Manu Dibango - O Boso (1972) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

Dibango is Cameroon's, and perhaps Africa's, best-known jazz saxophonist.
Born 12 December 1933, in Douala, Cameroon. He was sent to France to complete his education in 1949, Dibango lived in Paris until 1956. By now a proficient saxophonist and classically trained pianist, he then moved to Brussels, Belgium. In Brussels, he played regularly at the Black Angels Club, developing his fusion of jazz and Cameroonian makossa music. In 1960, he joined the band led by the father of modern Zairean music, Joseph Kabasele, then toured Europe with African Jazz. Returning to Zaire with Kabasele, he stayed with African Jazz until 1963, when he returned to Cameroon and formed his own band. In 1965, just as the soul music explosion was hitting Europe, Dibango returned to Paris, where he supported himself as a studio musician, also backing up visiting black American and African musicians.

Dibango recorded his first album, Manu Dibango, in 1968, followed by O Boso (1971) and Soma Loba (1972). Informed by jazz and R&B, all three albums were essentially in the same urgent - at times fantastically raucous - makossa mould, which Dibango successfully introduced to the international marketplace. The beginnings of his big-time international breakthrough, however, came in 1971, during a brief visit to Cameroon. President Ahidjo commissioned Dibango to write a patriotic song for the Africa Cup football match to be played in Douala, and on the b-side Dibango recorded a throwaway instrumental titled ‘Soul Makossa’. It took two years for the ‘Soul Makossa’ seed to sprout, but when it did, it grew fast. In 1973, New York radio disc jockey Frankie Crocker played the track on station WLIB and unleashed a tidal wave of makossa fever in the city. A total of 30, 000 import copies were sold within a week, and 23 cover versions recorded within a month. Atlantic Records then bought the USA rights and shipped an initial 150, 000 copies over from France, to tide them over until they could get their own pressings into the shops. Dibango went on to win a Gold Disc for USA sales of the record, and was nominated for the annual Grammy Award for the Best R&B Instrumental Performance Of The Year. Similar success stories occurred all over Europe and Africa. 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 80s biggest selling albums, Thriller. Oldies.com

Track listing:

01. New-Bell (Hard Pulsation)
02. Nights In Zeralda
03. Hibiscus
04. Dangwa (Three Points)
05. Wild Man In The City
06. O Boso
07. Ngosso

Personnel:

Manu Dibango: saxophone, vocal.
Jerry Malekani: electric guitar.
Pierre Zogo: acoustic guitar.
Long Manfred: bass.
Joby Jobs: drums.
Freddy Mars: percussion.
Manu Rodanet: tumbas.
Georges Arvanitas: piano.
Patrice Galas: piano.
All tracks written by Manu Dibango.
Produced by Rolande Le Couviour.

Technicals:

Knosti RCM.
Michell GyroDec full version.
Funk Firm FXR II Tonearm.
Audio Technica AT33PTG/II MC Cartridge.
Harman Kardon HK990 Integrated Amplifier.
Gold Interconnects. E-MU 0204 Audio Interface.
Recording, split and manual de-click with Adobe Audition 3.0.1
Click Repair 3.8.4