Artists: Zaire 74: The African Artists
Richard Gehr on September 29, 2017
The prelude to George Foreman and Muhammad Ali’s 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), included a three-night music festival headlined by James Brown, Celia Cruz, and other African-American and Latino performers. Until the release of Zaire 74: The African Artists, however, the performances of the great African musicians who joined them—Franco & T.P.O.K Jazz Orchestra, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Mariam Makeba, Abeti and Abumba Masikini and Orchestre Stukas—have regrettably gone unheard. Turns out that was a global cultural oversight you’d be a doof not to rectify.
Artist: Various Artists
Album: Zaire 74: The African Artists
Label: Wrasse
