Reviews for 'Bana Congo' 2002

Rick Sanders - FRoots - June 2002
"Papa Noel collaborates with the acknowledged master of the trés guitar - Papi Oviedo, long time side-man to Elio Revé, recently on tour with Omara Portuondo. The result, recorded in Havana and Paris, is a no-compromise summit meeting of two masters, taking musical direction in turns. Taste is impeccable throughout - sparing use of brass, no keyboards, just percussion, bass and the occassional addition of such great voices as Wuta Mayi and Nyboma. Nothing at all to disrupt the master class - no hint of vulgar salsa or soukous. This deeper and warmer, two great players doing what they love. They are surely destined to be an extremely popular live act this summer."

Jane Cornwell - Jazzwise Magazine - June 2002
"Veteran Congolese singer and guitarist Papa Noel is a living legend. Cuban elder Papa Oviedo is regarded as one of the greatest tres players of all time. A collaboration given common ground by the musical ties between Africa and the Caribbean, the Congo and Cuba, Bana Congo is a brave and upbeat hybrid in which these two seasoned virtuosos bounce off each other in a series of songs that hint at the roots of popular music. Not for them the spiralling riffs of contemporary soukous or the harsh edge of modern Cuba¹s timba craze. Aside from a few salsa numbers that will undoubtedly keep the dance floor happy, Noel and Oviedo are devoted to keeping the great traditions of their respective musical cultures alive; the album¹s tight brass backing, glorious African choruses and mellifluous, intricate interplay of melodies and textures does precisely that. Their voices might not be the best you¹ve ever heard, but given their breathtaking musicianship, this hardly matters. A must have."

Jan Fairley - The List - March 2002
"Can anything be more fresh and inspiring than combining the sweet up-tempo rumba based rhythms of Congolese guitarist Papa Noel with the gently sizzling son of Cuban trés guitarist Papi Oviedo? While the mood is unmistakably dance, the feel is sensuous with various wonderful mostly high toned singers supporting a sequence of divine tunes. Music is the only positive thing to have emerged from the slave trade that first linked these countries: the subtle interplay between these two men centuries later (uncannily mirror images of each other) whiles they pick, strum, sing and generally bewitch, is magical. Beautiful unforced production and superb book/cover too."

Paul Morrison - Wanderlust - April/May 2002
"Noel is a guitarist from the Congo, Oviedo a trés player from Cuba. Together you get a musical chemistry that reflects their many years in the business and a welcome addition to the Afro-Cuban genre."

Clive Davis - The Times - March 18th 2002
"Congolese guitarist Papa Noel makes another spiritual journey to Havan in 'Bana Congo', a meeting with Papi Oviedo, the debonair player of the trés, a guitar with three double strings, best known here perhaps for his stylish appearances with singer Omara Portuondo. Noel's last Cuban crossover, 'Mosala Makasi', produced a string of absorbing duets with the young band leader Adan Pedroso. 'Bana Congo' is a more extrovert affair, the two veterans backed by potent brass and percussion and a sprinkling of guest singers. The more straight forward salsa numbers will keep the dance crowd happy, but the real attraction lies in the pieces that are neatly poised between Africa and the Carribean. Hybrids of this kind have a long and vibrant history - rumba first crossed the Atlantic to the Congo many decades ago, the local players quickly adding their own spin. Noel and Oviedo show that there are plenty of variations left to explore."

Simon Jones - FRoots - May 2002
"A remarkable meeting, Noel is a Congolese strummer whilst Oviedo is a crack Cuban picker. These tracks display a shared understanding of technique and execution that cross fertilise the cultures an ocean apart. Something of a forcing ground that we're lucky enough to be able to listen in on."

Nigel Williamson - The Times Play - April 6-12 2002
Take the Congolese veteran Papa Noel and the virtuoso Cuban Papi Oviedo. Stir the cultural melting-pot and add some guest vocals. The result is a mouth-watering dish of Afro-Latin flavours. The 10 songs on this superb CD find the two guitarists - who have a combined age of 125 - taking equal turns in the spotlight. As with all first rate musicians, the duo add such distinctive nuances to each others' preformances that the result is a fusion of fluid, all accoustic rhythms that sounds so natural you would think that they had been musical partners all their lives."

HMV Choice Magazine - May/June 2002
"While the Congo is currently the most chaotic state in Africa - civil war and active volcanoes combine to torment the population - it remains one of the most musically rich places in the world. With the late Franco it produced the African James Brown and with Papa Noel it has one of the worlds great guitarists. Combine hime with Cuban trés player Papi Oviedo and you have a lovely combination - music that truly sparkles. It's a fitting partnership as Cuban music has its roots in West African slaves and in turn modern Congolese music was very influenced by imported Cuban music. Combining the two makes for a music of beauty and lyricism - the rhythms keep a soft salsa shuffle while the guitars chime and sing. Papa Noel sings in a high voice that adds a gorgeous personal flavour to the music and the relaxed ease with which the two musicians handle things makes for a truly refreshing record. While the Congo may be torn apart by violence, this is music which demonstrates the Congolese spirit at its most peaceful and engaging."

Christina Roden CDNOW Contributing Writer - 31 July 2002
Antoine Nedule "Papa Noel" Monswet acquired his nickname from his Christmas day birthday and his guitar chops from performing with some of the greatest Congolese bands of all time, including Franco's T.P. OK Jazz. Like many musicians of his generation, he has largely eschewed the jet-propelled quick fix of "speed soukous" in favor of more relaxed, richly melodic treatments modeled on classic Latin styles. Cuban music took firm hold in various parts of Africa in the early- to mid-twentieth century, when visiting foreigners brought in much-coveted 78 RPM albums, but each culture adjusted the original versions according to their own languages and folkways. For example, in Kinshasa and Brazzaville, two musically insatiable cities that face each other across the Congo River, the brass charts were initially taken over by guitarists, many of whom became legendary players. The re-Africanization of the rumba began in earnest during the 1980s, when salseros from the Continent began traveling to and from the Caribbean in search of old traditions and fresh inspiration. In Papa Noel's case, this has led him to explore an acoustic-sounding, rootsy esthetic that just suits his curvaceous, unassuming touch. The present album showcases his most recent Cuban Odyssey, where he encountered Papi Oviedo, who is arguably the greatest living exponent of the tres (a guitar-like instrument with three sets of double strings.) After gathering a hotshot crew of local session players and a mixed choir of Cuban and Congolese singers, Noel assembled the project between Havana and Paris. The result is a dulcet delight from start to finish. The two master string virtuosos are clearly a mutual admiration society, as they weave their intricate strands of song in and around the flawlessly poised vocalists and playful, raucous cadres of brass and percussion.

Back