Franco & Le TPOK Jazz

Born in 1938 in what is now Kinshasa, DRC, Francois L'Okanga La Ndju Pene Luambo Makiadi, a.k.a. Franco had a 35 year recording career that produced hundreds of singles and nearly 150 albums. He was known as "The Sorcerer of the Guitar," and without any formal training invented his own style, which when combined with his penchant for poetic, and often political lyrics made him perhaps the most popular artist of his generation in his native country and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

The Sterns label has an excellent compendium of his music entitled, Francophonic--Africa's Greatest--A Retrospective that covers Franco's entire career which I heartily recommend. The following song, Liberte is one of the songs included.