Ricardo Lemvo

Homer Simpson might have said that a woman can't resist a man who knows how to mambo, but for Ricardo Lemvo, it's the rumba that captured his heart.

"I was surrounded by Congolese rumba on the radio." he recalls of his childhood in Kinshasa, capital of what was then Zaire. "The music comes from a combination of Cuban rhythms and Congolese rhythms combined. It wasn't just me who was fascinated; everyone in Africa was. When the music came back to Africa in its present form, just after World War II, people were taken by it. Congolese musicians, and African musicians in general, were doing covers of Cuban music way back when."

But Lemvo heard even more of the music than most kids.

"I had a cousin with a large collection of Cuban music, and they were accessible to me. That's how I really became fond of this music and learned more of this music. Even when I was eight years old, I knew I wanted to play this music. I used to live next to a bar, and I heard all these songs and had them all memorized. I used to imagine myself in front of a band, singing them."

"It's one of my dreams to take my music back to Africa and tour there."

When Lemvo was 15, in 1972, his life underwent a massive upheaval, moving with his father halfway across the world to Los Angeles. But his love of Cuban music never vanished. "I didn't really get going as a performer until the late Eighties. I was singing background with various bands in L.A.. And in 1990 I decided to form my own band, but it didn't really take off until 1996 or 1997."

That band, Makina Loca (a misspelling of maquina loco - Spanish for crazy machine), consisted of musicians with backgrounds in Cuban, African, and Chicano music. They became noticed from their monthly residency at an L.A. club, then self-released Tata Masambo, which was the first step to fulfilling Lemvo's vision of a music that fully joined Cuba with Africa.

"After that I signed with Putamayo in 1998, and I've done two albums with them."

Mambo Yoyo and Sao Salvador have come much closer to making his dream a reality, with the musics fusing together into a single whole. And with that has grown the reaction from listeners. "A lot more people have discovered my music because of Putamayo, I think. Before, I was doing everything myself. These days I have a booking agent, and the label has a well-oiled publicity machine to help."

He's so busy now that the monthly club gigs no longer happen. "We're out of town a lot - it's maybe six or seven months since we played a club in L.A."

There are a few out of town places he still hasn't played, though.

"It's one of my dreams to take my music back to Africa and tour there. I've been to Cuba, but not to play - I filmed a video there in 1998. It's another place I'd love to perform."

Lemvo is one of many pushing the envelope of Cuban music, and has been for many years, before it became hip. You have to wonder how he feels about those who are doing similar things.

"I don't know if it's a wave of the future, but I certainly welcome it. People who are doing this - Sergent Garcia, to name just one of many - are doing a great job, because it brings different people together, and helps bridge the gap between the cultures. For me, I'm always exploring new ideas and trying to do different things in my music. I haven't given my next album a lot of thought yet, but it's possible I'll take the sound in new directions. We probably won't be in the studio again until next year." But when he does get there, the results will certainly be impressive. And defnitely explosive. Better get those rumba lessons now.

Ricardo Lemvo

"It's one of my dreams to take my music back to Africa and tour there."

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