Lawdy Rolla / Ne Me Quitte Pas – The Guerrillas, 1969

🎷🎸🇨🇲💿💰 In 1969, the young Manu Dibango and Slim Pezin got together briefly to found The Guerrillas, a short-lived group that provided the back-band for T-Bone Walker on his album Good Feeling. They took the opportunity to record a single 45, consisting of two tracks including the legendary Lawdy Rolla on side A, a successful blend of soul, jazz and cool. On the other side, they cover Ne Me Quitte Pas, with jazz accents enhanced by (perhaps) Mam Houari’s saxophone. Seven minutes, no more, for one of the most cryptic bands of the era. The cover photo shows Jean Dikoto Mandengue on the left, playing bass. And from the notes on T-Bone Walker’s album, we can assume that Lucien Dobat was also on drums (in the middle of the photo). The 45 rpm is regularly traded at exorbitant prices on specialist platforms today…