The answer was of course yes -- whether playing one of two different saxes, beating the marimba, singing in his deep baritone or conducting the rest of the musicians -- Manu Dibango is the very epitome of cool, urbane Afropolitan life.

On on end of the scale were sensitive tributes to Duke Ellington and vibes man Milt Jackson and on the other were his funkier numbers including what must be one of the world's best known b-sides: 'Soul Makossa'.

In fact Manu dropped this number in the first part of his set, which seemed odd as it is the obvious number to end on. As with pretty much everything he seems to play these days, the themes of this hit were broken apart and mixed with others from his repertoire in a way that makes perfect sense when you see him play live (even if it makes less sense on record). Manu ended up doing 'Soul Makossa' again for his encore and that time he played it straighter down the line.

And the guests, well if Courtney Pine's affectionate sax dueling was a tour de force, Baaba came on and stole the show with his sensational voice. Looking like a teenager with a toothy grin and baggy suit, Baaba need only open his mouth and the sound is as powerful as it is utterly identifiable.

Manu seemed to enjoy the show as much as the audience and this slow burning afro-avant-gardist created one of the highlights of the recent season at the Barbican.

Link: www.manudibango.net/

--Thanks to Miles at the Barbican for his help throughout the Fela season--