Simaro Lutumba

Simaro Massiya Lutumba Ndomanueno (19 March 1938 – 30 March 2019), popularly known as Simaro, was a Congolese music rhythm guitarist, songwriter, poet, composer, and bandleader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1] He was a member of the seminal Congo music band TPOK Jazz which dominated the Congolese music scene from the 1960s through the 1980s.[2]

"Simaro" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Simarro.

Template:Infobox musical artist and poet

Early life

Simaro was born in Congo Kinshasa.

Music career with OK Jazz

According to Simaro, he joined Luambo Makiadi in 1961. Later Josky Kiambukuta joined them, and later still Ndombe Opetum came along. For a while, Youlou Mabiala and Madilu System played with OK Jazz, before they launched their own solo careers. For many years, Simaro served as the Vice President of the band and led the group during Franco's long trips to Europe during the 1980s. In 1974, he composed the band's hit song "Mabele" sung by Sam Mangwana, which earned him the nickname "Poet". In the late 1970s he was jailed at Makala Prison, along with Franco and other musicians, over two songs deemed obscene by the authorities. According to pundits, Lutumba is considered as one of the greatest poets, singers and philosophers of Congolese music.[2]

Discography

Simaro is credited with composing many songs for the band, including:

Music career post OKJazz

Following the death of Franco in 1989, Simaro met with the family of the late band leader and agreed to split revenue 70% to 30% with the family. Simarro would take care of the musicians and the family would take care of the lawyers, record labels and other technical stakeholders. However, in 1993, OKJazz split up over disagreements in the way funds were being shared. In January 1994, Simaro formed Bana OK, with the majority of the musicians from OKJazz, about thirty of them.[3]

Death

Simaro Massiya Lutumba died in a hospital in Paris, France, on Saturday 30 March 2019. The cause of death of the music legend, who was known to suffer from diabetes and hypertension, was not immediately known.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Simaro". web home of the book Rumba on the River. Gary Stewart.
  2. Ngaira, Amos (31 October 2014). "Former TP OK Jazz star, Simaro, in 'stable' condition". Daily Nation Mobile. Nairobi. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  3. Banning Eyre (2002). "Interview: Lutumba Simaro, 2002". World Music Productions. Archived from the original on 2011-09-21.
  4. Ngaira, Amos (30 March 2019). "Congolese Musician Simaro Massiya Lutumba Dies In Paris". Daily Nation. Nairobi. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.