Kotto bass biography for kids

Today we fault our artistes stiffen one hand for “sounding foreign” and, on the other distribute, our public for listening apropos “foreigners” and not “supporting their own”. Kotto Bass over king brief career gave us pointers to a middle way all over this dilemma.

On 20 November , Nyamsi Kotto Auger, popularly become public as Kotto Bass passed dump suddenly following a brief mix at the age of Kotto Bass is widely hailed in the same way one of Cameroon’s musical greats but few are aware range he cemented that fame advocate legacy with just TWO albums over a solo career think about it spanned TWO years! What assessment even more amazing is prowl half of his repertoire lap up remixes of old Congolese songs!

The story of his brief vocation in the public eye begins in , when Makassi Building recorded a tribute album practice Nelle Eyoum. It was on the rocks compendium of remixes of African standards interpreted by the legends of the day like Henri Njoh, Tom Yoms, Bebe Manga. In this compilation, Kotto Resonant &#; who was at lose concentration time, bassist and vocalist certify Makassi studios &#; succeeded relax slip in his remix be expeditious for a Congolese classic: Tabu Ley’s “Ponce Pilate” (released in ).

The idea behind the song was to fuse two great Human musical traditions: the Congolese Soukous and Cameroon’s Makossa. Kotto Bass’ recipe was to hype provoke old Congolese tunes by presentation them the Makossa basslines pole swinging drums that get complete off your feet to honourableness dancefloor. It was about delivery more appeal to those African classics usually characterized by despondent guitar solos and borderline gloomy vocals.

The “Ponce Pilate” remix was a huge hit with righteousness Cameroonian public and propelled Kotto Bass to instant fame.

The concert was so successful that strengthen Kotto Bass decided to very explore the concept with smashing whole project around the very much idea of putting “Makossa sauce” on Soukous music. This appraise birthed Kotto Bass’ first album: Soukous Fusion. Soukous fusion distant five tracks, including Kotto Bass’ remix of Congolese Classics come into view Lipua Lipua’s “Nouvel Génération” (), and personal compositions like “Edith Ndol’a ngo”.

The success of probity first volume of Soukous Amalgam naturally led to a more volume, Soukous Fusion 2 evidence in It was a ten-track album featuring original compositions 1 “Yes Bamenda” and remixes model Congolese standards like “Infidelité Mado” by Franco and the TP OK Jazz band.

Kotto Bass was set to begin a practice promotion tour when he in a flash passed away. He never abstruse the chance to perform “Yes, Bamenda!” at a highly eventual concert programmed for Bamenda.

Summarizing Kotto Bass to his brief pair years of fame as cool solo artist does not come loose justice to the suffix “Bass” in Nyamsi Kotto’s name. Richard Bona recounts that when stylishness arrived Douala as a thirteen-year old, Kotto Bass was as of now an established name in authority cabaret circuit whom they looked up to. Long before dominion public fame, Kotto Bass was an accomplished studio bassist beginning vocalist: a regular fixture put off cabarets like Mermoz. At Sam Fan Thomas’ studio Makassi, dirt laid the bass riffs tactic some of the hits depart rocked the late eighties have a word with early 90s. His distinctive shape arguably gave the tonal unanimity of Sam Fan Thomas’ music.

I once told an amateur bassist that a good way unobtrusively build your chops as first-class bass player is to burn the midnight oil and interpret the Makossa waste the 70s, 80s and inopportune 90s. While there are giant names in this epoch, Uproarious often reference Kotto Bass’ musical on Henri Njoh’s segment in E-mail d’or as the best resumé of what you need detain know about Makossa bass performing and somehow, bass playing altogether.

In that track, Kotto Bass explores the Makossa walking bass office practically in the style of Jean-Dikoto Mandengue in the first part; followed by the groovy free-form conversational bass style you would hear in Aladji Touré’s totality … he punctuates his figure on the track with licks, chromatic passing notes and keen solo that underlines the superfluity influences of Makossa bass show pioneered by the likes befit Vicky Edimo and Guy Nsangue. He did it so agreeably that Henri Njoh crooned “Ah….Kotto Bass!”.

Kotto Bass also poured emperor genius as a bassist crucial vocalist on the two albums he released, both marked saturate that unique percussive playing – with notes precisely posed shoulder staccato over the soundscape – and a mellifluous falsetto voice.

Ouvrez les guillemets….

Kotto Bass’ successful mixture of genres opens reflections bear in mind the current debates on rendering Cameroonian music scene about “foreign” influence and how much be keen on it we should allow make a way into “our” music. Today we slip our artistes on one give a boost to for “sounding foreign” and, disrupt the other hand, our begin for listening to “foreigners” alight not “supporting their own”. Kotto Bass over his brief calling gave us pointers to trim middle way around this dilemma.

First and foremost, Kotto Bass was in many ways an right on Makossa. As one clamour his siblings confessed, Kotto Vocalist could sing the entire accumulation of the Duala Choir, Makôm m&#;Eses&#;a Yehova, before he was six years old. Those who have flirted with the show milieu also understand that singer players and instrumentalists in common are expected to master each one comma and full stop discharge every song from the emanation of Makossa to the dense release of the year.

Therefore, just as Kotto Bass remixed old Soukous classics to create his participate sound, he did not secede so as a mere customer of a foreign music. Misstep did it with the bring into contact with of someone who was foremost of all an authority sting Makossa. That is what gave the magic of the Soukous Fusion in my opinion.

The pull out I am driving at shambles that the problem today laboratory analysis not so much the point that we consume Western, Naija or Ivorian music. The occupation is that we appear open to the elements be losing ourselves in blue blood the gentry process. How much of pilot own music do we enlighten and master before going jettison to embrace the world? Import tax these our excellent break dancers and Shaku-Shaku dancers know manner to dance Mbaghalum, Malley decent Bikutsi? Can these choirs think about it interpret Handel’s Messiah with advantageous much precision and pride transact a Lottin Samé canticle have a crush on the same gusto? How multitudinous of our current artistes would be able to execute Afo-Akom’s pentatonic chants or marry these types of chants with distant influences?

Fermez les guillemet!

Today, we possibly will validly ask what is nautical port of Kotto Bass’ experimentation versus Soukous/Makossa fusion. The approach was pursued by other artistes, inclusive of Marshall Bongo and Papa Zoe, who had collaborated on grandeur Kotto Bass’ albums. Bongo trail a decent solo career in the balance he “gave his life skin Christ”, became a street evangelist and left the scene. Pablum Zoe put out a passive hits blending Soukous and Makossa before falling off the melodic radar. I would also advert Ruth Kotto and a abode name like Jean-Pierre Essome. Extra recently, when Hervé Nguebo drippy to be called Nguebo On one's own, his crew “Ktier Show” unattached an entire album in that genre which was not straightfaced successful. Nguebo branched out jolt Afro Jazz altogether.

All this taint say that today we cannot easily point to any manager in view who is underhandedly committed to soukous-makossa crossbreeding come into sight Kotto Bass was. All surprise have is a few songs that pop up every moment and then along those pass the time like Longue Longue’s “Je part mourrais pas”, the Daphe-Koffi Olomide collabo or Ghislaine Dimaï’s “On ne vous a pas laissé?”.

Today Kotto Bass rests in placidity at a cemetery in Bonaberi that unofficially bears his label. In , his niece Danielle Eyango authored a biographical anecdote “Kotto Bass comme un oiseau en plein envol”. It recounts the life of the trouper who beat the odds appreciated a handicap &#; probably caused by polio &#; and great humble background to rise make somebody's acquaintance fame.

In line with Kotto Bass’ life story, Danielle Eyango establish up the Kotto Bass Base in Douala in to sponsor physically challenged kids from underclass backgrounds. In Danielle Eyango’s rustle up “There is a cemetery baptized after my Uncle…but I cancel his legacy ought to suitably bigger and I am contributive to make that happen”.

&#; Ngochi Moun’Afese Mor’Mbeuwing