Beguen Band
Beguen Band | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Orchestre Beguen Band |
| Origin | Léopoldville (modern-day Kinshasa |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1950s–1960s |
| Label | Ngoma |
| Spinoffs |
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| Past members |
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Orchestre Beguen Band (also known simply as Beguen Band) was a Congolese rumba ensemble active during the 1950s and early 1960s. Formed as one of the house bands of the Ngoma record label, the band played a significant role in shaping and popularizing Congolese rumba in both the former Belgian Congo and the former French Equatorial Africa. It featured a roster of highly influential musicians, including vocalists André João (Depiano), Tuka Floriant (Tchadé), Franck Lassan, Léon Bukasa, N6, and Kiyika Masamba (Flamy), as well as instrumentalists such as guitarists Pierre "De La France" Bazeta, Emmanuel Antoine Tshilumba wa Baloji (Tino Baroza), Charles Déchaud Mwamba, and Augustin Moniania (Roitelet), bassist Magnol, saxophonist and clarinetist Albino Kalombo, trumpeter Etari Henri, and drummer Julio.
In 1960, following a tour in Conakry, Guinea, the orchestra split into two new formations: Beguen Jazz, led by Depiano, Tchadé, Flamy, and De La France; and Milo Jazz, formed by Damoiseau, Roitelet, Tino Baroza, Depuissant, Maproco, and Menga André, many of whom later joined Joseph Kabasele's renowned African Jazz.