NTESA: FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

FRANCO'S TOWERING SINGER WITH A GOLDEN VOICE

'Hey there, some biscuits for you here.'

These are someone's words to a young daughter of his neighbor.

Apparently, the young girl was born just recently, as everyone knows, but now that she has a tiny bulge on her chest in the form of developing breath, this hungry tiger has seen a potential lover in her.

This man winks at her at every opportunity, and he also drives around with sweets and biscuits in his car, to distribute them to her each he encounters her.

This is a narration of Ntesa Dalienst in his song 'Losolo ya Adamu' which he recorded with OK Jazz of Franco in the late 1970s. Ntesa was a prolific composer and vocalist with OKJ and easily one of the best singers from DRC

Born in October 1946 in Bas Congo in what was then Congo and today DRC, Ntesa initially trained as a teacher. However, the musical bug bit him, and he shuffled chalk for the microphone, switching carriers from a teacher to a musician and specifically a vocalist and composer.

His first band as a professional musician was Vox Africa, which was led by Jeannot Bombenga, a former singer and maracist with African Jazz of Grand Kalle, aka Kabaselle Tshamala. He announced his arrival in the music scene in a big way, singing in the band's greatest releases, 'Ambanda' and others, which became a huge success in the year

He also flourished in his own compositions, 'aline mbombo' and other songs, with the band. This was the band that once had Mangwana and guitarist Papa Noel Mukala Wa Mulumba who later starred with Les Mangelepa of Nairobi, among other superstars.

However, Ntesa didn't last long in the band, and in the year that followed, he quit to join the disgruntled former members of Tabuley's African Fiesta National in creating Festival Des Maquisards. The other musicians were Mavatiku Visi, aka Michelino, Johny Bokasa (brother to Lola), and Jean-Paul Vangu, aka Guvano, among others.

 The new band took the music scene by storm, but in 1969, the band ran into headwinds with its musicians getting stranded in Kisangani. Mangwana, Guvano, and others left. The duo had a sojourn in a short-lived band known as Festival Des Mangwana et Guvano. The remaining fragments of the band were salvaged by Verckys, signed at Editions Veve, and rebranded Les Grand Maquisards.

Ntesa headed this outfit that also had Dizzy Mandjeku and others. They also recruited new members, Nkalulu Lokombe and others. The band did 'tokosenga na nzambe' among other songs and regained its otherwise waning popularity. The other popular songs were Biki, Jariya, etc.

The band disbanded in 1974 when Verckys crippled it by confiscating his equipment. Ntesa had a few nzong-nzings, before finally joining Franco at OK Jazz in 1977. A nzong nzing is a temporary/makeshift band constituted for the purpose of a recording or concert. He established himself as one of the best singers at the star-studded OKJ. He sang in numerous compositions and also contributed his own songs to the OKJ discography. His voice is most notable in the song 'Bina na ngai na respect'. The fact that he was already a superstar by the time he joined the band made OKJ more popular.

He quit OKJ in 1983 while on a European tour and created his own band. However, he maintained a close friendship with Franco and could be seen in OKJ concerts. In 1984, he participated in the recording of Boureau des Cœur, a hit song composed by former Thu Zahina singer Denis Bonyeme. In 1987, Ntesa made a comeback to OKJ with the songs Dodo, Nalobi na ngai rien, Mamie zou, and others. Ntesa also did many nzong nzings in between

Ntesa sadly passed on, in 1996, on October 18, from complications arising after an operation to remove a tumor on his head. He died aged 50. He was survived by, among others, a daughter called Christine, who is also a musician. Although there were several low-key events to mark his 26th death anniversary, there is no doubt that he left an indelible mark in the hearts of music lovers across the country.

By Jerome Ogola (The Monk)
JABULANI RADIO

Jabulani Radio Livestream

Next Track

Track History