Etienne Mbappe plays bass so smoothly that you could imagine he wears silk gloves.
He is a musician’s musician, a world class bass player based in Paris. Originally from Cameroon in Western Africa, he began his musical career in Paris in the 80s, playing with the leading names on the African music scene. He toured with the band Toure Kunda, often called the African Beatles due to their popularity, and was part of Ultramarine, a groundbreaking world music fusion band. Eventually he was recruited by the jazz legend Joe Zawinul to join his band. Later he was asked by guitarist John McLaughlin, another music icon, to become a member of his 4th Dimension band. Etienne is currently on tour in America as part of John McLaughlin's American Farewell tour.
This is part one of my interview with Etienne Mbappe.
Thankfully English is among the many languages he speaks.
Alan Bryson: First of all I want to of course thank you, and I want to tell you that this is special for me because this is the first time I've had a chance to speak with a musician from Africa. I'm curious, did you by chance happen to see the movie that Bela Fleck did (a highly regarded jazz banjo player), he went to Africa to try and find the roots of the banjo, and he played with local musicians. Did you happen to see that?
Etienne Mbappe: No not yet, but actually I've seen some clips on the Internet, like YouTube, and I know he went to West Africa, like Mali, and he put together a band with Oumou Sangare and some other musicians from Mali, and they toured the United States. But I haven't seen the movie, but I heard about the experience.
Alan Bryson: It's very good, I had a chance to see it a few months ago. It's interesting for me, when I came to Europe from America in the 80s, I lived very close to the border to France, near Strasbourg. That was before satellite television was wide spread, but I could watch television from France and I loved the music shows that they had. There was a lot of exposure to African music, there was a show called Les Enfants du rock and they had a lot of concerts with African groups. The beauty of it was, I could go to Strasbourg and easily find CD from African artists.
Usually they would be compilation CDs, and I noticed you played with one of my favorite artists, Salif Keita. I really love the song he did, Wamba.
Etienne Mbappe: Oh yes, I remember that! (Etienne sings a couple of lines from the opening of the song.)
Alan Bryson: N Tesse by Manfila Kanté was another one of my favorites, and the band Toure Kunda were great.
Etienne Mbappe: You know, the 80s were really great years for African music in Europe. It was when what they call World Music really exploded. Some if it really started in France too, because there were so many people from all over Africa meeting in Paris. At that time I was a young musician, I began my career as a professional musician in 1984. So I went straight into this African music craze. People like Youssou N'Dour had a big hit, and it really took off. I was just 20 years old at the time, and I was part of it. I played with all those great musicians, because most of them were living in Paris.
Alan Bryson: You knew the Toure Kunda guys? They were amazing!
Etienne Mbappe: I toured with them! I went all over the world with them, and Manfila Kanté. Toure Kunda were so big in France at the time, really really big, it was a great moment in music, and Paris was at the center. At that time we were young musicians and great bands like Talking Heads were coming to experience this African vibe. So I did a lot of recording sessions for famous pop bands who came over from London and America. Those years were just an exciting and great time.
Alan Bryson: You're right, I remember Sting doing a project, and Peter Gabriel did something.
Etienne Mbappe: Yeees! It was great because Peter Gabriel took some Africans on tour with him and that was tremendous, it gave them worldwide exposure, and made them famous. The 80s were a great time for African music.
Alan Bryson: Tell me a bit about growing up in Cameroon and how you got started. I read that you first started with guitar.
Etienne Mbappe: Yes that's right. Most of us in Africa start out with the guitar because it's easier to find. A family might have an acoustic guitar, and that was the guitar for all the kids. Forget about having a bass, there weren't any to be found. You had to go in a club, they used to own the equipment. So as kids we couldn't go in nightclubs. I was born in 1964, so all that generation we started with an acoustic guitar. I remember talking to my older brother and we got a guitar at Christmas time, and some of the elders taught us how to play – they knew a few chords and taught us. That gave us a start.
Most of what we were playing was traditional Cameroonian music, rhythmic music for weddings, births, baptism and things like that. So that's how I learned, there was no conservatory or music school. You had to teach yourself. Now it is better because you can go on the Internet and find things. But we were all self taught, along with a few chords from the elders and the heritage they gave us – that was it.
End of part 1 link to part 2
Photos are YouTube Screen Captures -- effects by 