Souzy Kasseya

Kaseya Suzy Seyo Souza (born 20 April 1949), known professionally as Souzy Kasseya, is a Congolese guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. Often referred to as touche à tout ("jack of all trades"), His music is a blend of Congolese rumba, soukous, and mutuashi with elements of soul, funk, rock, and pop.

Born in Lubumbashi, Kasseya began his career at the age of 13, and in 1967 he relocated to Kinshasa to become the lead guitarist for the band Vox Africa, which caught the attention of Le Grand Kallé, who subsequently invited him to join the Paris-based revival of African Team. After moving to Brussels in 1978, he studied musical arrangement at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and earned a diploma in musical techniques. alongside compatriot Bovick Shamar (guitar, vocals) and the Angolan musician Mário Matadidi Mabele, also known as Mário "Buana Kitoko" ("handsome boy" in Lingala). Richard Ntumba of the Congolese French-language digital outlet Ouragan.cd noted that through their performance, the artists credited the appreciation of the Congolese franc to the Central Bank of the Congo's sustained efforts to reinforce monetary discipline and better manage foreign exchange reserves. Kaseya emphasized that the currency had long suffered repeated fluctuations and declines, which led many to believe that improvement was impossible.

Legacy

Kaseya's work played a key role in bringing soukous to prominence during the 1980s. AllMusic describes him as one of the "leading light of the mid-80s, Paris-based soukous scene", noting that his album Le Retour De L'As, driven by the hit "Le Téléphone sonne", became a massive success in France and throughout Central Africa.

Congolese music journalist Jeannot Ne Nzau Diop described Kaseya as "an attentive and engaged observer of the ongoing evolution of modern Congolese music". His long-running collaboration with Tshala Muana, hailed as the "queen of mutuashi", a Luba traditional musical style, established him as "one of the pioneers of ethnomusicological research in Congo".

Throughout his career, Kaseya has collaborated with numerous artists, including Tshala Muana, Pépé Kallé, Bébé Manga, François Lougah, Uta Bella, Grace Jones, Édith Lefel, Papa Wemba, Evoloko Jocker, Madilu System, Mbilia Bel, Koffi Olomide, Werrason, Fally Ipupa, and Ferre Gola. With Tshala Muana, he arranged nearly a dozen albums since 1986. In 1989, he worked with Evoloko Jocker on the album Mbonge Mbonge, and in 1992 co-arranged Koffi Olomide's acclaimed Haut de Gamme – Koweït, Rive Gauche with Maïka Munan and Philippe Guez. His later collaborations with Mbilia Bel included arranging, guitar, drum programming, and backing vocals on Welcome (2001) and Bellissimo (2004).

Discography +Selected discographyTitleYearLabelRemarksAfrica Now1980 Produced by – Productions Balafon Distributed by – Afro-RythmesLPLe Téléphone sonne1983 Record company – Phonogram