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Ben ' s Belinga The Last Note of an original Jazz Man
Ben ' s Belinga on Stage with Valerie Lobé playing Drums
Sober and talented , Bens Belinga was one of those musicians who above all are artists at heart , always putting forward their passion before their person , working tirelessly both in the meanders of Parisian studios and under the silhouettes of headliners , in the shadows of spotlights on big stars , such as Manu Dibango , Awa Timbo , or Toure Kunda , or the Kaoma group , Ben ’ s Belinga born André Belinga , was a gifted eclectic saxophone player , the sound esthete was beyond all a savvy music lover .
Ben ' s Belinga , Bindré for his acolytes had an atypical signature in the profusion of sounds of his sax . An imprint that betrayed the Bantu roots of Belinga . A worthy son of the Beti ethnic group from south-central Cameroon Bens Belinga was born in 1954 in the country that some call Africa in miniature , since , from North to South from East to West , it is a true summary of the climatic and cultural diversity of Africa as a whole . Brother of a renowned musician , the multi-instrumentalists Mekongo President who died a few years ago , he was immersed in music very early on , inspired by some of his Afro-American elders such as John Coltrane , Lester Young , Charlie Parker , or King Curtis .
28 Flashmag ! Issue 126 February 2022