Biography
Papa Noel ranked among the foremost guitarists in the storied OK Jazz orchestra fronted by Franco, where his fleet-fingered virtuosity and buoyant, delicate phrasing established him as a central force in the music of Zaire, subsequently renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. Born Noel Nedule around 1941, he spent his formative years in Brazzaville in the adjacent Republic of Congo and taught himself the instrument by replicating the Afro-Cuban-rooted rumba then circulating through the area. In 1957, still only sixteen, he cut his first sides with the ensemble that later earned renown as Orchestre Bantou, also known as Les Bantous de la Capitale.
During the opening years of the 1960s he assumed the chair vacated by virtuoso guitarist Dr. Nico in Orchestra African Jazz, likewise styled African Jazz, thereby refining his technique among the foremost Congolese rumba players of the era. Rumba monarch Franco enlisted him in the 1970s as second guitarist for OK Jazz; the resulting collaboration thrived on the contrast between Noel’s lighter, sweeter lines and Franco’s more forceful attack. While still an OK Jazz member, Noel launched his first independent project in 1984, quietly traveling to Brazzaville with two bandmates, drafting a horn section from the Congolese army band, and tracking the album Bon Samaritain, which emerged as a major commercial rumba success precisely as the quicker soukous rhythm began to dominate. The unauthorized venture angered Franco, who maintained firm oversight of outside work, especially lucrative ones; yet the breach healed and Noel remained until Franco’s death in 1989.
OK Jazz survived only briefly thereafter before dissolving amid internal strife and quarrels with Franco’s family over royalties. Noel and several colleagues relocated to Belgium, reconstituted as Bana OK, and issued the 1993 album Bakitani. He simultaneously revived his solo output with the 1994 Paris sessions for Haute Tension, also issued under the English title High Tension. Across the 1990s he appeared frequently on Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tours, at times reuniting onstage with former colleague Sam Mangwana, while continuing to lead recordings in the classic rumba idiom such as Nono and Mosala Makasi and to contribute session work on other artists’ projects.
During the opening years of the 1960s he assumed the chair vacated by virtuoso guitarist Dr. Nico in Orchestra African Jazz, likewise styled African Jazz, thereby refining his technique among the foremost Congolese rumba players of the era. Rumba monarch Franco enlisted him in the 1970s as second guitarist for OK Jazz; the resulting collaboration thrived on the contrast between Noel’s lighter, sweeter lines and Franco’s more forceful attack. While still an OK Jazz member, Noel launched his first independent project in 1984, quietly traveling to Brazzaville with two bandmates, drafting a horn section from the Congolese army band, and tracking the album Bon Samaritain, which emerged as a major commercial rumba success precisely as the quicker soukous rhythm began to dominate. The unauthorized venture angered Franco, who maintained firm oversight of outside work, especially lucrative ones; yet the breach healed and Noel remained until Franco’s death in 1989.
OK Jazz survived only briefly thereafter before dissolving amid internal strife and quarrels with Franco’s family over royalties. Noel and several colleagues relocated to Belgium, reconstituted as Bana OK, and issued the 1993 album Bakitani. He simultaneously revived his solo output with the 1994 Paris sessions for Haute Tension, also issued under the English title High Tension. Across the 1990s he appeared frequently on Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD tours, at times reuniting onstage with former colleague Sam Mangwana, while continuing to lead recordings in the classic rumba idiom such as Nono and Mosala Makasi and to contribute session work on other artists’ projects.
Albums
Singles
