The gentle-voiced giant of Congolese music. Grand Kalle recorded the soundtrack of African independence, and the hope that that era spawned. His guitar-driven Afro-Latin music was cosmopolitan (he was hugely popular in other African countries, and made considerable headway in Europe and the Caribbean), but his success was also a source of considerable national pride. This set collects the most of the important tracks from his too-short career. The essay book is great, but bears little relation to the songs selected. ( )