Samba Ngo: Balancing African Roots, Rhythm and Resonance

August 15, 1996 | By RICK VANDERKNYFF, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

It's a common perception that black musicians are treated with more respect in Europe than in the United States. That has proved true for many American blues and jazz players who can pack houses overseas while being all but ignored in their own country. But Samba Ngo, an African-born musician who in 1986 moved to Santa Cruz after almost 20 years in Paris, says he finds himself more comfortable here, both musically and personally.

Ngo Finds Power in the Groove

October 14, 1998 | JIM WASHBURN, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

"It's a jungle out there," we who have never seen a jungle like to say of the chaos and coldheartedness of our increasingly uncivil civilization. But that is not at all what a jungle is about, according to Congolese musician Samba Ngo, who had the advantage of growing up in one. To him, the jungle means life.

Samba Ngo Metamorphosis CD review by Josef Woodard of Jazz Times