The weeks World CDs reviewed

FRANCO & LE TPOK JAZZ
Francophonic Sterns****

The Congo was the beating heart of African music in the 1960s and 1970s, and Francois Luambo Makiadi was the all-powerful grand maître in residence. Among the constantly evolving personnel of his band, TPOK Jazz, Makiadi retained the highest quality of musical talent, giving him the edge in the competitive arena of Kinshasa nightlife. The music was Afro-Latin rumba, rooted in Cuban son, but with distinctively African voices and guitars. Makiadi claimed to have recorded 150 albums, and since his death in 1989 there have been several compilations, but none to beat this. A two-disc chronological retrospective on the authoritative Sterns label charts his development from the 15-year-old securing his first contract to the heavyweight cultural icon he became. The accompanying booklet supplies excellent information, photographs and track-by-track commentary. Essential. www.sternsmusic.com NIGEL WOOD

Download tracks: Marie Naboyi, Infidelite Mado, Liberte