{"product_id":"orchestre-massako-st-import-new-lp","title":"Orchestre Massako – S\/T [IMPORT] – New LP","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe last time I found myself on the phone with Jean-Christian Mboumba Mackaya known as Mack-Joss - founder of the Mighty Orchestra Massako - I could hear gun-shots in the background. Libreville was upside down following the re-election of president Ali Bongo in August 2016. By the time I was ready to go ahead with this project, Mack-Joss’s phone number had been disconnected, and shortly afterwards I found out that the baobab of Gabonese music had fallen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=481985814\/size=small\/bgcol=333333\/linkcol=0f91ff\/transparent=true\/\" seamless\u003eOrchestre Massako (Limited Dance Edition Nr. 14) by Orchestre Massako\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAn adept of folk rhythms, Mack-Joss’s career as a musician began when he was just 17 of age and he quickly established himself as a staple of Libreville’s nightlife scene, singing in various local bands. By 1966 he had released “Le Boucher”, his first hit which swept the African airwaves and earned him the respect of Franco, the legendary master of Congolese Rumba. Franco´s encouragement helped transform him from a Gabonese singer into an ascendent figure of pan-African culture.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBetween 1968 and 1970 Mack-Joss and his Negro-Tropical immortalised a good number of singles recorded in a makeshift open-air recording studios and in 1971 Gabon armed forces decided to form their own band. Mack-Joss was recruited to become\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethe band leader and this was the birth of Orchestre Massako which became Gabon’s national orchestra.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAt the end of the 1970s funds were made available to bring recording equipment over from France. Studio Mobile Massako was born and Mack-Joss’s songwriting ability provided hit after hit. The master tapes with the recordings were sent to Paris for mixing and Mack-Joss would personally make the journey to France, carrying the reels in his hand luggage. The vinyl records were then pressed in France and shipped back to Gabon, and to other distributors throughout the continent. About a dozen long play records were recorded between 1978 and 1986 and most were released on Mass Pro, Mack-Joss´s own label. A few of these recordings featured a singer from Guinée Conakry by the name of Amara Touré who had joined Orchestre Massako as a singer in 1980 and had become an important ingredient in the band’s success. His specific voice, impossible not to recognise, left no one unmoved (ask those who listened to the compilation AALP078).\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMack-Joss’s retirement in 1996 marked the end of Orchestre Massako. With a four decades spanned career, his contribution to Gabonese culture cannot be overstated and continues to inspire the respect and devotion of people who knew him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGraphic Design: Kathrin Remest\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMastering: Nick Robbins (Soundmastering)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLacquers: Frank Merritt (The Carvery)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eText Editing: Jesse Simon\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eInterviews, Translation and Biography:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVolkan Kaya and Samy Ben Redjeb\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSpecial Thanks to:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrake Mackaya\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eand Akira Tanaka (Sambinha)\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDedicated to the memory of\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eJean-Christian Mboumba Mackaya aka Mack-Joss\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"license-label\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"license\" class=\"info license\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Analog Africa Records (Germany)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55892627325219,"sku":"xyc1793380581706","price":23.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0986\/1516\/5219\/files\/orchestre-massako-st-import-new-lp_1.jpg?v=1793380596","url":"https:\/\/lightpackclad.shop\/products\/orchestre-massako-st-import-new-lp","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}