Camèr
Afro Jazz Beat Fusion

This very innovative and powerfull Afro-Jaz band was founded in 1986 in Germany by the self-tought musician Emmanuel Essomé from Cameroon. "Camèr" is the word for the inhabitants of this West-African country. But to say that the band is a typical African band is absoulutely wrong! It is a cultural melting-pod with musicians from various countries such as Algier, Cameroon, Cuba and Venezuela. So even through the music is basically African, it still also has influences of other music cultures.

The band-leader, guitar player and singer of Camèr, Emmanuel Essomé, is a very much respected musican within the music scène. Among others he has performed with Manu Dibango, Fela Ramson, Kuti and Youssou N'Dour. But for the past few years he concentrated on his own musical project. Most of the tunes are composed by him. Because of the roots of his music coming from the West-African country Cameroun, Emmanuel Essomé calls his music "Modern Makossa". But the combines the Masoka rhythm with elements of Rock, Funk and Jazz. The result is a truly multi-cutural, yet still African music at it's best.

Camèr was invited to the "Leverkusener Jazztage" in 1995 and was considered to be the high light of the African Dance Night. Within the past years Camèr developed into a very sussessful Afro-Jazz band with many concerts and a tv production in 1989 done by the big German radio and tv station WDR. In 1990 the band released their first CD
"Cameroun au mondial" followed in 1996 by their latest CD "Mini Mini". If you listen to this CD you immediately feel like dancing. It is a very demanding yet danceable music.

All the musicians of Camèr have been working professionnaly for quite some time and contribute very much to the nigth quality of this band. Especially the singer from Venezuela, Yma Martinez, is one of the best singers the European Salsa-scene. She studied music in Rotterdam and performs with various bands in Netherlands as well as Germany.

Line-up