Manou Gallo Groove Orchestra / Ivory Coast

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Manou Gallo comes from the Ivory Coast. She debuted on the music scene at the age of twelve.

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Her personal motto is: “Faith in tradition does not have to stop you from stepping forward”. This, too, is her artistic path. Drawing from African sources, the artist speaks in contemporary language. She plays bass guitar and percussion instruments, sings, dances, and is a born leader. She performs her songs in her native language Dida, but also in English and French. For several years she played in the band led by the Congolese artist Ray Lema. She also worked with another well-known Congolese group – Les Tambours de Brazza – which local audiences might know from their performance during last year’s Ethno Port in Poznań.

 

An important step towards Manou Gallo’s artistic maturity was her collaboration with the legendary band Zap Mama. Manou appeared in the group during the recording of their famous album “A Ma Zone”. For more than a decade, Manou Gallo has been developing her own original artistic plans. She made her debut in 2003 with the album “Dida”. Her music presents modern, electric songs rooted in African tradition, with elements of soul, funk, blues, jazz and afro beats.

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A few years ago, she realised her great dream of performing with a brass section and so established the Manou Gallo Groove Orchestra, which will perform in Kraków.

Members:
Manou Gallo - vocals, bass, guitar, flutes
Virna Nova - guitar, backing vocals
Anja Naucler - cello, backing vocals
Lene Norgaard Christensen - vocals, backing vocals
Christophe Mareschal - drums
Sébastien Van Hoey - trombone
Nicolas Drici - trumpet
Gaspard Giersé - saxophone

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The concert took place in 2015.