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Wuta Mayi | |
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| Birth name | Gaspard Wuta Mayi |
| Also known as | Gaspard Wuta, Paschal Gaspard Mayi, Blaise Pasco |
| Born | (1949-08-09)9 August 1949 (age 75) Kinshasa,DR Congo |
| Origin | Congolese |
| Genres | Rumba |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1968–2011 |
Gaspard Wuta Mayi, commonly known asWuta Mayi, is aCongolese rumba andsoukous vocalist and composer from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). From 1974 to 1982, he was a member of the bandTPOK Jazz, led byFranco (François Luambo Makiadi), which dominated the Congolese music scene from the 1960s through the 1980s.[1] Since leaving TPOK Jazz he has recorded and performed as a solo artist, in addition to being one of the four members of the "supergroup"Les Quatre Etoiles (The Four Stars), and subsequently a member ofKékélé.
Wuta Mayi was born on 9 August 1949 at Leopold General Hospital in then Leopoldville, nowKinshasa, the capital of, and largest city in, what was then theBelgian Congo, was later (among other names)Zaire, and is now theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.[2]
This singer has been known by a variety of names; one source notes that "Gaspard Wuta Mayi is also known as Gaspard Wuta, Paschal Gaspard Mayi, Wuta Mayandi Yundula and Blaise Pasco."[3] He was given the name Gaspard soon after birth.[2][note 1] Later as a child, the name "Pascal" was added, after his maternal grandfather Pascal Gaspard Mayandi.[2] During 1967-68, while he was with Orchestre Jamel National, a member of his family who had studied in Europe nicknamed him "Blaise" to make him "Blaise Pascal," and from then on he was known as "Blaise-Pasco."[2][4] Around 1974, at about the time he joined TPOK Jazz, under Zaire's"authenticité" campaign underPresident Mobutu, he changed his name to the more "authentic" Congolese name Wata Undula Mayanda (or Wuta Mayandi Yundula), known as Wuta Mayi.[5][2] In any event, he has recorded and performed since the 1970s under the name Wuta Mayi, although sometimes that name is hyphenated and some of his solo album covers spell it as "Wuta May."
He went to school in Kinshasa, studying at Josephine Charlotte School for his elementary education, continuing on to the Saint Andre commercial technical school in the city'sLimetecommune, and doing part of his high school education at the Athenaeum of Ngiri-Ngiri.[2]
In 1967, at the age of 18, while still a student, he joined the band Orchestre Jamel National, previously known as Jamel Jazz, based in the commune of Dendal. He became friends with another vocalist in the band,Aime Kiwakana, born Emmanuel Kiala, who would later join TPOK Jazz. Other musicians who made their start at Jamel included saxophonistEmpompo Loway (also later with TPOK Jazz), guitaristsBavon "Marie-Marie" (the only brother ofFranco Luambo), Makosso, andDave Makondele, and vocalistsDjo Mpoyi (later with TPOK Jazz),Marcel "Djeskain" Loko,Bumba Massa, andJean-Papy Ramazani (the latter three of whom would join Wuta Mayi in Kékélé, decades later).
Wuta Mayi began his professional career in 1968, joining the band Orchestre Bamboula as a vocalist. The band was created in November of that year by guitaristPapa Noël (Antoine or Anthony Nedule).[6]: 146 Another member was guitaristPaul Mansiamina Mfoko, or Bopol. Bopol was the same age as Wuta Mayi, having been born inLeopoldville on July 26, 1949, and both were then beginning their professional musical careers after high school. This was the start of a decades-long collaborative musical relationship between the two. Other band members included other vocalistsAime Kiwakana,Pires, andTino Mwinkwa,Jeff Lunam on saxophone, andMangenza on drums, as well asMadilu System,Pepe Kalle andBozi Boziana. Orchestre Bamboula made its official debut in February 1969 in the town ofLimete. That same year, Orchestre Bamboula was chosen, by winning a competition among the country's top bands, to represent theDemocratic Republic of the Congo in the first Pan-African Festival of Culture inAlgiers, Algeria. The band known asBantous de la Capitale represented theRepublic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Orchestre Bamboula broke up, however, shortly after its return from Algiers.[7]
He was later a member of several other bands, includingRock'a Mambo andOrchestre Continentale. He formed the latter band in 1971 with Bopol and Tino Mwinkwa from Bamboula, as well as other musicians includingJosky Kiambukuta and "Serpent" Kabamba.[6]: 183, 270
In 1974, Wuta Mayi left Orcheste Continental to joinTPOK Jazz, after an invitation relayed through Josky Kiambukuta. Wuta Mayi played with TPOK Jazz until 1982, leaving beforeFranco's death in 1989.[6]: 270
Other vocalists in TPOK Jazz at that time includedJosky Kiambukuta,Michel Boyibanda,Youlou Mabiala,Ndombe Opetum andAime Kiwakana. Wuta Mayi is credited to have composed a number of songs for TPOK Jazz during his eight-year tenure there, including Melou (1975), Basala la vie (1978), Ayant Droit (1980), Moleka, Beyou (1980), and Tuti (1981).
In 1982, Wuta Mayi needed to come to Paris for medical treatment. He decided to stay there after three friends from Kinshasa who had moved to Paris, Bopol,Nyboma, andSyran Mbenza, invited him to record with them. In 1982 they recorded,4 Grandes Vedettes de la Musique Africaine, which was issued in 1983 and would later be seen as the first record of the group they formed,Les Quatre Etoiles (the Four Stars).[6]: 270
Between then and 1993, in addition to recording and performing with Les Quatre Etoiles, he released six solo albums, as well as one credited to him and Congolese guitaristDino Vangu (listed as "Dino Vangou"). He also contributed to many other records.
In the mid 1990s, with Papa Noël, Bopol and others,[8] he formed the bandOdemba. However the band failed to fully launch due to lack of funds.[citation needed]
In the early 2000s, Wuta Mayi, Nyboma, Syran Mbenza,Djeskain Loko Massengo,Sammy Bumba Massa, Papa Noël, andJean-Papy Ramazani formed a band calledKékélé that toured extensively in Europe and North America. Kékélé means "vines that are used in villages in Africa to make connections". The band plays entirely using acoustic guitars, drums and percussions.[9]
In 2019, more than 25 years after his previous solo release and more than 50 years after beginning his professional musical career, Wuta Mayi issued a new solo album,La Face Cachee, which received positive reviews.[5][3]
(his name is sometimes spelled "Wuta May", and sometimes hyphenated, on record and CD covers)
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