đ„đ·đșđžđ€đžđłđŽ In Montpellier in the mid-80s, the Mbaye brothers scoured the local music scene and put together Kunta Kinte, a group that quickly became a benchmark for world music made in Languedoc. I’ve already had occasion to say how fertile this local soil was. As a student myself, I also played in a local band, with the help of my first Cameroonian bass player, BĂ©nilde Foko. Fortunately, and for the good of humanity, all the tapes of this adventure have been destroyed (not the memories!). But BĂ©nilde was already a true professional, and the bassist for Kunta Kinte, where he shared the rhythm section with another friend of the time, the indisputable SĂ©ga Seck. Forty years on, these two are still playing, and it’s always a pleasure to meet up again. The group led by Badara, Amadou and Meissa Mbaye set the stages alight with a blend of afro-pop, mbalax and reggae, in the vein of TourĂ© Kunda or Youssou N’dour, for example. Kunta Kinte recorded a few albums, including Occitan’ Africa, released in 1998, with Cheikh Tidiane Fall, Jean-Philippe Rykiel, Dondieu Divin and, on brass, a certain Franck Nicolas, who had since moved to Montpellier. Nostalgic, but positive!
[Edit] It is with great sadness that we learn today, 28 September 2024, of the death of Amadou Mbaye. He was a great figure in Montpellier’s afro-jazz fusion scene, and these are warm memories of concerts… RIP and condolences to his family and friends.
