Afro-jazz saxophone legend Manu Dibango has passed away in Paris after contracting COVID-19. He was 86.
His death was confirmed in a statement shared on Facebook.
“Dear family, dear friends, dear fans,” the statement began.
“A voice raises from far away…
“It is with deep sadness that we announce you the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on 24th of March 2020, at 86 years old, further to covid 19.”
Considered one of the founding fathers of funk, Dibango carved out his legacy fusing jazz and funk with the music of his home country, Cameroon. Perhaps best known for his 1972 hit ‘Soul Makossa’. The vocal refrain from the track, “ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-ko-sa”, has been sampled in many songs including Michael Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ and Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop The Music’.
Over the course of his illustrious career, he collaborated with a slew of respected musicians — including pianist Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.
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“African music was in a museum for a long time,” Dibango shared The New York Times in 1995. “People said ‘Africans have rhythm in their blood, everybody’s a musician down there.’ But the music stayed behind the tom-tom. It did not open itself up to the world. Africa only came to the world through its past, never its present.”
Watch: Soul Makossa – ‘Manu Dibango’
