With nearly 150 albums to his credit, Franco Luambo Makiadi (1938-1989) remains a legend of Congolese rumba. He revolutionized and modernized the genre, notably by integrating the sébéné, a rhythm he invented. A virtuoso of the classical and electric guitar, the great master brought rumba to new heights within the great OK Jazz orchestra.
Founded by Franco LUAMBO, the OK Jazz orchestra, renamed the TP OK JAZZ (Tout-Puissant Orchestre Kinshasa Jazz), has spread and popularised Congolese rumba, a mix of Cuban rumba and Congolese rhythms, for over 40 years. From the 1950s to the end of the 1980s, the TP OK Jazz had more than 50 musicians within its ranks.
