Biography
Ricardo Lemvo injected fresh vitality into rumba’s repeated Atlantic crossings by emigrating from Zaire to merge Cuban and West African sounds on American soil. Born in Kinshasa, then the capital of Zaire (still called the Congo), he first performed in ensembles devoted to American R&B covers and absorbed English phonetically by singing along with the lyrics. Constant radio airplay and his cousin’s sizable record collection kept rumba in his ears, while residence beside a bar supplied nonstop music from morning until night. In 1972, at age fifteen, his family relocated to Los Angeles, forcing him to set the style aside temporarily even though his attachment never faded. After gaining stage experience with various L.A. groups, he assembled his own band, Makina Loca—a deliberate misspelling of the Spanish “máquina loca,” or “crazy machine”—in 1990. By Lemvo’s own account, the ensemble coalesced and began attracting notice only in 1996 once it incorporated musicians of Cuban, African, and Chicano backgrounds. Steady appearances at the Luna Park club sharpened their interplay, leading to the self-released debut Tata Masambo, whose impact was heightened by guest appearances from distinguished figures such as renowned rumba singer Sam Mangwana. The 1998 contract with Putumayo yielded Mambo Yoyo, a more polished effort than its predecessor that successfully fused Cuban and Zairean elements and carried the group beyond Los Angeles onto the international circuit. Sao Salvador, issued in 2000, marked another clear advance with stronger ballad writing and a denser sonic palette while remaining anchored in the rumba tradition that had always defined the band. Extensive touring followed, yet Lemvo still awaits the chance to perform in Cuba and to bring his music back to Africa.
Albums
