Artist: Aminou

From: St. Louis, Senegal

Dibi Khabane was the real deal. He was the guy who brought jazz to St. Louis. He was born with music in his blood. He played every instrument. He was one of the kids just born with a deep talent for musical tone and rhythm.

Growing up, Dibi was like an Uncle figure to Aminou - he even witnessed Aminou’s first steps. He was an inspiration and role model throughout his life. He created the first Festival of Jazz in St. Louis in 1994, founded the popular radio station TFM and wrote songs for Youssou Ndour, one of the most famous senegalese singers.

Aminou always said Dibi could never have a car accident, as he always drove so incredibly slowly. If you ever saw him driving down the street, you would inevitably overtake him by walking. Therefore it was a great shock to hear that he and his moroccan wife died in a car accident in 2017. However, his legacy lives on in the annual Festival of Jazz and in the memory of those who were lucky enough to know him.

IMPORTANT: This is painting has some small areas of damage, namely cracked paint, but as Aminou says, this simply adds value to the painting, giving it more of a rustic/vintage appeal. Like battle scars, they have meaning and show that these works have not had an easy life in a gallery - they are truly authentic and artisanal. As this piece is attached to a heavy piece of wood, which has a loop already attached, it is ready to hang up.