Grand Kalle et l’African Jazz, also known as African Jazz, was the first professional, full-time band to emerge from what was once the Belgian Congo. It is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Joseph Kabasele Tshamala founded it. He is also known as Le Grand Kalle. In 1960, the band was invited to Brussels to perform at the Congolese Round Table Conference. They were one of the first to bring modern African music to Europe. Their most famous song was “Independence Cha Cha” (1960), a pan-African hit that, like many of their recordings, featured Latin American rhythms such as the Cuban chachachacha. Franco Luambo’s OK Jazz group was also among their pioneers. They helped to create the African version of Rumba that eventually evolved into Soukous. Simaro Lutumba and Tabu Ley Rochereau were successful later with their own bands. From Wikipedia
