Manu Dibango (1933 - )
Electric Africa (1985) - Manu Dibango [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Biography
Manu Dibango (born December 12, 1933) is a Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player. He developed a musical style fusing jazz and traditional Cameroonian music.
He has collaborated with many musicians, including Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell and Sly and Robbie.
His "Soul Makossa" is often considered the first disco record. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Dibango [Feb 2005]
Legal suit against Michael Jackson
In the 90s Dibango won a legal suit against Michael Jackson for his use of "Soul Makossa" on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", included on one of the 1980s biggest selling albums, Thriller. --http://www.musicstrands.com/action/detailArtistBio/artistId/6357 [Jul 2005]
Profile
Dibango is Cameroon's, and perhaps Africa's, best-known jazz saxophonist. Starting in the 1950s, he became a globe-trotting musician, living and performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, Zaire, and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as in Cameroon. In 1960, Dibango was one of the founding members of the Zairean band African Jazz, with whom he spent five years. World attention came to Dibango with the release in 1972 of Soul Makossa, a work that actually had precious little of the makossa sound in it, and scored later hits with Seventies and Ibida. Dibango's output has been prodigious and multi-faceted. He has worked with musicians as diverse as Fela Kuti and Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, Don Cherry and the Fania All-Stars. In addition to being one of the leading jazz saxophonists of his generation, Dibango has also run nightclubs, directed orchestras, and started one of the first African musical journals.
No review of a Manu Dibango album is complete without the now clichéd reference to "Soul Makossa." Dibango fused jazz and African rhythms, with his funky saxophone to produce a single that launched his career worldwide. The record climbed global charts, including American popular music-in 1973 no less-serving as another milestone for African music. To some "Soul Makossa" defined the concept of world music.
Electric Africa (1985) - Manu Dibango
Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Wally Badarou, Bill Laswell, Nicky Skopelitis, Aiyb Dieng, Mory Kante
see also:
1985 -
electric -
Africa -
black music -
music -
Bill Laswell -
Manu Dibango