T.J.R. Label



Bassplayer, arranger and producer Aladji Toure is, together with guitar wizard Toto Guillaume, one of the most influential men behind the "New Wave Makossa" of the last three decades. Since 1982 Toure has released over 300 albums on his T.J.R. label. His cataloque contains mainly Makossa albums, supplemented with some Bikutsi, Bend Skin and Congolese artists such as Nguma Lokito and Yondo Syster. He brougt many Makossa singers to fame such as Moni Bile, Guy Lobe, Charlotte Mbango and more recently Joly Priso and Eriko.

The following series of record covers include the catalog numbers 057 to 100. This immediately raises the question why the first LP released on the T.J.R. label starts with number 057 and not with 001. Also in this series the numbers 073 and 093 seem to have been skipped. At least I have not been able to find them in recent years. If someone can answer the question why the series starts with 057 then I would like to hear that. Information about the missing numbers 073 and 093 is also welcome.
 

 

Africa Oumba (AOLP series) by Jules Patrick Wonga 1980 - 1984

 

Between 1980 and 1984 producer Jules Patrick Wonga released a small series LP's on his Africa Oumba (AOLP) record label. The series contains mainly Makossa albums, supplemented with some Bikutsi and Cameroon Soukous albums. Looking back can be concluded that the series contains many albums that became 'classics'.

The series starts with Dikom lam la moto, the fantastic LP that Emile Kangue made after he left The Black Styl's to start a solo career. Also Penda Dalle's first album Yadi, Axel Mouna's Juventus and Ndedi Dibango's Epapala - just to name a few - are a part of these series. Jean Paul Mondo's Sona Papa was the final LP that came out in these series.

Unfortunately, I am not in possession of No. AOLP 018 and have not been able to find any information about this album either. Therefore, I do not know if an album was ever released under No. AOLP 018. There is one source that mentions an album under No. AOLP 019 with the title Misso Ma Ndolo by Leroy Mbengue. Because there are no tracks mentioned and also a picture of the sleeve is missing from this source, I doubt whether this information is correct. All the more so because the album Sona Papa by Jean Paul Mondo was released under the number AOLP 019. I am interested in any information that might solve the mystery surrounding AOLP 018.

In addition to the AOLP series, Jules Patrick Wonga released at least one 45rpm 7Inch single and two 45rpm 12Inch maxi singles. These are also included in this discography as well as four albums released in co-production with Dibena Music (Toto Guillaume) and Editions Tata Ngoh (Francois Misse Ngoh), among others.

THE AFRICA OUMBA DISCOGRAPHY

Jacques Dewilsonno

My previously asked question in this post for more information about this artist yielded 1 response; a reference to a short message in "Le Messager" (Douala) of 28 April 2010. It states that the Misaka Group has been given a new chief, the then 57-year-old Jacques Dipoko Ebenguè. The message states, among other things, that the man is not only a versatile entrepreneur, but that he became known as a singer-songwriter under the name of Dewilsonno in the late 1970s.

As far as I can tell, he has released two 45 rpm singles in that period, one of which together with Njoh Billy Francis, also unknown to me.

♫   1980 Moto A Sibi

 

Ebongue Edouard

Ebongue Edouard was the drummer of the legendary band Los Calvinos (Nelle Eyoum - Francois Misse Ngoh). In the late 70s, Ebongue Edouard recorded at least two 45rpm singles and the LP "Surrete" under his own name with Los Calvinos as backing band.

♫ 1977: Ebongue Edouard - Longe La Muto  

DISCOGRAPHY

Hilaire Penda: 1961 - 2018

He was probably as simple and discreet as he was talented. Distinguished member of the great school of Cameroonian bassists, Hilaire Penda has just left us brutally and we are stunned. He had produced very little under his name. The album Jungle People was released in 1985, but Hilaire Penda had played with countless artists. Of course, in Cameroon, he had brought his groove to everything the makossa planet counted from brilliant, from Petit Pays to Moni Bilé through Tala André Marie or Ben Decca among many others.

♫ Audio: A Loga Kename (Ici Paris Allo)

Later, it was heard by Mory Kanté, Salif Keita, Susheela Raman, Louis Bertignac or Ghettoblaster. In recent years, his meeting with Cyril Atef, Didier Malherbe and Loy Ehrlich had resulted in an original Warm Up Show. Last year, it was found on the initiatory album "The Sacred" of the Congolese Gasandji, alongside Pascal Danaë (Delgrès) and Adriano Tenorio. Hilaire Penda had also set up several projects with flutist Magic Malik. It was first Sonances and Dances of Cameroon, created in 2017.

And just recently, it was around the afrobeat that found the two musicians, with Platform XP, a project just created there is not even two weeks at Deux Pièces Cuisine. A great loss…

♫ Live: Hilaire penda & Cheikh Tidiane Seck au Sunset     

 

Jean Paul Monny - Moni 1979

 

After Manu Dibango's  "Soul Makossa", Jean Paul Monny's "Soul of Cameroon", was the first record from Cameroon that I ever listened to. It must have been around 1980. In that same year Monny made another LP with the title Cathy. Since that time I have never heard aneything about him. Just recently during the preparation of this post I foud out that he released the cd single Nana Khady in 2006.

♫ Clip: Nana Khady