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Born in Cameroon, at the Briqueterie, one of the hottest neighborhoods of Yaoundé, Zaki, is the essence of the talent that blooms through the mysteries of life. Laurent Evini, aka Zaki, has scoured all the strongholds of music in Yaoundé with his slender figure, his ineffable smile of joviality, and his bass guitar, this faithful wife who has made him a seasoned musician. Less known than his compatriots Vicky Edimo, or Richard Bona, his talent is not the least of all. It confirms the tradition that the bassists from Cameroon are among the most popular in the world. Player of jazz sanitized with the scent of the traditional and urban music of the southern tropics, Zaki who resides since 1998 in France, is the author of two eclectic albums.
Enfants du village (Children from the village), released in 2003 and Reflex in 2007. In an unpublished interview, Zaki talks about his music from his band Zaki Groove and his vision of contemporary African music.
Hi Zaki, Flashmag! and his readership are happy to have you as guest of the music page this month.
Hi, delighted to be yours
Music is everywhere in Africa, but not everyone becomes a musician so what brought you into music? and why the choice of the bass guitar?
There is music everywhere in Africa. As soon as we're born we cry and for me it's already music. I become a musician by my family. My paternal grandfather was a tam-tam maker. The traditional phone for insiders.
My maternal grandfather was a guitarist, village doctor, and chief of his tribe. My older brother Bihina Flavien, was a great guitarist. He was multi-instrumentalist ... he took me often with him to concerts. Then my mother being a chorister also made me attend sessions with the choir of the Church. It is through her that I discovered the balafon … An instrument that I will play in wake and carnivals.
The bass guitar I discover it and adopt it as instrument after the death of my elder brother, and it is also at that time that I get involved body and soul in the music…
The choice of the guitar bass was not a choice as the lack of musical instruments made that the only instrument that was hanging around me was this bass. So, I tried to play it being sometimes ingenious… my amp was a radio cassette ...
Flashmag February 2018 www.flashmag.net
Spotlights
Laurent Evini "Zaki"