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Manu Dibango was a Cameroonian musician and composer who played the saxophone and vibraphone. Manu Dibango was a musical style that fused jazz, funk and traditional Cameroonian music.
Did he die infected with CoronaVirus?
Jazz legend Manu Dibango died in Paris at age 86 after contracting coronavirus in a Paris hospital, according to a message posted Tuesday on his official Facebook page, written in French.
“With deep sadness we announce the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who died on March 24, 2020, at the age of 86, due to covid 19”
Additionally, they held his funeral services in strict privacy followed by a tribute when possible, according to Tuesday’s announcement. Funerals in France are limited to 20 people, which constitutes the closest circle of the deceased. It is due to the confinement of the country to try to control the spread of COVID.
He was one of the pioneers of Afro-jazz. He also fused funk and traditional Cameroonian music. Furthermore, Manu was also popular with the nickname “Papy Groove”.
Early life and childhood
Manu Dibango was born Emmanuel Dibango N’Djocke in Douala, Cameroon, on December 12, 1933. However, he died at the age of 86 due to COVID-19 (March 24, 2020). His father is Michel Manfred N’Djoké Dibango, a civil servant. His mother was a fashion designer and ran her own small business.
Additionally, he had no siblings, although he did have a stepbrother from his father’s previous marriage. And in Cameroon, ethnicity is dictated by his father, although Dibango wrote in his autobiography, Three Kilos of Coffee, that he “had never been able to fully identify with either of them.” [his] parents.”
During his childhood, Dibango slowly forgot the Yabassi language in favor of Douala. However, his family lived in the Yabassi camp on the Yabassi plateau. Dibango attended the Protestant church every night to receive religious education or nkouaida.
After his education at his village school, Dibango attended a colonial school, near his home, where he learned French. He appreciated the teacher, whom he described as “an extraordinary draftsman and painter.” In 1944, French President Charles de Gaulle chose this school to perform welcome ceremonies upon his arrival in Cameroon. Dibango moved to France to study Music. He enrolled in piano lessons.
Professional life
Manu began taking classical piano lessons at age 17, and a few years later studied saxophone, becoming captivated by the music of Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, and other jazz artists. He joined a jazz band with noted Cameroonian guitarist and composer Francis Bebey and soon became a recognized entity within the local jazz circuit.
In 1956, Dibango moved to Brussels, where he not only learned to play the vibraphone but also expanded his stylistic vocabulary to include various West African forms, particularly makossa, a Cameroonian genre based in Douala. He began to realize his ambition of forging a new musical sound by fusing jazz with African folk traditions.
Manu toured Europe in 1960, with African Jazz, a band led by Congolese musician Joseph Kabasele, who shared Dibango’s interest in musical fusion. And after the tour, he followed Kabasele to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and remained with the band until 1963, when he returned to Cameroon. There he founded his own band and continued to expand his knowledge of regional African styles.
After returning to Paris
Manu returned to Paris in 1965 and remained a studio musician, supporting many African-American and African artists at a time when Europe was riding the wave of soul music. He continued to experiment with new jazz fusions. And various popular music, especially those from Africa and the African diaspora. He included one such experiment on the B-side of a single in 1972, when he released a song he had been commissioned to write for the African Cup of Nations football match.
Furthermore, that deal was “Soul Makossa,” a mix of jazz, makossa and soul that ultimately marked a turning point in his career. Although Europeans knew it, North America knew neither “Soul Makossa” nor Dibango himself until the tune was discovered and broadcast in 1973 by a radio disc jockey in New York City. ‘Soul Makossa’ took the United States by storm and brought Dibango into the popular music spotlight. Michael Jackson also popularly paraphrased it with the recurring phrase “ma-ma say, ma-ma sa, ma ma-coo-sa” at the end of his 1982 release “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”.
Manu traveled internationally, absorbing new sounds and undertaking collaborative projects with musicians representing a variety of popular Afro-Caribbean, African and African American musical genres. He toured internationally with the American salsa band Fania All-Stars in 1973. And after many years, he recorded two albums, Gone Clear (1980) and Ambassador (1980), in collaboration with a number of the most prominent reggae artists of Jamaica.
Caption: Manu Dibango, Imany and Yelena Noah at the launch of Tommy Hilfiger’s Promise collection in Paris, April 26, 2012. Source: Purepeople
Other achievements
Meanwhile, he released the African-oriented albums Home Made (1978), featuring Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians, and Waka Juju (1982). He drew on elements from a variety of African popular styles. Additionally, after the release of the funk-flavored Surtension (1982), Dibango worked with an international lineup of jazz luminaries, such as American pianist Herbie Hancock on Electric Africa (1985) and South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela on Afrijazzy (1986). .
His jazz mixes of the 1990s and 2000s continued to draw from a diverse group of popular music. Rap, jazz and many African traditions twisted together on Polysonik (1991), while Wakafrika (1994) brought together African vocal virtuosos Youssou N’Dour (Senegal) and King Sunny Ade (Nigeria).
And some more are Salif Keita (Mali), Angélique Kidjo (Benin), Ray Lema (Congo) and the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa), as well as other prominent musicians. Manu revisited his spiritual roots with a mix of gospel music, spirituals and rhythm and blues on the album Lamastabastani (1995). Some of the other famous songs of his are “Big Blow” and “New Bell”.
Caption: Manu Dibango while performing on stage. Source: Var-Matin
More about their albums
Manu’s albums from the early 21st century tended to be retrospective. Africadeli, for example, is a compilation of his greatest hits. He published it to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the “Soul Makossa” explosion. He published Manu Dibango joue Sidney Bechet, an all-jazz tribute to American saxophonist Sidney Bechet in 2007. Music had been a formative force in Dibango’s musical development.
In addition, Manu composed music for film and television. He published his autobiography, Three kilos of coffee, with Danielle Rouard in 1990. Considering a deep and constant concern for the well-being of humanity. And he often used his music and his influence to garner support for various humanitarian causes.
In honor of his contributions to the development of music, as well as his cultivation of intercultural dialogue (particularly between Europe, Africa and North America) through the arts, UNESCO named him Peace Artist of the Year in 2004.
In 2009, the Douala-born songwriter filed a lawsuit against Jackson and Rihanna for using the Soul Makossa hook without permission. It is alleged that when Rihanna asked Jackson to use the hook on Don’t Stop The Music, Jackson approved the request without asking Dibango.
Personal life
There are no details about her dating history till date. He has never mentioned his personal life to the public yet. However, some sources mention that she had three children, named Georgia Dibango, Marva Dibango and Michel Dibango. But the name of his wife is unknown. Likewise, Manu has not been a part of any affair rumor or any other controversy.
Awards
In addition, Manu received the Africa Festival Award from the Würzburg Africa Festival in 2006 for his musical career. In 2013 he presented his memoirs under the title Balade en Saxo Dans Les coulisses de ma vie. UNESCO mentioned him as an “artist for peace.” in 2004 for his intense work and interests in the African continent.
Photo caption: Manu Dibango and Fode Sylla at the Montparnasse Tower. Source: pure people
Manu Dibango – Net worth 2023
He was one of the greatest African musicians of all time and a legend whose contribution cannot be described in words. His exact fortune and net worth figures of him stand at around 100 million dollars. However, most of the value came from my music career and other sources. Aside from music, he had spent money on stocks and properties, and other endorsement deals. In addition, he also established brands of food, fashion and lifestyle products. Currently, he has not signed endorsement deals with any brand. However, it is certain that he will be endorsing some of the best brands from around the world very soon in the future.
Body measurements
Manu had a great personality. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed around 96 kg. His chest, waist and biceps measurement were 44-34-16 inches respectively. Also, his shoe size was 11 (US). He was bald and his eye color was dark brown.
Manu Dibango – Social Networks
Manu must be previously active on various social media platforms. But since he already passed away, we couldn’t find any of his social media accounts. However, it seems that he is available on Twitter with over 1K under the username ‘@ManuDibango’. He was also active on Facebook with over 60,000 followers.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn