It' so sad: RIP MANU DIBANGO!!!

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The musician Manu Dibango, who has died aged 86 after being treated for Covid-19, covered a vast spectrum of styles, from traditional African roots music to jazz, soul, Afrobeat, reggae, gospel, French chanson, Congolese rumba, salsa and solo piano. Most importantly, Dibango was a founding father of funk.

In 1972 he made his mark with the hit Soul Makossa. As soon as it was released, as the B-side of a tribute to the Cameroon football team, there were at least five different cover versions in the American charts. The use of the refrain “mama-say, mama-sa, ma-makossa”, on Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Starting Something, from his 1982 album Thriller, earned Dibango substantial compensation two decades later.

Dibango was an unmistakable figure, with shaved head, shades, a benign grin and a deep, reverberating laugh. The instantly recognisable tone of his music was always swinging, melodic and invigorating. Although best known as a saxophonist, Dibango was also a consummate keyboard and vibraphone player and a great arranger, who could get the best from a quartet or a 28-piece orchestra.

As he once said: “What is special is that Africa has a long historical relationship with sound, and a communion between sound and the visual stronger than in any other culture. The sound carries the rhythm and the movement creates the images. The way an African moves compared with the environment is different from the western conception.”

Emmanuel Dibango was born in Douala, in French-administered Cameroon. His father was a high-ranking civil servant, his mother a fashion designer, and both parents were devout Protestants who disapproved of secular music. Manu received encouragement from the musical director of his church choir, and surreptitiously broadened his musical perspective with a bamboo flute and a home-made guitar. In 1944, he was in the school choir for the state visit of General Charles de Gaulle to Cameroon.

During the second world war, West Africa provided many reluctant recruits to the allied forces and Dibango would recall helping to cut loose the ropes binding “volunteers” press-ganged into the French army. One of them was an uncle of his.

In 1949 his parents sent him to France to study and, as an incentive, promised to pay for music lessons. He arrived on a steamer to take up his education at Saint-Calais in the region of Sarthe. The only black child in this small country town, he got on well with his schoolmates, who remembered him bringing the first bananas they had ever seen. For his part, he found snow exotic and tried to post some home in an envelope.

He was adopted by the community and settled quickly into the French way of life, but his individuality, his cultural roots and, possibly, memories of the “volunteers”, prevented him from accepting the complete national identity expected by his host country. Due to his parents having different ethnic backgrounds, he was never satisfied with an imposed identity. He was unhappy to be classified as an African musician, preferring to be considered as an artist, and an African.

Considered too old to take up the violin, his preferred instrument, he studied classical piano for four years. His fellow students included Francis Bebey, who would become a novelist and musicologist, with whom Dibango played classical and jazz pieces, although for student dances they became a blues band.

While he was on holiday in 1953, a friend lent him a saxophone and Dibango took to the instrument, enrolling for two years of private tuition. After doing the rounds of French jazz clubs, he moved to Belgium, where his soulful style attracted the owner of the Bantou club. Within months Dibango had been signed up by Joseph Kabasele, the founding father of modern Congolese music, whose band, African Jazz, spearheaded a musical revolution in Africa. In Brussels he also met his future wife Marie-Josee (known as Coco), whom he married in 1957.

In 1959 Kabasele recorded the pan-African anthem Independence Cha Cha Cha and invited Dibango to the Congolese capital, Léopoldville (now Kinshasa), to work with him. They made many hit records for the Ngoma label in the prevailing rumba style. Dibango also ran a recording band called African Soul in which he played the organ on his own interpretations of American music. He managed a nightclub, the Tam Tam, but despite financial success, he and Coco experienced racism, so they moved to Abidjan in Ivory Coast.

After a period as leader of the Ivoirian national broadcast orchestra, Dibango realised that the creative “miracle” he thought he was observing in Africa had turned into a mirage, and he returned to France.

In the late 1960s and early 70s he recorded film soundtracks - including that of Ousmane Sembène’s celebrated feature, Ceddo (1976) - incidental background music and commercials, and singles for the African market.

In 1972 he joined the Congo rumba combo Ry-Co Jazz for a tour of Algeria, along with the guitarist Jerry Malekani, who thereafter became his permanent accompanist. Following the death of the US tenor sax supremo King Curtis in 1974, Dibango released a tribute single which identified the American as a major influence on his technique. He then recorded two albums for Chris Blackwell’s Island label, including the instrumental Big Blow (1976).

In 1982 Dibango worked on a masterful triple album, Fleurs Musicales du Cameroun, which gathered contemporary and traditional musicians from the various ethnic groups of Cameroon.

In the same year he toured France with the American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, exploring everything from soul to Malian folk music and Thelonious Monk. Soon after, he was blowing ice-cold funk on his album Electric Africa (1985), which featured Herbie Hancock, and the hit single Abele Dance. He collaborated with a long list of top class performers: Hugh Masekela, Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Fania All Stars, Ray Lema, Bill Laswell, Sly and Robbie, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and many up and coming Cameroonians.

In 1984 he joined more than a dozen artistes on the fundraising single Tam Tam Pour l’Ethiopie, released indignantly in response to Band Aid, which many Africans considered condescending. Dibango’s 1994 album Wakafrika featured King Sunny Adé, Peter Gabriel, Salif Keita, Papa Wemba and Youssou N’Dour.

In 1967 he was bandleader on Pulsations, the first black music programme on French TV, and in the early 1990s he hosted his own prime-time French TV show, Salut Manu. In 1998 his achievements were celebrated by the rural community where he grew up, with the naming of a cultural centre after him. He reciprocated by donating the saxophone he had used on Soul Makossa.

In later years he was an ambassador for Unicef, received several honours from African countries and in 2010 was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur. He was still working last year, on tour with Symphonic Safari, blending jazz with classical music.

In the UK his frequent concert appearances included a 2008 Africa Day show in Trafalgar Square, but the most satisfying for him were the regular bookings at Ronnie Scott’s club, where he enjoyed being recognised as a “jazz man”.

Coco died in 1995. He is survived by his daughters, Georgia and Anya and son, Michel.

Originally published at theguardian.com

London Afrobeat Collective – Humans

Hard-driving, politically-charged, rhythmic, irresistibly-danceable music; what else could be expected from a band that mixes influences from Fela Kuti, Parliament/Funkadelic, Frank Zappa, and Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards into one exciting and uplifting musical pot? Such expectations are high, but the London Afrobeat Collective meets them with ease.

There have been a few personnel changes since Food Chain (Self Produced, 2015). Percussionist Zak Cohen has left without being replaced, Giuliano Osella is now on drums and, most noticeably, Juanita Euka has replaced Funke Adeleke on vocals, so the band has pared down slightly to a nine-piece line-up. Euka's voice has a lower range than Adekele's, but it's just as powerful, with a rough edge that gives added force to the anger to be found in many of the lyrics. Euka's vocal power is matched by that of the instrumentalists; this is a mighty band of musicians (and video evidence—see YouTube, below— suggests that the band is a superb live act as well).

The London Afrobeat Collective formed in 2009, so this release celebrates its tenth anniversary. Following the pattern of Food Chain, Humans combines politically forthright, socially aware, lyrics with powerful wall-of-sound music. All of the songs are credited as whole-band compositions and, for the most part, focus on ensemble performances—highlighted particularly on "Prime Resources," "Stop Talking" and "Tolembi" where the horns fly in unison above the punchy rhythm section. There are some strong solos, too. Taken together, this three-pronged attack of voice, ensemble and solos makes Humans one of the best of 2019's releases. 

allaboutjazz.com 

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This album goes to show the importance of context when listening to music. London Afrobeat Collective’s self-released third album ‘Humans’, embodies their live performances. The project is treated as a set list rather than an album, and that’s worth bearing in mind when listening to it.

Having been lucky enough to see them support Femi Kuti last year, the positives and negatives here are also the same as they were that night too: a tremendously upbeat album that will get you moving, but at the same time can be difficult to listen in one go, with little variety from song to song (save for Tokomona).

As a general rule, Afrobeat - a genre made famous by the legendary Fela Kuti - is a mix of jazz, funk and rock, with simple, repeatable lyrics and platitudes punctuating the instrumentation. This is a genre with a strong identity, often relying on powerful an almost God-like figure at the centre, controlling the band and audience through their lyricism and presence. Fela was well-known for this and even founded his own small pseudo-state through his charisma and sheer force of will.

London Afrobeat Collective have taken this identity, and rather than trying to change it too much have simply added to it embodying the strength of their own singer: Juanita Euka, putting female empowerment front and centre in the album (something that arguably was not Fela Kuti’s primary concern).

From the very first note of the album it’s clear what it’s geared towards: dancing and chanting back and forth with Juanita Euka more than ably assisted by the tremendous band. However, to really hear and appreciate the nuance of its parts, the project needs to be heard through a decent sound system – there is so much in the production that through small speakers, or even through decent headphones, too much of the magic will be missed.

There are some stand out songs: ‘Tolembi [We Speak]’, ‘Tokomona’, ‘Stop Talking’ and especially ‘Walk Alone’ make the album. However - much like their live set - each song melds into the other so much so tthat it’s possible to dip in and out of the project at any point and not quite know which track is playing.

In places the pieces can be slightly laboured too, with rambling sections that could easily be cut to bring song running times down. Live, this works - giving time for people to dance and become a real part of the music, building atmosphere in the room - but on an album it can feel a little self-indulgent.

Overall, though, this is a positive project. Some great musicianship with the horns particularly stand out from the mix. As the name of the band hints, it’s a homage to Afrobeat rather than progressing the genre - but this should never get in the way of having a good dance.

clashmusic.com

The Brighton Beat - Live at the Clayton Opera House

 

Funky afro-beat big band The Brighton Beat added a vocalist to the mix in 2017. With Ryan Nava holding the mike (and adding extra percussion too) the band has broadened their sound even further. Case in point: the new album Live at the Clayton Opera House. They have enjoyed a warm welcome over the years at that venue in Clayton, NY and the show on October 20th, 2017 was no exception. Ever thought that the fierce Genghis Khan could be subjected to a free-flowing sax solo? Or that a Fortune Teller could be divided into chopped guitar notes seasoned with trumpet blasts?

The Brighton Beat is well-oiled live phenomenon and thankfully they are in the habit of releasing in concert albums on a regular basis. Their sense of rhythm comes to fore again in a spicy mix of jazz and funk. A party band that can please music geeks and revellers is pretty rare.

werksman.blogspot.com

Kokoroko - Kokoroko

 

This is not idle music!

London has long been a hotbed for experimentation for music from West Africa, and it’s into this global-local story that we can situate London’s newest afrobeat innovators: KOKOROKO. In the 40’s World War Two veteran Ambrose Campbell and his West African Rhythm Brothers, were enticing Soho music lovers with sweet palm wine sounds. The following decade, a young Fela Kuti (and his Koola Lobitos outfit with drummer Tony Allen), would jam with Campbell, and the seeds for his global Afrobeat revolution were sown.

The band’s name is an Orobo – a Nigerian tribe and language – word meaning ‘be strong’. Sonically living up to their name, KOKOROKO are an all star band featuring leading lights from the London jazz community. Powered by seismic horn section (Maurice Grey, saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, trombonist Richie Seivewright), guitar (Oscar Jerome), keys (Yohan Kebede), drums (Ayo Salawu) and percussion (Onome Edgeworth); Kokoroko are on a mission to fashion new languages using the medium of afrobeat.

“This is not idle music!” says Sheila Maurice-Grey, reflecting on the rich history of sounds that have inspired the band. Whether it's the social commentary, the political stance of acts like the Black President, or the high power energy of afrobeat nights: the music is teeming with a potent energy the band want to propel forwards, London style. Make no mistake, this is not a band interested in performative tributes or pastiche. For Maurice Grey, part of the drive behind their creative impulse to is ask: “what does this music sound like for my generation?”

“We love this music and want other people to love it the way we do”, shared Edgeworth. Aside of the primacy of love for the music, a subtext of the bands creation was a sense of alienation at London’s thinning pool of afrobeat and highlife nights – particularly of black listeners and players. “We don’t want this music to die”, he added.

Rather than launching straight into writing their own music, since the band’s formation in 2014, they immersed themselves in the sounds of Pat Thomas, Ebo Taylor and others by playing covers to sell out crowds. “I remember speaking with Dele Sosimi about the structure of Fela’s songs – every element plays a part. But, before melody or harmony, there’s rhythm. The rhythmic aspect of the solos from that era is amazing. The West African approach to jazz and improvisation is hip!”, offered Maurice-Grey.

In writing their own music, Edgeworth emphasised how much the KOKOROKO sound is shaped by the capital. “We didn’t want it to sound too clean – that doesn’t really fit into the London sound”, he said. Instead, the band opt for grooves with added grit: “we wanted it to sound rough, like going out and hearing music pushed through speakers or the energy of people dancing at afrobeat parties: its music we’ve seen work on dancefloors”.

Drawing as much from nightlife, the musical influences of West African Pentecostal churches, jazz and Western classical, its both in the middle of and beyond this mix of influences that KOKOROKO’s self titled EP takes shape.

Adwa opens deep-ridge grooves. Drawing from the syncopated funk of Ethio-jazz, it takes its name from the Ethiopian city of the same name. Composed by keyboardist Yohan Kebede, the victorious spirit of the track is a meditation not only on the infamous Battle of Adwa, but of the way societies evolve in the aftermath of conflict.

Ti-de is a soft lullaby taking its cue from a medley of old West African folk melodies. A meditation on remaining present through change, the track is laced with opiating guitar lines, soft percussion and languid vocals that feel at times interchangeable with the grand sway of the horn section.

The jubilant Uman arrives as a “celebration of women, black women in particular,” shares Maurice Grey. “I wrote the tune with my mother in mind”. The track tackles the cultural trope of the ‘black superwoman’ and – similarly to Maurice-Grey’s visual artwork – asks questions about why misrepresentations about black women exist. Ultimately, it's a redemptive track that makes space for both the unique struggles black women face, and their vulnerability.

Like Ti-de, Absuey Junction takes its lead from Ebo Taylor’s horn led approach, and
showcases the band’s deft hand with palm wine infused ballads. The hit single, first featured on the We Out Here compilation, reached 18 million + views on YouTube. Based on a composition by guitarist Oscar Jerome, the track captures the sunset hum of Gambia’s nocturnal soundscapes, winding horn solos and haunting vocals.

A precursor to their album, “it’s an honest capture” of the band’s progression and a stunning introduction to their sound.

Written by Teju Adeleye.

kokoroko.bandcamp.com 

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If you ask an Afrobeat fan to name their favourite bands—excluding lineups led by Fela Kuti during his lifetime—the probability is that their top five choices will include Seun Kuti's Egypt 80 and Femi Kuti's Positive Force, both based in Lagos, along with Dele Sosimi 's Afrobeat Orchestra, based in London. Other credible outfits have emerged, but none which has so far seriously challenged that tripartite ascendancy. London trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey's Kokoroko is an outfit to watch, however, combining, as it does, a firm grip on the post-Afrika 70 tradition with some striking new directions.

Kokoroko debuted on record as part of the Brownswood label's 2018 compilation We Out Here, a showcase for emerging young London jazz artists which was recorded under the light-touch supervision of reed player Shabaka Hutchings, feted for his own work with Sons of Kemet, Shabaka & the Ancestors and The Comet Is Coming. Kokoroko has now released its first disc (and download), a 4-track EP which clocks in just shy of 25 minutes.  

Kokoroko is a horn-led mainly-instrumental album. It is also an ensemble work, but one which includes space for uniformly compelling solos from Maurice-Grey, saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, trombonist Richie Seivwright and guitarist Oscar Jerome. A deep-strata rhythm section is anchored by bass guitarist Mutale Chashi .

Kokoroko turns out tough, classic Afrobeat grooves on the up-tempo "Adwa" and "Uman" and also reveals a sensitive touch with ballads from beyond the standard Afrobeat paradigm. Closing track "Abusey Junction" is particularly lovely and at just over seven minutes it is the longest track (it was also the closer on We Out Here). The tune was written by Jerome, who confirms his position as an important voice on the new London scene, as previously announced on his self-released EP Where Are Your Branches? in 2018. On "Adwa," Jerome turns in a gritty solo at times reminiscent of early period James Blood Ulmer, while on the ballads he evokes a glistening melodicism in the same league as that of two benchmark West African guitarists, Kante Manfila, the Guinean electric guitarist who was Salif Keita's collaborator in Les Ambassadeurs, and Koo Nimo, the Ghanaian palm-wine master.

Kinoshi, who recently released the luminous Driftglass (Jazz re-freshed, 2019), the debut album by her SEED Ensemble, is another top-rank young talent and she blows a coruscating solo on "Adwa." Seivwright, who has played with Maurice-Grey and Kinoshi in the Nérija collective, is less widely known but welcome both in her own right and also for her instrument—the trombone is rarely heard in Afrobeat, but it fits in snugly here, both as part of the horn section and also as a solo instrument. As leader, Maurice-Grey modestly refrains from hogging the solos, but she turns in blinders on "Uman" and "Abusey Junction," the first full of fire, the second shimmeringly beautiful.

From every angle, Kokoroko is a hugely impressive debut. 

allaboutjazz.com 

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When your band name translates as “Be Strong”, you’ve got no choice but to come out swinging, and that is exactly what KOKOROKO have done with their debut self-titled EP.

KOKOROKO’s name is taken from Orobo, a Nigerian tribe and language. With roots in Africa and London, KOKOROKO’s sound is a cosmic blend of tradition and inner-city sunlight. Drawing inspiration from afrobeat, jazz, African folk and more, this band of kindred spirits share their perspective on modern-day living, the only way they know how – with infectious riffs and water-tight rhythms.

“Adwa” explodes into action with warm organ notes, which could quite easily build into a contemporary house banger; but that isn’t KOKOROKO’s style. The skipping percussive hits set your pulse racing as the horns join the party, making their presence known as the track begins to ascend. “Adwa” dodges and weaves around the core riffs with a mid-section powered by a dusty, unpredictable guitar solo. Not to be outdone, as the guitar fades a burst of brass attacks your senses, leaving no rest for your already shuffling feet.

For the weary dancers a respite is waiting in the form of “Ti-de” – a wandering, swaying African waltz, during which, each member is allowed the space to flex their musical muscle throughout the six minutes of reflective soul. Little hints of flair and finesse fill the gaps between the song’s main motifs, as the band refrain from hitting full throttle. They want the listener to stay connected to this moment with no distractions.

“Uman” is a “celebration of women, black women in particular” according to Maurice Grey, the collective’s composer and trumpeter. The initial notes sound almost mournful, highlighting the struggles that have occurred throughout history, and sadly that still arise today. As the notes fade, the mood is shifted to become more empowering, a knowing laugh in the face of adversity. This is a celebration of womanhood and black culture, not a song of sympathy.

The EP closes with the glistening “Abusey Junction”, KOKOROKO’s nocturnal, introspective lullaby. Built upon a composition from guitarist Oscar Jerome, this is a song that is held close to the hearts of all that who hear it, and will no doubt continue to bowl over thousands of new listeners with it’s calming, meditive groove.

thelineofbestfit.com

Onom Agemo & The Disco Jumpers - Magic Polaroid

 

German quintet Onom Agemo And The Disco Jumpers continue to evolve, straying ever further from the instrumental band they still were on 'Cranes And Carpets', their 2015 debut album. 'Magic Polaroid' was recorded in just three days at the Berlin Butterama Studio of Daniel Nentwig and Sebastian Maschat. The cover image of the album, artwork by Nicholas Henderson, is of course a reflection on album title 'Magic Polaroid', but is also a nod to the kaleidoscope of genres the band manages to weave together into a conjuring blend. In opener 'Trumpets Of Denmark', Natalie Greffel's screaming vocals almost sound like a political manifesto. For the psychedelic 'Bonne Trance' the band was clearly inspired by the Maghrebian gnawa tradition, including krakebs (thanks to guest percussionist Maria Schneider), while in 'Welcome Eko' clear echoes from the Indonesian gamelan tradition can be heard. 'Broken Silences' opens very fragilely, but evolves into a kind of Brazilian Afro-jazz in which especially keyboardist Jörg Hochapfel and saxophonist Johannes Schleiermacher can fully indulge themselves. On 'Magic Polaroid', Onom Agemo And The Disco Jumpers certainly sound even more freaky than they did on its predecessors, but this remains fascinating music none the less.

rebelbase.be 

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Ever since Onom Agemo & The Disco Jumpers broke the dreaded curse of the difficult second album by releasing Liquid Love (2017), a cocktail so spicy and delectable that it could warm the cockles of the grumpiest man alive's heart, even in the most Arctic conditions, everybody wondered how the Onom crew could top that one. But now you have an opportunity to whip out your Magic Polaroid as proof that this wasn't an impossible project. Never before has the band so successfully captured their full-on live sound as they do here, thanks to three days of recording frenzy at Daniel Nentwig and Sebastian Maschat's Butterama studio, a haven of analog hardware hidden in a remote part of Berlin's Neukölln district. The exploding kaleidoscope of styles that make up this album, perfectly reflected by the stunning cover artwork from Nick Henderson and photography by Christoph Rothmeier, means that they can no longer be confined to their early description as an Afro-funk quintet or merely described as a lively tribute to the artists which have influenced them; their sound is 100 per cent pure uncut Onom Agemo, even though every track feels like a new beginning. The presence of a charismatic in-house vocalist who brought her own lyrics along has also boosted their confidence considerably and provided a further knock-out punch to their onstage performances. No one will be disappointed as soon as the first bars of "The Trumpets Of Denmark" stomp on stage like a boisterous fanfare, with Johannes Schleiermacher's impressive wall of sound production making the musicians sound like a much bigger band than what their line-up suggests (with Maria Schneider from Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra adding some extra percussive clout) and just the right amount of dizzying cross-rhythms to steer it away from potential bombast. When Onom Agemo's powerhouse vocalist Natalie Greffel starts chanting what at first sounds like a string of onomatopoeia, it soon becomes clear that she's laying down her manifesto for a nostalgic space-age yet to come, with a few key words serving as mantras (focus, patience, tears, and creation). This is an invitation to drive off the information superhighway and its endless litany of polite noises, to redirect our gaze inside ourselves and learn to understand and sometimes question how others perceive us.  

forcedexposure.com