Rock-a-Mambo

Orchestre Rock-a-Mambo was a Congolese rumba band from Brazzaville of the 1950s. It was a studio band of the Esengo music studio.

It was reconstituted in 1963 under former member Philippe "Rossignol" Lando. This version, which lasted until the 1970s, was a launching pad for young musicians including Bopol, Wuta Mayi, Camille "Checain" Lola, and Henriette Borauzima.

The band often merged with the musicians from the African Jazz band and sometimes produced recordings under the title ""African Rock".

The band name is a pun with the Kongolese word rocamambu "the one who looks for problems". In a Kongolese folk tale, Rocamambu is a kind of prodigal son, who runs from home and comes back rich.