Tribal Jam is a French New Jack Swing band (the ancestor of contemporary R&B), founded in 1994 by singer-songwriters Moïse and Joseph N'Tumba and guitarist René Dewael. The N'Tumba brothers, originally from Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), grew up in the suburbs of Bordeaux, where they studied at the conservatory and learned modern jazz dance, driven by a passion for black American music. Their childhood idols included James Brown, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Toulouse-born guitarist and composer René Dewael joined the duo after seeing them in concert. Together they created Tribal Jam, whose first album was an instant success. In 1997, Tribal Jam released their second album, Démarre le Show, which won an award at the Africa Music Awards in Côte d'Ivoire. The group went on tour and became involved in charity work (Sidaction, Les Enfants de la Terre, Les Voix de la Liberté). The group disbanded in 1998.
