Biography
Mose Se Sengo entered the world on 16 October 1945 in Kinshasa, Zaire. The master guitarist known as Mose ‘Fan Fan’ first picked up an instrument after being dispatched to boarding school in Kinanga. Upon returning to the capital he became the featured guitarist in Rickem Jazz before moving on to Revolution, where the group performed subdued evening sets. Franco noticed his work with Revolution and recruited him into OK Jazz, a lineup he remained with for several years. In time he departed alongside fellow OK Jazz players, among them Youlou Mabiala, to establish Orchestre Somo Somo. The ensemble’s name, meaning ‘double dread,’ was taken from the 1972 hit song ‘Djamelasi,’ which Mose had composed while still with OK Jazz. The venture foundered after Mabiala suffered injuries in a car crash. Mose eventually rejoined Franco, whereas other ex-Somo Somo musicians aligned themselves with Tabu Ley and Orchestre Verve. Choosing to quit Zaire altogether, Mose launched fresh editions of Somo Somo across Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. Throughout a five-year Tanzanian residency he simultaneously contributed to Orchestre Makassy, supplying numbers such as ‘Mosese’ and ‘Meloma.’ While in Kenya he encountered Robin Scott, the force behind M’s ‘Pop Musik,’ who urged him to relocate to London and share his home. A contract from Stern’s Records followed, prompting Mose to assemble a London-based incarnation of Somo Somo. Two albums appeared, the latter cut in Paris, after which Somo Somo disintegrated once more. Back in England he oversaw an album by Bana OK that showcased several OK Jazz veterans, yet the undertaking was halted when the musicians could not secure visas for live appearances. He later spent six months as a civil servant attached to the Royal Army Medical Corps before music again claimed his attention. In 1995 he resurfaced with the album Hello Hello, cut alongside Quatre Etoiles members Syran Mbenza, Bopol Mansiamina, Wuta Mayi, Nyboma, Miguel Yamba and Komba Mafwala, plus guests Sam Mangwana and former associate Youlou Mabilia; the sessions were again issued under the Somo Somo name.
Albums
