#lutumba

By Amos Ngaira (The Daily Nation)

But TP (Tout Puissant) OK Jazz was more than just a band. It was an institution, a family, and a music school of sorts. It shaped the careers of many musicians, who went on to become great singers and composers.

The death of former TP OK Jazz singer Pepe Ndombe Opetum last week is a turning point on the Lingala music scene, particularly for the TP OK Jazz fraternity.

Ndombe was among the last of the TP OK Jazz veterans living in Kinshasa. Others include Lutumba Simaro, who was the long-serving vice-president of TP OK Jazz (later Bana OK), vocalists Josky Kiambukuta, and Michel Boyibanda (now based in Congo-Brazzaville). Simaro had wished to keep the band intact. But this was not to be as Franco’s family demanded more say in the band, forcing Simaro and his colleagues to abandon ship and form their own band, Bana OK.