Music
Passi Jo was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and is a direct descendent of the Balari Troubadours who travelled from village to village singing about all aspects of everyday life in Africa. He has continued to embrace this musical legacy in his own independent musical career in Africa, Europe and now in Australia.
Between 1970 and 1993 he performed in many African countries including Congo, DRC (formerly Zaire), Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Zimbabwe; France, Germany, Holland, UK and Russia in Europe; Washington DC, San Francisco and Hawaii in the USA; Ottowa and Toronto in Canada, and in Columbia, South America.
He founded his very first group Les Feres (The Brothers) in 1970 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo; Les Officers 1984; Kass Kass Band 1986, both in Paris, France; and Warako Musica in 1998 in Melbourne, Australia.
Click here for the Gig Guide
CDs for sale online
 |
Kass Kass |
|
At last, the two original Kass Kass LPs, the self-titled Kass Kass, and Kass Tout have been re-mastered and re-released on one CD now available for $28 +$5 postage & packing. |
||
Tracks - Kass Kass: |
Tracks - Kass Tout: |
|
|
||
 |
The Very Best of Passi Jo |
|
(please note this album was
|
Tracks: Kass Kass |
|
Performance Highlights
- Participating in the music festival leading up to the renowned "Rumble in the Jungle" fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire, playing along side musical legends such as Manu Dibango, Ray Barretto, Jose Feliciano, Barry White, James Brown, and the original Fania Allstars with Johnny Pacheco.
- Performing with some of the world's best and most renowned African musicians, including Trio Madjesi, Sam Mangwana, The Four Stars (Les Quatre Etoiles), Tabu Ley Rochereau & Afrisa International Orchestra, Moses Fan Fan and Haitian musician Coupe Cloue.
- Having a number one hit in Europe in the early nineties with his original composition Mama Helena.
- Winning Best Live World Music Act, Australian Music Foundation Awards, Melbourne, Australia, 2000.
- Playing the Hemispheres 2000 Olympic Arts Festival, as part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Testimonials
“My friends and I loved your New Years Eve performance. Thanks for such a great start to 2003! Hope we can dance to your tunes again somewhere…”
Audience member, Woodford Folk Festival, 2002
“Fantastic feedback about your performance, it was the perfect finale to our Festival.”
Louise Augustinus, Co-ordinator, Spring Fling Festival, Melbourne, 2001
“Passi Jo and Warako Musica galvanised for us not only a sense of cultural diversity through their musical journey of traditional and contemporary sounds, but shared with us a spirit of discovery, exploration and joy.”
Patrizia Jakovljevis, Head of Drama & Dance, Tintern Anglican Girls Grammar School, 2001
“Without a doubt this is the hottest African band playing in Australia today, and one of the best in the world.”
Richard Jasiutowicz, review of Hemispheres 2000 Festival, Diaspora Magazine Sept. 2000
“Warako Musica are the most exciting bunch of musicians to hit Melbourne in a long while. Mixing up Congolese rumba, soukous and Cuban rhythms this outfit shows the best that African rhythm has to offer. Infectious grooves laid down by legendary guitarist Tchico Tchicaya, complemented by the croons of Passi Jo ensure that audiences are not left standing still for a moment.”
Systa BB, Planetary Chaos, 3PBS radio, Melbourne & DJ for Hemispheres 2000 Festival, Sydney, Sept. 2000
“Passi Jo and Tchico Tchicaya are the real thing with immaculate Zairean/Congolese dance music pedigrees. They had the audience energetically moving from their very first notes that never let up throughout their extended sets. With swirling guitars, impassioned vocals and smooth stage choreography, Warako Musica definitely delivered maximum soukous!”
Seth Jordan, Artistic Director, Bellingen Global Carnival, 1999
“The highlight of the weekend was certainly Warako Musica, the immensely energetic African band fusing Soukous, Afro-beat, Latin, Cuban and Caribbean rhythms into a show to be relished for years to come - the dancing was something else!”
Justin Petherick-Szwaja, review, Queenscliff Music Festival, Beat Magazine Dec. 1999
“You won’t be able to sit still... It’s never been so hot here in Studio 22...”
Annette Shun Wah, Presenter ABC TV Music Series Studio 22, Oct. 1999
“Nyboma, Wuta Mayi and Syran (M’Benza), three of the original founders of The Four Stars, along with Passi Jo and his hot Soukouss band Kass Kass were more than perfect in performance. The venue was filled with ecstatic Africans as well as Americans, who jumped onstage occasionally to flash a few soukouss steps, shake the performers’ hands, and paste dollar bills on the artists’ foreheads.”
Emmanuel Nado, review of Oakland’s Omni Club gig, San Francisco 1992
“By contrast, support band Kass Kass all but stole the show, using to the full the electric fingers of their lead guitarist Syran, a graduate of one of the finest soukous bands ever, ‘Quatre Etoiles’. Their repertoire was varied, their presentation as tight as their dancers’ G-strings and their music hot.”
Tebogo Naledi review of the Africa Tour with Pepe Kalle, Zimbabwe 1991
“When all is said and done, it appears that Kass Kass, both music-wise and its stage performance, stole the show.”
Tabby Moyo, Staff Writer review of the Africa Tour with Pepe Kalle, Zimbabwe 1991
“Passi Jo, lead vocalist with Kass Kass and famous for his composition ‘Helena’, dances with his fans at the Nyayo National Stadium that left the audience begging for more...”
Review of Silver Jubilee Festival in The Standard, Thurs. Jan. 5, 1989 (Nairobi, Kenya)
“Then the Kass Kass dancers, Karuba from Cuba and Isabella from Paris, took the stage and enraptured the people with their electrifying style, leaving many limp.”
Jon Woodhouse, Maui Beat