Etienne Mbappé & The Prophets

The gig tonight is the third of our "French" influenced nights, featuring the remarkable bass player Etienne Mbappe. Born in Douala, Cameroon, Etienne is widely recognised as one of the finest electric bass players of his generation. After moving to France in 1978 he studied guitar and bass at the Conservatory of Chevilly in France before joining the crossover band Ultramarine in the mid 80's. By the late 80's he was touring the world with the ONJ (National Jazz Orchestra) and in the early 1990's he joined the first of the major international artists he was to work with over the next 20 years, Salif Keita. The 90's saw him working, as well as with Salif, with a variety of high profile artists until, in 2000, he was asked to join Joe Zawinul's "Zawinul Syndicate", a move that firmly established his credentials as a world-class player. He played on Ray Charles's last album and in 2010 joined John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension. More recently he has been concentrating on his own solo career, creating music that is a unique blend of Jazz, African music, funk, rock and classical. Tonight Etienne will be bringing to the Club his amazing 7-piece Jazz/Groove band performing primarily originals, wearing his trademark silk gloves that, uniquely in world music, he always wears when he plays (ah, that guy!). He really is quite brilliant and this will be a rare opportunity to hear this remarkable musician in an intimate Club atmosphere.

"Planted high atop a siege of multi-talented and multi-genre bassists is Etienne Mbappé, who showcases an amazing array of voices on his instrument, and a colourful palate of ideas within his compositional skills. Lyrical lines, breathtaking rhythmic virtuosity, and masterful grooving...." BassMusician magazine