POP MUSIC REVIEW : Rochereau and Co. Are in the <i> Soukous </i> Groove

The concert may have taken place in a semi-sculpture garden, but as the hypnotic groove undulated its way into the air and the bones, nothing seemed to stay static, from the audience to the objets d’art. Even the non-kinetic sculpture seemed to sway, bowing to the potent will of Tabu Ley Rochereau’s soukous groove, which took over the lawn outside the Long Beach Museum of Art on Wednesday evening.

A prevailing spirit of restless energy seemed to keep even the plant life and fixed objects shimmying with constant motion. That’s not to say Rochereau’s soukous display was limited to the simple agenda of dance music. His music strikes an inspired balance between sophistication and infectious groove percolations.

When Rochereau, a member of the royal family of Zairian soukous , takes the stage, singing his tumbling, supplely phrased French lyrics over the taut, bubbling machinery of his Ochestre Afrisa International, we’re hearing the carefully honed results of a stylistic experiment that has caught on around the world.

Rochereau’s appearance in Long Beach--the second-to-last show of the museum’s summer concert series--didn’t involve as long a trip as it might have seemed. The bandleader recently took the Africa-to-Anaheim express, taking up residence in the town famous for Disneyland. By this point in Rochereau’s 35-year-long career, he is established enough as a member of culture’s world citizenry that he can hang his hat anywhere.

In Long Beach, the band played a variety of tunes, including songs from last year’s “Muzina” album, the first of Rochereau’s 100-plus recordings to have been made in the States. Although Rochereau has never been one to shy away from Western influence, neither does his music depart from the spirit of his homeland.

*

Like Nigeria’s juju music, soukous-- as cooked up by Rochereau--is a light and jubilant musical synthesis, propelled by chattering guitars, big and simple yet remarkably centering bass notes and a driving layer of drums and percussion, with non-blues-oriented saxophone lines sprinkled over the ensemble sound. This is communal music, each member contributing to the rolling, cyclical whole rather than seeking out a personal spotlight.

But detailing the nuts and bolts of this music make for a pale substitute for the real-time deal. To be in the presence of Rochereau’s seductive musical machinery is to give into a pulse that goes beyond words or Western cultural values. Never underestimate the power of a well-placed groove.