Makossa with Manu

Manu Dibango, born Emmanuel Dibango N'Djoké on December 12, 1933 in Douala, Cameroon is a Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music. He is a member of the Yabassi ethnic group, though his mother was a Duala. He is best remembered for his afrobeat single "Soul Makossa", often considered the first disco record.

He was a member of the seminal Congolese rumba group

African Jazz, and has collaborated with many other musicians, including Fania All Stars, Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Don Cherry, and Sly and Robbie. In 1998 he recorded the album CubAfrica with Cuban artist Eliades Ochoa.

The song of the same name on that record contains the lyrics "makossa", which means "(I) dance" in his native tongue, the

Cameroonian language, Duala). It has influenced several popular music hits, including; Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", as well as his re-recording of that song with Akon, The Fugees' "Cowboys", and Rihanna’s "Don't Stop the Music". The 1982 parody song "Boogie In Your Butt" by comedian Eddie Murphy interpolates Soul Makossa's bassline and horn charts while "Butt Naked Booty Bless" by 1990s hip hop group Poor Righteous Teachers heavily samples its musical bridge and drum patterns.

He served as the first chairman of the Cameroon Music Corporation, with a high profile in disputes about artists' royalties. Dibango was appointed a

UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2004.

His song "Reggae Makossa" is featured on the soundtrack to the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours.

FELA on Broadway

Enter the extravagant, decadent, rebellious world of
Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

SAVE NOW WITH CODE FEWTG93

10/19/09 - 11/21/09
$52 (reg. $99)

12/1/09 - 01/31/10
$67 (reg. $112-$122)

FELA!, the award-winning new musical that The New York Times called "a show that melts walls" is coming to Broadway. Based on the life of groundbreaking African composer and performer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, FELA! uses Afrobeat music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies) to explore his controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician. Directed and choreographed by Tony® Award winner Bill T. Jones, with a book by Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones, FELA! is a provocative hybrid of concert, dance and musical theatre.



For more information, go to: www.felaonbroadway.com/walktallgirl.php