The Gangbé Brass Band is a 10-member

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

ese musical ensemble founded in 1994. The word "gangbe" means "sound of metal" in the

Fon language Fon (, ) also known as Dahomean is the language of the Fon people. It belongs to the Gbe group within the larger Atlantic–Congo family. It is primarily spoken in Benin Republic, as well as in Nigeria and Togo by approximately 2.3 million sp ...

. They blend West African jùjú and traditional Vodou music with Western jazz and big-band sounds. Their unusual instrumentation---trumpet, trombone, and sousaphone, along with West African percussion and vocals---is, to some extent, part of West Africa's colonial legacy; French colonial officers imported brass instruments and trained local musicians to play European-style military and dance hall music. Gangbe has released five albums: "Gangbe" (1998), "Togbe" (2001), "Whendo" (2004), "Assiko" (2008), and "Go slow to Lagos" (2015) and tours extensively in Europe and North America.

Discography

;Albums *''Gangbe'' (1998) *''Togbe'' (2001) *''Whendo'' (2004) *''Assiko'' (2008) *''Go Slow to Lagos'' (2015) ;Contributing artist *''

Cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

'' (2011) *'' The Rough Guide To Voodoo'' (2012) * Celia (

Angelique Kidjo Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given name), a French feminine name Arts and entertainment Music * Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family * ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert * A ...

album) (2019)

External links

Official site
Music of Benin Music of West Africa Musical groups established in 1994 1994 establishments in Benin {{Africa-band-stub