Grand Kalle

Joseph Athanase Kabasele Tshamala was born on December 16, 1930, in Matadi. Educated at Catholic mission schools in Leopoldville, his crystalline lyric tenor and cosmopolitan charm led him to found Orchestre African Jazz in 1953.

Grand Kalle modernized African music by introducing brass sections, electric guitars, and Cuban son rhythms. In January 1960, invited to Brussels to perform for the delegates of the Belgo-Congolese Round Table Conference, he composed and recorded Indépendance Cha Cha, naming every Congolese political leader in a euphoric anthem that became the continental hymn of African independence. He mentored future legends Manu Dibango, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Dr. Nico Kasanda.