Artist Bio:
Born on Christmas Day, Antoine Nedule Montswet (Papa Noel) always went by the name Noel. A city boy, removed from the traditional influences of the village, Noel fell in love with Cuban son at an early age. During his childhood, he witnessed the birth and early flourishing of the Congolese music recording industry. That music transferred the Cuban sound onto guitars, and Noel wasted no time in getting his hands on one. He set about learning both Cuban songs, and the new hits recorded by Congolese musicians like Wendo and Henri Bowane.
Noel took to hanging around music studios, and was one of the musicians lucky enough to get pointers from expatriate Belgian jazz guitarist Bill Alexandre, who helped many early Congo pop musicians. Noel drew attention showing off his Django riffs, and got his first recording date at 16, backing singer Léon Bukasa.
Stints in many Congo bands would follow for the young guitarist. He joined singer Rossignol Lando and saxophonist Jean-Serge Essous — recent renegades from Franco's OK Jazz — in forming the group Rock-a-Mambo, the band that crossed the Congo River to Brazzaville in 1960 to become Orchestre Bantou. Three years later, Noel came home and played behind the Grand Kallé in Orchestre African Jazz. Less flashy than the celebrated Dr. Nico, Papa Noel, as he became known, was a masterful guitarist, able to shift smoothly from rhythm to lead guitar, and also the mi-solo or third guitarist's role.
Papa Noel tried his hand at band leading with his 1968 group Orchestre Bamboula, but he found that playing was more interesting to him than band administration — hard work in the competitive Congolese outfits of that day! He then moved from band to band for awhile, but in 1978 settled into a 12-year stint in TPOK Jazz, alongside the great Franco, the preeminent Congolese guitarist of that era. Noel's nimble finger work complimented Franco's fierce attack nicely. Noel moonlighted occasionally, notably to record a tremendously successful 1984 album, Bon Samaritain. Though enraged at Noel's extra-curricular activities — seen as treasonous in those days — Franco couldn't part with his favorite number-two guitarist.
After Franco's death in 1989, Papa Noel moved to Brussels. He recorded an album with TPOK Jazz spin-off group Bana OK, and then made another recording under his own name, Haute Tension, in 1994. Songs from that and Bon Samaritain appear on a compilation called Bel Ami. In 1998, Noel recorded a classy, largely acoustic session with vocal legend Sam Mangwana, Galo Negro, and that led directly to his own acoustic group performances, a highlight of the WOMAD festival in 2000.
2001 started out gangbusters for Noel, with two great new releases on tap: Rumba Congo with the Congo veterans' group Kékélé, and an intimate recording with Cuban guitarist Adan Pedroso, Mosala Makasi. Then, in May, Noel fell seriously ill, just as he was about to begin touring.
— Courtesy Banning Eyre (www.afropop.org);adapted from Ken Braun's liner notes to the CD "Bel Ami."
