Bassist, Guitarist, Percussionist, Drumer, Singer, Arranger, Composer, Producer.
Noël Ekwabi is one of the best African musicians of the moment. Displaying an early affinity for all types of music, this Cameroonian-born and Paris-based artist began as a child by teaching himself to play drums, percussions and guitar. And by the age of fifteen, he was a member of the first youth jazz group in the country, performing alongside several prominent Cameroonian music figures. However, bass guitar became his biggest love and today, he is considered one of the best bassist in the world. Humble and discreet, Ekwabi is constantly offering his musical skills to renowned artists. He arrived in Marseille ( France ) in 1980 to study medicine. A few years later, when he left that city, he was a gold medallist of the Marseille Conservatoire. His aptitude for leading a band often gets him to serve as the musical director to many renowned artists such as Manu Dibango (for whom he worked for ten years, co-producing and co-arranging two of his latest albums). Humble, discret but yet in constant demand, Noel Ekwabi has an impressive recording and performance catalog which is noteworthy for its caliber and its diversity. Noel Ekwabi’s musicianship is certainly best expressed in his masterful integration of different musical genres; combining as he does in the album Mulato, all the varied musical influences which define his artistic personality.
RECORDINGS and PERFORMANCES
JAZZ: Julien Lourau,, Graham Hines, Groove Collective
POP : William Sheller, Peter Gabriel, Patrick Bruel, Yannick Noah, Ute Lemper.
BLUES : Marla Glen
R’nB : K-REEN, Kristel Adams
RAP: Tukuleur, Lester Bilal
RAÃ : Cheb Mami, Ferhat
FUNK : Ruan Rozoff, Hopen Collective
REGGAE: Princess Erika
AFRICAN: Papa Wemba, Sally Nyolo, Francis Bebey, Ray Leyma, Coco Mbassi, Youssou N’Dour, Zao, Sam Manguana, Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Rokia Traore, Jimmy Dludlu, Amapondo, Angelique Kidjo, Geoffrey Oryema
AFROJAZZ: Manu Dibango, Jay Lou Ava, Richard Bona, Gino Sitson
AFROCARAÃBEAN: Zouk Machine, Jean Claude Naimro, Mario Canonge
SALSA : Raul Paz
Latin Jazz : Omar Sosa
ASIAN : Nusrat Fate Alican, Bapi de Calcutta
BRAZILIAN : Sergio Otanazetra, Raimondo Sodre, Tanya Maria
Gospel: London Community Gospel Choir
SOUNDTRACKS:
- MACADAM TRIBU: (1996 ; Director: Jose Laplaine )
-LYNDSEE EST TOUJOURS EN VADROUILLE (1989 ; DIRECTOR : Marie Helene Brisou )
-NYA FALLAH ( 2001 ; Director : Flora Gomez )
-KIRIKOU ( 2005 ; Director : Michel Ocelot )
AWARDS Prix Découverte RFI 1996 for Mwengue mwa Ndolo written for singer Coco Mbassi