Jungle Riders

Starting the week off with a rare cut from Manu Dibango, titled "Jungle Riders". This heavy Afro funk track is included on Dibango's very rare 1972 album African Voodoo. Out of all of the saxophonist's numerous releases, African Voodoo might represent the hardest one to actually find. One of the reason's might be because Dibango's name doesn't appear on the cover of the album, with only a slight mention on the record's back cover. Also this was one of his few releases right before his classic signature Soul Makossa release, which happened later on in the same year. Some of the record's standout tracks include "Groovy Flute", "African Pop Session", "Aphrodite Shake", and of course today's featured track "Jungle Riders". Overall, African Voodoo is a solid Afro funk record that finds Dibango at the early stages of finding his "makossa style" identity and a great collector's item for fans of the legendary musician. Enjoy the ride!

Manu Dibango - Jungle Riders

Ring The Bell

Here is one of my favorite Manu Dibango tracks in his 1972 cut of "New Bell". This funky African jazz gem was originally released off of Dibango's classic album Soul Makossa. The song is often over-shadowed by the record's titled track, "Soul Makossa", and probably rightfully so. That being said, "New Bell", which finds Dibango's signature sound at it's best, is an overall amazing track that certainly has the ability to stand on it's own. Enjoy!

Manu Dibango - New Bell

Makossa Man

For the six months I've slowly been adding to my growing Manu Dibango collection. The saxophonist that brought us "Soul Makossa", in time, has become one of my all-time favorite artists. With that being said, I was very excited to pick-up a copy of his 1973 Makossa Man album during my recent trip to New York. When it comes to a Manu Dibango record, you really can't go wrong, especially if your into that afro-jazz funk groove that Dibango mastered so well during the early 1970's. With his solid follow-up to the Soul Makossa record, Dibango basically begins where he left off by putting down some funky cuts like "Pepe Soul", "Mwasa Makossa", and "Senga". For those that fell in love with Soul Makossa, this is the perfect follow-up record, providing the same kind of "Makossa" punch from start to finish. Overall, it was a nice find to add to my ever-growing Manu Dibango collection.

Manu Dibango - Senga