Introducing Tebu 

Tebu Serge formerly and widely known as Tagne Tebu Serge is a jazz pianist and percussionist who came to Manchester as a refugee in 2007. He now prefers to be called only by his native names Tebu Serge excluding the French name Tagne which he considered colonial and describing himself as Pan-African. Tebu chooses to play music not in any stereotype style or form, but in a way that is non-conventional and expressive. ..

".....I am one of those that think 85% of the problems we have in Africa….we’ve been pushed out of our real culture, religion, …what I call culture...We’ve been pushed with the (colonization) they used all those methods …..to kind of make us think we don’t have anything good, and everything good is coming from outside. Started by changing our name, you know. That Sage is French. It's not Cameroonian…...I know some people, some countries in Africa, they kept that African name which is good. But the other people….they’ve been completely lost, brainwashed. Yeah, so, that why only I decided to just changed, …….my website, you know on my website. I normally have two names, two African names. So, they are the two names I’m using now on my website now. ….That’s Tebu Tagne (Tagne Tebu). Its my real name. Its not that I added an extra name. Just that I left out the European …......Tebu is the saw-name..............My website is TebuMusik………..on social Media, YouTube, that is the one..........People keeping calling me Serge, Serge….I said let’s leave it. Everyone knows me as Tebu. I said let’s start by asking people to just call me Tebu for now. At least if its Tebu, its better that having Serge" 

He came into Manchester with the intention of acquiring more musical qualifications having already been trained as a pianist by a bass guitarist. It was an informal training that focused on improvisation and musical expression. He joined the jazz club Matt & Phreds in Manchester where he was able to improvise with other local musicians to express his own style of music. 

"I am a jazz musician and jazz is an international music and there is no barrier. In fact, that’s the best universal music in the world. When I came I could only speak French and German. I had no English. I was just playing in the Matt & Phreds Jazz Club in Manchester near Piccadilly. The club was owned by two friends, Matt, and Phreds. The club is still there. I went on the internet looking for a Jazz club because I know where you will find open-minded people. They have open mic sessions on Mondays. I told them I could play the piano. The only word they could pick from what I was saying was piano, piano. So when the time came I was invited to the stage. From there, that was it." 

Tebu doesn’t regard his music as typically Cameroonian, but rather as a cocktail of music from other parts of the world. This he narrated was because Cameroon is like a mini Africa where the taste of music has been hugely shaped by the large representation of music from other parts of Africa and indeed other parts of the world. 

"As I said, I’m a jazz musician, I’m an African musician. Cameroon is a bizarre country. Some people even say that Cameroon is a small Africa because in Cameroon you find different tribes from all over Africa and they share a lot in common. Imagine that you live in a country that has different tribes and they share the same space. Somehow, you know what is happening with the different tribes even though you’re not for that tribe. In Cameroon, you know what is happening in different tribes of Africa even if you're not from that tribe. You’re aware of the type of sounds because they are played on the radio and tv. My music cannot be described as Cameroonian. I’m telling you I’m from Cameroon, and I play my music and I don’t tell you I’m from Cameroon and ask you where that music is from in the world, and I ask that question in a room of five people from Africa, Europe, or ten people from all over the world, no one will tell you its from a particular place because its full of elements from all over the place. People are confused with what is popular in a place that may not necessarily belong to that place. If you go to a Cameroonian party, 85% of the DJ will play Congolese music and Ivory Coast music. The question will be where are the Cameroonian artists? In Cameroon, every Sunday was Latin American music on the radio. All the salsa and Cuban music, I mean all the Latin music. On Saturday afternoons was reggae music. If you grow up in Cameroon whether or not you're a musician there’s no chance you won't be exposed to all this music. The other days, you hear American music depending on the time. In the early hours you hear hip up and R&B. My dad was influenced by the French like James Brown because those were the vinyl records we had at home. We also have external influence from Africa. At a time it was invaded by Congolese sound, Kenyan sound, and some sounds from West Africa. Also with the apartheid movement with Nelson Mandela, because it was very popular in Cameroon at that time, we also had the sound of South Africa as that of the Zulus. I was very much interested in all those musical types when I was younger. I listened to all these kinds of music and was very curious about studying all that." 

Manchester Experience 

The way Manchester has impacted Tebu’s music is the opportunity to meet and interact with musicians from other parts of the world. This, he narrated, enabled him to listen to their personal and corporate stories, and narratives, which in turn enables him to understand how those narratives inform their musical creative process. He, therefore, derives his musical creativity from his understanding of the different cultures of the musicians he relates to within Manchester. This enables him to create music that is truly reflective of the cultures those kinds of music represent. 

".........when I got to Manchester, I didn’t come across nothing new. The only thing that was new was actually seeing the people that I was playing their music. I actually got to see the Cuban people. Real Cuba people, not on the TV. I actually got to see the Jamaicans, to see all Africans in real terms, face to face, and maybe collaborate with them. Really, there was nothing new musically that I came across that didn’t know a long time ago when I was in Africa. What I learn about the people is what is going on in their head when they play their music. Then I get to learn their culture which informs their music. I don’t learn anything new from them musically, but their culture. Then I’m able to play their music in a different way that is informed based on the culture of the people whose music I have been playing. The Cuban doesn’t come to me and say “this is the way we play the piano I Cuba” No. But when we engage in a discussion they tell me things like “when we are playing, we drink palm wine under the tree” etc. The things we discuss may sound irrelevant, but that is the most important part of the creative process.." 

Musical Identity 

Tebu does not seek to convey any message through his music in lyrics. Rather, according to him, he expresses moods and plays music to evoke certain moods in people. 

"The message of my music in terms of lyrics, I will say is nothing! When I listen to music, I don’t even listen to the lyrics. My brain is blocked when it comes to the lyrics, I am more focused on the sound or the emotion that is produced in your body when you listen to music. That’s why I’m also a sound tracker for films when it comes to music. For example, if you watch a movie without sound, that movie is nothing. Because there’s a lot of emotions you can’t get through the visuals, you get it through the sound. When I write music for films or documentaries, my job is to create an emotion. To make you feel in any way. By knowing what instruments to use and how to play them. How to bring a note and how to take that note out. To create an emotion. I can make you cry right now, by knowing what instrument I can choose and how to make you cry. Some people make you cry by writing some lyrics. At the jazz club, some students used to come there and just talk and somebody will take the microphone to tell them to stop making noise or disturbing the musicians. But I have my way of doing the same thing. Every time I go on stage, I know what sound to create on the keyboard, and if people were talking, whatever they were saying they will stop! Because they hear something and they would say “what was that?”, “where is that coming from?” And they will follow me until I stop. They won’t even have the time to go to the toilet because I take them into a different world. Into an unknown world. When I finish, they resume their talks and that’s fine. So, that’s me. When I do music, it's to express myself. So, there’s no particular message. I don’t use lyrics." 

The Future 

"Let's go back to lyrics. There are some particular subjects, I don’t talk about. If you talk about love I don’t talk about love between man and woman, but love between people. My message, because I’m also a Pan-Africanist, is to tell our people to go back and be themselves. This objective is not yet achieved, but that’s my future aim. I’m going to put that in my songs. I am currently preparing an album. That will be the subject we’re going to talk on."