Christmas in the Congo

In the mid-'50s, a Belgian missionary named Father Guido Haazen took a position at a school in what was then the Belgian Congo. He assembled a male choir, largely consisting of Congolese boys, along with 15 men and several percussionists. Under Haazen's direction, the group that became known as Troubadours du Roi Baudouin developed an African mass based on shared improvisations and traditional song forms. The resulting piece was called Missa Luba and its 1958 recording became an international success throughout the following decade. Its pairing of Catholic liturgical forms (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, etc.) and jubilant Congolese folk music provided major crossover appeal, and over time the record became quite influential. In 1963, Haazen and the choir made a second attempt at a Western-influenced mass with the beautiful album Christmas in the Congo. Opening with "Siku Kuu," a Congolese version of "Silent Night," the gentle choral hymns that begin the record slowly blossom into exuberant, ce