| Zaire 74 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Soul music, African music [1] |
| Dates | 22 to 24 September 1974 |
| Location(s) | Kinshasa, Zaire |
| Founders | Hugh Masekela, Stewart Levine |
| Attendance | 80,000 |
Zaire 74 was a three-day live music festival that took place on 22 to 24 September 1974 at the Stade du 20 Mai in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). [1] The concert, conceived by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and record producer Stewart Levine, was meant to be a major promotional event for the heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle. When an injury forced Foreman to postpone the fight by six weeks, the festival's intended audience of international tourists was all but eliminated and Levine had to decide whether or not to cancel the event. The decision was made to move forward, and 80,000 people attended. [1]
In addition to promoting the Ali-Foreman fight, the Zaire 74 event was intended to present and promote racial and cultural solidarity between African American and African people. Thirty one performing groups, 17 from Zaire and 14 from overseas, performed. Featured performers included top R&B and soul artists from the United States such as James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, and The Spinners as well as prominent African performers such as Miriam Makeba, Zaïko Langa Langa, [2] TPOK Jazz, and Tabu Ley Rochereau. Other performers included Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars. [1]
The concert was promoted by Don King, as a part of the build-up to the Ali-Foreman fight. [3]
At the time of the event, Zaire was run by Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator who became notorious for corruption, nepotism and human rights violations. Mobutu agreed to host the festival in the hopes of improving the country's image. [1]
A documentary about the Zaire 74 festival, entitled Soul Power , was released in 2009. The film was directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, who served as the editor on the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings , which also contains selections of concert footage from the festival. [1]
In 2017 a compilation album called Zaïre 74: The African Artists was released, which collected performances by Zairian artists and Miriam Makeba. [4]
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for writing well-known anti-apartheid songs such as "Soweto Blues" and "Bring Him Back Home". He also had a number-one US pop hit in 1968 with his version of "Grazing in the Grass".
George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Rumble in the Jungle, was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire, between undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. The event had an attendance of 60,000 people and was one of the most watched televised events at the time. Ali won by knockout in the eighth round.
Congolese music is one of the most influential music forms of the African continent. Since the 1930s, Congolese musicians have had a huge impact on the African musical scene and elsewhere. Many contemporary genres of music, such as Kenyan Benga and Colombian Champeta, have been heavily influenced by Congolese music. In 2021, Congolese rumba joined other living traditions such as Jamaican reggae music and Cuban rumba on UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity" list.
Johnny Wakelin is an English recording artist best known for songs like "Black Superman" and "In Zaire", both celebrating boxer Muhammad Ali.
Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.
When We Were Kings is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship boxing match that was held on October 30, 1974, in Zaire between world heavyweight champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It features archival footage of celebrities, including James Brown, B.B. King, and promoter Don King, in the lead-up to the fight and accompanying Zaire 74 music festival, alongside interview footage of Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, Spike Lee and Thomas Hauser from the 1990s.
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.
African popular music, like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with Western popular music. Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, salsa, zouk, and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions from Africa, taken to the Americas by enslaved Africans. These rhythms and sounds have subsequently been adapted by newer genres like rock, and rhythm and blues. Likewise, African popular music has adopted elements, particularly the musical instruments and recording studio techniques of the Western music industry. The term does not refer to a specific style or sound but is used as a general term for African popular music.
Stewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Hugh Masekela, Dr. John, Randy Crawford, B.B. King, Jonatha Brooke, Huey Lewis and the News, Patti LaBelle, Sly Stone, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Killing Joke, Jon Anderson, Boz Scaggs, Womack and Womack, David Sanborn, Brenda Russell, Lamont Dozier, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Aaron Neville, Everyday People, Jamie Cullum and The Marshall Tucker Band.
The Fania All-Stars is a musical group formed in 1968 as a showcase for the musicians on Fania Records, the leading salsa music record label of the time.
Congolese rumba, also known as African rumba, is a dance music genre originating from the Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. With its rhythms, melodies, and lyrics, Congolese rumba has gained global recognition and remains an integral part of African music heritage. In December 2021, it was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
Stade Tata Raphaël is a multi-purpose stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Originally known as Stade Roi Baudouin when it was inaugurated in 1952 and Stade du 20 Mai in 1967, it was used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 people.
Edward Herbert Beresford "Chip" Monck is an American Tony Award nominated lighting designer, most famously serving as the master of ceremonies at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film directed by Jeff Levy-Hinte about the Zaire 74 music festival that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire, in September 1974. Although it was planned to accompany the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, the festival went ahead as scheduled when the fight was delayed until October after Foreman sustained an injury during training. The film was made from archival footage; other footage shot at the time focusing on the fight was edited to form the 1996 film When We Were Kings.
The Orchestre Stukas was a Congolese soukous band of the 1970s. It was based in Kinshasa, Zaire. At the apex of their popularity, the Stukas were led by singer and showman Gaby Lita Bembo.
Viva La Musica is a popular band from Zaire founded by singer Papa Wemba in 1977. While Viva La Musica started out as a soukous band, it eventually grew into a world music act, reaching some popularity and success in the European, American, and even Asian markets, as well as in most of Africa. The band is still active today, although it is just one of a number of musical ensembles used by Papa Wemba as a backup for his essentially soloist production.
The Fight is a 1975 non-fiction book by Norman Mailer about the boxing title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman at Kinshasa in Zaire in 1974, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle".
Elisabeth Finant, cognomenously known as Abeti Fina‐Masikini or simply Abeti Masikini, was a Congolese singer, composer, bandleader, and philanthropist. With a nearly three-decades-long career, she was a significant figure in 20th-century Congolese and African popular music. Often referred to as the "Queen of Soukous", she is noted for advocating gender equality, modernizing Congolese music, and inspiring successive generations of musicians. Her band, Les Redoutables, was a launching pad for numerous female artists.
Non Stop Dancing is the debut studio album by the Congolese rumba band Zaïko Langa Langa. Produced by Mfumu Muntu Bambi, it was released on the Zaire Music label in late 1974.
Zaïre 74: The African Artists is a live album of selected performances recorded at the Zaire 74 music festival in 1974, which preceded the Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between George Foreman and Muhammed Ali. The album was compiled and produced by Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine – who had organised the festival – and was released on Wrasse Records on 26 May 2017.
