34 years after his death, Franco Luambo Makiadi's name still looms large over the world of Rhumba. Franco and his baby, the band TPOK Jazz are an indelible part of Rhumba. And while the band outlived ...

Few expected the over-the-hill Muhammad Ali (age 32) to prevail over George Foreman at the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974. And the musical sideshow that preceded it, an ambitious three-day international ...

During the 1980’s, a lifetime’s worth of wonderful live African music performances took place in Los Angeles. African music filled KCRW's airwaves and local print media, and it seemed like a group ...

Composer Germaine Franco‘s Oscar nomination for “Encanto” is a landmark moment in film music: – She is the first Latina to be nominated in that category; – She is only the sixth woman ever to be ...

One expects a Disney animated film to have great music. But when the setting is outside the United States, it’s especially crucial that the musical backdrop be true to the locale. Composer Germaine ...