About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Cameroonian saxophonist/composer Manu Dibango has done many virtuous things in his career, but when he gets to the Pearly Gates, betcha St. Pete goes, "Hey, aren't you the guy who wrote 'Soul Makossa'?" The title cut of this 1972 classic is a definite contender for best-ever use of a wah-wah pedal, and that chant ("Ma-ma-ko, ma-ma-sa, ma-ko, ma-ko-sa!") is so simple, so darn funky, even Yanni couldn't wreck it. But don't buy this record just for the hit. Buy it for all the other great stuff, like "Dangwa," a tropical funk workout in which Malekani Gerry sloshes pungent guitar juice all over Dibango's bouncy arrangement. Or the smoky, reverb-drenched "Nights in Zeralda" where the bassist known only as Long Manfred carries Dibango's serpentine sax lines along like cargo on a Congo River night boat. Or "Lili," which starts off on a nostalgic rumba slow-grind that sets you up for a quick Congolese-style soukous shift, only to deliver a kickin' New Orleans rhythm that would not be lost on the Meters. Surprises like these -- as much as the killer grooves -- mark Dibango's genius. Erik Goldman, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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