Bienvenu (Bibi) Tanga plays bass precisely and lyrically, carrying the technical load and providing the tone and mood that help communicate the theme. Writing of peace, hope and celebration, he stumbles on the first two tracks, “The Moon” and “Red Wine.” Instead of writing and singing a whole lyric, Tanga’s best when he uses his voice as an additional instrument; for example, the minimalism of “Dunya” or repeating a line as on “Bonjour mon ami Jean.” Co-produced with turntablist le Professeur Inlassable, this full-length debut has some fine formations of Western and African jazz, funk and R&B from Tanga, who grew up in the Parisian suburbs the son of refugees from the Central African Republic, and his quartet of Selenites.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.