Etienne Mbappe

Etienne Mbappé From Cameroon Is Considered One Of The World's Best Electric Bass Players. His Technique And Rhythmic Sense Are Amazing And He Has Created A Great Musical Genre Of His Own Transcending The Frontiers Between African Music And Other Styles Such As Jazz Fusion/funk Rock Singer/songwriter And Even Classical Music. Best Known For His Years With The Zawinul Syndicate 2000-2003 Etienne Mbappé Has Also Toured With Steps Ahead Ray Lema Mayra Andrade Salif Keita And Manu Dibango. Many Years Ago He Also Played With The French National Jazz Orchestra ONJ Under The Direction Of Antoine Hervé And Formed The Two Fusion Bands Ultramarine* And Chic Hot. 2000 - 2003 He Played With Joe Zawinul And He Can Be Heard On Several Of His Recordings For Example "Faces And Places". In 2001 Etienne Played On Ray Charles' Last Album.
His Style Is Extraordinary And Also The Fact That He Plays Wearing Silk Gloves! His Music Constitutes A Unique Fusion Between Traditional Cameroonian Rhythms Makossa Bolobo Sékélé And More Modern Music. His First Solo Album Misiya Released On The French Label O Also Reveals A Singer Whose Voice Is Smooth And Deep. In The Cameroonian Dialect Douala He Sings Of Love Of Friendships Of His Son's Eyes… And Also More Upbeat Songs That Show His Unique Feel For Dance Rhythms And His Great Talent For Arrangements And Instrumentation Including A String Quintet. The Second Album Su La Také Was Released Spring 2008. read less