Biography
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Born
19 March 1938
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Born In
Kinshasa, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
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Died
30 March 2019 (aged 81)
Simaro Lutumba has been one of the legends in the Congolese music scene was perhaps the greatest poet among the composers of Franco's great TPOK Jazz. He joined the band in 1961, and later became the band's long term vice president. His melancholy 1974 hit "Mabele," sung by Sam Mangwana, was a landmark in OK Jazz's "authenticite" era releases and cemented Simaro's reputation as "Poet." In the late '70s, he was one of the musicians jailed at Makala prison during Franco's most serious run in with the authorities, a clash over two songs deemed obscene. Simaro operated the band during Franco's long absences in Europe during the 1980s.
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