GANGBE BRASS BAND - Press Release
The Gangbe Brass Band (seven horns and two percussionists) draws its inspiration from the musical heritage of the former Dahomey (the name of Benin until 1975) and Black Africa in general
“Valérie Simonet----Guide Méditerranée 31-07-99 fr”
With these men, originally from Benin, rhythm seems as vital as a mobile phone does to the young Parisian Homo erectus. The Gangbe Brass Band has been raised on tradition reflected in their costumes and musical pulsations. The rhythms which emanate from the various percussion instruments are mantric, the horns and the voices a chiaroscuro of illumination on the corporal and acoustic vibrations
“La Nouvelle République” du 04-08-99 Thouars. Fr
When all eight Beninese musicians from the Gangbe Brass Band made their musical entrance dressed in their shimmering embroidered boubous and wearing their tarbooshoes or fez tuba, sax, trumpets, percussion and drums immediately drew the spectators into a riotous show mixing music, song and dance and original compositions and where an astonishing fusion of jazz and traditional beninese music operates
“P.-F. C. L’Yonne REPUBLICAINE du 21-07-99. Fr”
The Mentality. A title from the album of the same name, Gangbe, produced by Lo’Djo Triban, recorded in Bamako (Mali) Gangbe Brass Band from Cotonou (Benin). A brass band percussion ensemble inspired by the traditional songs and rhythms of Benin but who also pay homage to Fela, one of their heroes, with a retake of Colonial
« Patrick Labesse, Le Monde /06/07/99, Fr”
The encounter of the eight musicians of the Gangbe Brass Band, an explosive Beninese fanfare which has not forgotten that voodoo was born on the banks of the former Dahomey
“Bouziane Daoudi/ Libération / 12-08-99 Saint-Nazaire, Fr”
…………Lo’Jo, cherished group of the Angevins and the Gangbe Brass Band of Cotonou (Benin) gave an exceptional concert by position closed, Thursday evening, as part of the Festival “Angers l’été”. “Top”, “remarkable”, “magic”, “hellish”, “a real treat”, “ enormous”, so many qualifying that could be heard by the people who was present to the “Cloitre Toussaint”…………
“G, F, Le Guide Angers, Ouest- France/ 17, 18/ 08/99”
…………The songs taken especially from the national patrimony mix on the whole. The crowd is carried away into that fusion which is Gangbe, so good that after an hour of that musico-metallic frenzy, it wants and obtain a recall by the “vivacity” of the director of the FCC, André Joly…………
« Jules-Alex.M. Les Echos Jours/ 31/05/99 BENIN »
…and when, as a bonus,all ten artists from the Gangbe Brass Band joined them with their multicoloured flower- bedecked costumes, the energy released was so powerful that the crowd did not want to let them go…
“Mchèle LA Ferrière / Le Soleil du 10-07-99 Québec”
Gangbe, a name which means the sound of metal. Quite a show for this brass and percussion ensemble, made up of former jazzmen who have chosen to promote the traditional music of their country, Benin
“Nord Éclair du 07-07-99 Lille.Fr”
…but the group which fascinated me the most turned out to be “Gangbe Brass Band”. Here are some youngsters with something new, a revolution for the senses, the most noble beninese music to date: an inspiration from the innermost depths of national folklore, very good orchestrations, impeccable sound effects, a symphony of high- class horns, in-tune vocals, in fact, everything you would expect from a top notch band…
Alphonse da SILVA ( auteur-compositeur-chanteur-Professeur à l’Ena / Unb ) le Matin n° 1759 Du 12-04-00 BENIN “
…the singer’s Yoruba incantations, to a background of juju trumpets and drums, sent those in the crowd who understood their meaning into trance on occasion…The show’s showdown ended amidst the spectators wild ovations… “Christian Zossou / Le Matin du 29-05-99. Bénin”
Saint- Louis Jazz Festival
The eight musicians arrive on stage like a tribe from Dahomey. Dressed in voluminous, colourful boubous, wearing traditional tarbooshes, or fez, their shout, sing, and dance as once their ancestors did during traditional funerary ceremonies. Wednesday evening, Place Faidherbe, the dull sound of bells of the “Gangbe Brass Band” astonished more than one. The more puritan of the Jazz fraternity must have been reassured when they got their horns out: saxophones, trombones and trumpets were also to be part of the act. “Our music is above all music of discovery”, Aristide Agondunbo likes to say. These young beninese have chosen to ally tradition and modernity that brings an original touch to their compositions. Voodoo rhythms and popular song unites with the sound of the brass section unique style…”
“Delphine Nougairede- Le Soleil 2/6/2000 Abidjan”
(Saint-Louis) On stage, the musicians of the Gangbe Brass Band look like a cross-section of Yoruba high society. Bellowing boubous and multicoloured bonnets set the style for these beninese musicians who opened the Eighth Saint-Louis Jazz Festival. There are nine of them but they play like there’s one hundred. Wednesday evening ,they have carried the crowd of blacks and whites on the Place Faidherbe away on a chaotic sonic voyage exploring all the rhythmic and melodic diversity of West Africa. Yoruba, Fon, Gun and Meame sonorities references to the voodoo cult make up the bases of his group founded in 1994 by a bunch of jazz, brass and percussion crazed youngsters. In the Fon language, Gangbe means “The sound of metal”. Four trumpeters, two trombonists (one of whom, playing piston-trombone, plays the role of bassist), a saxophonist and a hole array of drums beaten by two enraged yet smiling drummers are the particularity of these likely lads who really look like they’re having a good time on stage.
They glide effortlessly from high-life to the melting-pot style of Osibisa. While simultaneously making Subtle incursions into the JuJu country of King Sunny Ade. You can feel it best when one of the trumpeters grabs hold of a talking-drum, a tama ,to play a bar which strangely resembles “Synchro-System” one of the Nigerian “King’s” hits. Another Nigerian giant, Fela, is also fairy present in the inspiration of the “Gangbe Brass Band”, especially in the melodic architecture of the horn section. The nine beninese musicians are past masters in the art of making music without seeming to do so whilst transforming themselves into dancers from time to time. At Place Faidherbe they delighted an audience eager to discover what these brass-blowing maniacal instrumentalists look like…”
“Mamoune Faye- Le Soleil 3-4/6/2000 Abidjan”