Nico Kasanda
Nico Kasanda | |
|---|---|
 Kasanda in the 1960s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay |
| Also known as | Docteur Nico |
| Born | 7 July 1939 Mikalayi, Belgian Congo |
| Died | 22 September 1985 (aged 46) Brussels, Belgium |
| Genres | Congolese rumba and Soukous |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1957 – c. 1975 |
Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay (7 July 1939 – 22 September 1985), popularly known as Docteur Nico, was a guitarist, composer and one of the pioneers of Congolese music. He was born in Mikalayi in the Belgian Congo. He graduated in 1957 as a technical teacher, but inspired by his musical family, he took up the guitar and in time became a virtuoso soloist.[1][2]
Musical career
At the age of 14, Kasanda started playing with the group
In 1970 Kasanda wrote an arrangement of the Luba folk song Kamulangu,[4] recorded it with his band, Orchestre African Fiesta Sukisa, and released it to much success in Kinshasa.[5]
He withdrew from the music scene in the mid 1970s following the collapse of his Belgian record label, and made a few final recordings in Togo, not long before he died in a hospital in Brussels, Belgium in 1985.[1][2]
Discography
 |
- Contributing artist
References
- ^ a b c AMC (27 July 2017). "Biography and History of Dr. Nico Kasanda". Allmusic.com (AMC). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ a b c Musica (9 April 2012). "Docteur Nico Kasanda". Nairobi: Kenyapage.net. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ Norman Otis Richmond (14 April 2016). "Congolese rumba legend "Dr. Nico" supported Lumumba". Pambazuka News. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ Mpisi 2003, p. 298.
- ^ Mukala & Malonga 2004, p. 198.
Works cited
- Mpisi, Jean (2003). Tabu Ley "Rochereau": innovateur de la musique africaine (in French). L'Harmattan. ISBN 9782747557351.
- Mukala, Kadima Nzuji; Malonga, Alpha Noël (2004). Itinéraires et convergences des musiques traditionnelles et modernes d'Afrique (in French). Festival Panafricain de Musique. ISBN 9782747575843.
Further reading
- Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos (1999). Gary Stewart – ISBN 1-85984-368-9
External links
- 25 Years Since He Disappeared (Died) Posted on 21 September 2010 (Translated from the Original French Language)
- Discography of Docteur Nico
- Discography and biographical details in French and English
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