Atna Jean Emmanuel (Manu) Njock, aka Zekuhl, is a singer, guitarist, percussionist and a songwriter of world music. He presents a Bolbo-Jazz style. He sings in Bàsàa (a Cameroon language), French and English.
Early life Njock was born in Quebec City and raised in Cameroon. His initiation to Cameroonian and Bantu musical traditions, as well as those of the Baka Pygmies who lived near his village of Kaya, began at age four. He studied many Cameroonian musical styles, including the Assiko, the Bolbo, the Bikutsi, the Ndin, the Mangambeu, the Bol, the Makossa, the Mbalè, the Mpeya of the Baka Pygmies. He also learned to play the Nkuu (a wooden, cylinder-shaped drum with hollowed-out slits) also known as the African telephone, since it reproduces the sound of spoken language."Francofolies de Montréal - Zekuhl : décoder l’ancestral, recréer le présent ". Le Devoir, Yves Bernard, 11 June 2012
Career
Njock arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1991. Joining the Quebec music scene as Zekuhl, he at first played the guitar,"Disque - I Bolo, Zekuhl". Le Devoir, Yves Bernard, 19 July 2013 and later developed a style which included his diverse African influences. In 1992, he released a self-titled album. He performed at a number of cultural and music festivals in Quebec."UN QUART DE SIÈCLE DE MUSIQUES AFRICAINES À MONTRÉAL". Le Carrefour des opinions, Yves Alavo . 09-02-2011
Zekuhl's third album, I Bolo, released in 2011, combined jazz funk guitar and bantu rhythms;"Atna Njock I Bòlo". Voir, Ralph Boncy, 2 June 2011"Manu Atna Njock aurait pu être électrotechnicien". Journal de Cameroun. Aug 19, 2011 eight years later he released Tòòdana ("Awake"), with lyrics in the Baasa language."TÒÒDANA, Zekuhl". Le Devoir, Philippe Renaud, 20 December 2019
Discography 1992: Zekuhl 1997: Amon 2011: I Bolo
Awards 2011: nominated for Canadian Folk Music Awards «World Solo Artist of the Year»"Results 2011" . The Canadian Folk Music Awards 2010: Jean Bikoko Aladin Award (delivered by Cameroonian community figures in Canada) 1991: nominated L'Empire des futures stars
References
External links Zekuhl Official website Club Culture: Zekuhl African Recording Reviews #5 (several reviews, includes Amon)