African Music

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

fRoots is definitely quirky, but the quality of the writing (and features) is far, far higher than is the case with most mags that cover the same - or similar - territory.

The editor is married to a woman from Madagascar (a singer from the group Tarika), so there's actually a ton of good info. about Malagasy music available on the fRoots site, including discographies with lots of rare recordings, etc.

As for what Bev's said about the way things are approached, I have to agree, but a lot of their enthusiasms are contagious, and some highly knowledgeable people have been writing for them over the years. Definitely worth looking into!

I haven't heard the ngoni quartet album as yet, but want to buy a copy. Sometimes - and only sometimes - non-African producers are tuned into recording/producing things that African musicians would *like* to release for the local market, but really can't, due to market demands. I think this album might be one of those. (Some of Toumani Diabate's recordings definitely fall into that category as well.)

Info. on Justin Adams here.

Thanks to both of you. Deeply depressing.

MG

[jimi089]

Really enjoying this - very groove based with some great melodies and guest artists mixing things up.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Couple of nice videos

From Guinee Conakry

Sekouba Bambino - Lahidou from the CD "Ambiance ballon" - Super Selection, issued on CD Syllart no number

From Senegal

Ouza, my favourite musician of all time (= Grant Green)

6 heures, from the CD "6 heures" issued on CD by Ouza. (Ouza always uses his backing vocalists like this; told me he got the idea from Ray Charles & Margie Hendrix.)

MG

[Stefan Wood]

[seeline]

Looks good - what label is this on?

[Stefan Wood]

Soundway. The same folks who put out two volumes of Ghana funk music, which are also must haves. This is a nice collection as well. Afrobeat, some Highlife, and there's a lot of rumba and Cuban influences as well.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Just got an e-mail from Sterns.

26 February 2008

LES AMAZONES DE GUINEE - "WAMATO" - STCD1106

In the early 60s, this group played ‘unplugged’: mandolin, violins, double-bass, bongos and congas were the tools of their trade… that is, when they weren’t carrying rifles, pistols and machine guns. Because ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’ were originally ‘l’Orchestre féminin de la Gendarmerie de Guinée’ and as such were all serving officers and soldiers of the Guinean militia. They still are.

By the late 60s they had added electric guitars, kit drums and a horn section and, now officially known as ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’, were touring all over Africa bringing their particular brand of joy to the cause of African women’s emancipation. They triumphed at the legendary ‘Festac’ of 1977 held in Lagos and, five years later, recorded their 2nd album (1st as ‘Les Amazones’), “Au cœur de Paris”.

Between that and “Wamato” is a cool 25 years but things move slowly in Guinea and, as is the way of these things, there have been retirements and deaths, notably of original saxophonist Fatou Soumah and ‘La Reine des Amazones’, guitarist Nyépou Haba. But ‘Les Amazones’ are nothing if not tenacious and bolstered by new blood and under the direction of bass-player, Commandant Salématou Diallo, the surviving members took the long mini-bus trek from Conakry in Guinea to Bamako in Mali, there to lay down their guns and record in the same studio as Ali Farka Touré, Damon Albarn, Oumou Sangaré and many more.

The flowing, loping rhythms so particular to Guinea; the harmonic cycles that mesmerise and seduce; the vocals, sometimes sweet, sometimes strident but always full of conviction; is there any other band like ‘Les Amazones’? As the cry at the beginning of this album attests - “Retour en force des Amazones!” (The Amazones - back with a vengeance!) – these women demand to be heard.

all-women, all-army, all-African: ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’ are utterly unique

formed 46 years ago, they are an enduring symbol of African woman’s emancipation

a national institution, yet “Wamato” is only their 3rd recording – and only their 2nd under the name ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’

tight yet fluid, after 25 years it is an amazing return as ‘Les Amazones’ are indeed “back with a vengeance!”

Tracks are

01 Wamato 04:25

02 Deni Wana 03:57

03 Reine Nyepou 06:20

04 Ndaren 04:19

05 Be Ni Son 04:35

06 Djama 05:12

07 Kania 04:56

08 Zawi 03:30

09 Alhamdoulilah 05:05

10 Meilleurs Voeux 05:17

11 Demembalou 04:38

12 Meres D'Afrique 03:52

I haven't heard this. It was released last week.

This was a GREAT band. I have "Au coeur de Paris" and it is really very fine indeed. I'll be getting this pretty soon, I guess.

MG

[riverrat]

I just received the CD referenced below - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba Segu Blue.

It is great. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've been meaning to pick up that Andy Palacio.

Anyone heard this? I've heard good things:

I'm but a dabbler in African music so can't comment on its place in the grand scheme of things, but I've greatly enjoyed it over the last few months. I think you can buy with confidence.

fRoots - the main UK folk/world music magazine - had it as album of the year as voted by a large panel of people from the music business world.

You can see the results here:

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/critpoll/

[jostber]

Thanks for the Tinariwen recommendation on this thread. This album is great! These nomads can really create a groove.

The Mande Variations by Toumani Diabate is wonderful too.

Edited March 4, 2008 by jostber

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Just got an e-mail from Sterns.

26 February 2008

LES AMAZONES DE GUINEE - "WAMATO" - STCD1106

In the early 60s, this group played ‘unplugged’: mandolin, violins, double-bass, bongos and congas were the tools of their trade… that is, when they weren’t carrying rifles, pistols and machine guns. Because ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’ were originally ‘l’Orchestre féminin de la Gendarmerie de Guinée’ and as such were all serving officers and soldiers of the Guinean militia. They still are.

By the late 60s they had added electric guitars, kit drums and a horn section and, now officially known as ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’, were touring all over Africa bringing their particular brand of joy to the cause of African women’s emancipation. They triumphed at the legendary ‘Festac’ of 1977 held in Lagos and, five years later, recorded their 2nd album (1st as ‘Les Amazones’), “Au cœur de Paris”.

Between that and “Wamato” is a cool 25 years but things move slowly in Guinea and, as is the way of these things, there have been retirements and deaths, notably of original saxophonist Fatou Soumah and ‘La Reine des Amazones’, guitarist Nyépou Haba. But ‘Les Amazones’ are nothing if not tenacious and bolstered by new blood and under the direction of bass-player, Commandant Salématou Diallo, the surviving members took the long mini-bus trek from Conakry in Guinea to Bamako in Mali, there to lay down their guns and record in the same studio as Ali Farka Touré, Damon Albarn, Oumou Sangaré and many more.

The flowing, loping rhythms so particular to Guinea; the harmonic cycles that mesmerise and seduce; the vocals, sometimes sweet, sometimes strident but always full of conviction; is there any other band like ‘Les Amazones’? As the cry at the beginning of this album attests - “Retour en force des Amazones!” (The Amazones - back with a vengeance!) – these women demand to be heard.

all-women, all-army, all-African: ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’ are utterly unique

formed 46 years ago, they are an enduring symbol of African woman’s emancipation

a national institution, yet “Wamato” is only their 3rd recording – and only their 2nd under the name ‘Les Amazones de Guinée’

tight yet fluid, after 25 years it is an amazing return as ‘Les Amazones’ are indeed “back with a vengeance!”

Tracks are

01 Wamato 04:25

02 Deni Wana 03:57

03 Reine Nyepou 06:20

04 Ndaren 04:19

05 Be Ni Son 04:35

06 Djama 05:12

07 Kania 04:56

08 Zawi 03:30

09 Alhamdoulilah 05:05

10 Meilleurs Voeux 05:17

11 Demembalou 04:38

12 Meres D'Afrique 03:52

I haven't heard this. It was released last week.

This was a GREAT band. I have "Au coeur de Paris" and it is really very fine indeed. I'll be getting this pretty soon, I guess.

MG

The album turned up on Monday.

Brilliant!

Will post more tomorrow.

MG

[jimi089]

Just bought a copy of Bana Kadori - Agwambo after hearing a track on Chicago music critic Peter Margasak's radio show last weekend. The track I heard was just wonderful so I decided to buy the album.

I'm also waiting on a couple recent orders:

Wendo Kolosoy - On the Rumba River

and

Kekele - Kinavana

I'll report back after they arrive and I've had a chance to listen.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

A wonderful album! Similar personnel to the band in the eighties, with a few changes. Mmah Sylla is still singing with them. But there are a few guests, including the great Aminata Kamissoko, one of my favourites. I suspect this may be the first time she's been heard on CD.

The music is somewhat updated, but not too much, and the band is still playing great music!

I also got

Been meaning to get this for a while, following recommendations in the SA Jazz thread. Very nice stuff. And I see that one of the guys in the band, Ntemi Piliso, is someone I picked out blind a few weeks ago and ordered two of his 1975 albums from South Africa, which are still in the post. Now VERY MUCH looking forward to getting them.

MG

[jimi089]

Just bought a copy of Bana Kadori - Agwambo after hearing a track on Chicago music critic Peter Margasak's radio show last weekend. The track I heard was just wonderful so I decided to buy the album.

I'm also waiting on a couple recent orders:

Wendo Kolosoy - On the Rumba River

and

Kekele - Kinavana

I'll report back after they arrive and I've had a chance to listen.

Got all three of these. The Bana Kadori is a beautiful, joyous record with some great tracks. It's a guitar-centric sound, and the whole album flows very nicely. There's one English spoken word section of a song, which is historically interesting but not particularly musical. Other than that, no complaints - you can hear samples at the CD Baby link above if you're interested.

The Wendo Kolosoy and Kekele are two takes on the Congolese rumba, which is a fascinating cultural and ethnomusicological phenomenon. The Kekele is actually sung in Spanish, and seems to be a more standardized rumba, although I'm by no means an expert. Excellent musicianship and highly enjoyable. The Kolosoy seems to be a more personal take on the rumba, and since it's a collection of tracks there's a large variation in the material presented. I think I prefer the latter, although there's nothing wrong with the Kekele. The Kolosoy is also a soundtrack to a film of the same name about him that I'm going to try and hunt down.

MG, that Amazones De Guinee album doesn't seem to have distribution in the US yet. Amazon is selling it as an MP3 album here but I'd much prefer the CD so I'm going to have to wait, unless I want to pay in pounds and get gouged by Sterns.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

MG, that Amazones De Guinee album doesn't seem to have distribution in the US yet. Amazon is selling it as an MP3 album here but I'd much prefer the CD so I'm going to have to wait, unless I want to pay in pounds and get gouged by Sterns.

I got mine from Amazon UK - it was about £3 ($6) cheaper than Sterns.

I see Amazon.com has it down for US release on 25 April. Price for pre-orders is $20.98. But I dare say, if you wait till then, you'll be able to get it cheaper.

MG

[seeline]

The Daminal, you need a copy of Gary Stewart's Rumba on the River - A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos.

Wendo Kolosoy has been around since forever - a friend of mine (old hand at what a lot of Africans call "Congo music") was amazed to find out that he'd started recording again, as he'd assumed him to be long since gone. I think there might be an old photo of him in Stewart's book, though I won't swear to it.

There are some good anthologies of older music, like these...

Kékélé started out doing all of their lyrics in French, Lingala and other local languages - I think their producers might be trying to make them into the next Africando All Stars, with them singing in Spanish. (Might work, might not...)

Edited March 9, 2008 by seeline

[jimi089]

Ahhh, thanks for enlightening me seeline. I will definitely pick up that book. I'm hoping to hunt down this documentary about Kolosoy and learn some more there as well.

Thanks to you as well MG. Guess I'll wait it out until it's released here, although patience is not my forte when it comes to buying music...

Edited March 9, 2008 by The Danimal

[seeline]

You might also want to check out the Ambiance Congo radio program.

The host also has a blog that focuses on archived programs, here. (All programs offered for a limited time only.)

And the Voice of America's African Music Treasure blog is marvelous.

Edited March 9, 2008 by seeline

[jimi089]

Thanks for the links seeline. I already had African Music Treasure in my RSS reader and I just added the Ambiance Congo, as well as your blog linked from your signature as well.

I ordered the Rumba on the River book and the book on Brazilian music you recommended in the Brazil thread today. Looking forward to reading them both, thanks for pointing me in their direction.

[seeline]

Thanks so much for the add!

As for the books, my pleasure - though The Brazilian Sound is (I think) an easier read, in terms of the way the info. is presented and organized.

Edit: I forgot to mention the Tambour d'Afrique show. The host's daughter archives all of his programs on her blog.

Edited March 10, 2008 by seeline

[jimi089]

Has anyone heard this?

Been listening to this one a lot - it's fantastic. I guess discussion of it doesn't really belong in the African music thread since it's from Belize, but it's well worth picking up. Really great rhythms, interesting vocal harmonies and textures, great guitar work, melodic, great range of material. It hasn't been bumped out of rotation in the CD changer since I got it.

Also picked up the Mande Variations - beautiful as expected. It's just lovely to hear Toumani's kora laid bare.

Seeline, I got the books - about to dig into the Rumba on the River after I finish George Lewis' AACM book today. Thanks for all these links, they are great.

[jimi089]

A nice short video promo for The Mande Variations. Great footage of Toumani and also of some Kora makers which is fascinating to watch.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I thought I'd mention these albums that turned up a couple of days ago.

They're all by HipLife rapper Tic-tac

Masom was his first, in 2001

Masem was his second, in 2002

Wope was his fourth, in 2004.

Interesting to get three at once. He developed away from his primary influence, Busta Rhymes, towards a much more Ghanaian style by 2004. On a second listen, they're even better than I first thought. And the most recent is terrific!!!!

MG

[jostber]

Has anyone heard this?

Been listening to this one a lot - it's fantastic. I guess discussion of it doesn't really belong in the African music thread since it's from Belize, but it's well worth picking up. Really great rhythms, interesting vocal harmonies and textures, great guitar work, melodic, great range of material. It hasn't been bumped out of rotation in the CD changer since I got it.

Also picked up the Mande Variations - beautiful as expected. It's just lovely to hear Toumani's kora laid bare.

Seeline, I got the books - about to dig into the Rumba on the River after I finish George Lewis' AACM book today. Thanks for all these links, they are great.

I have got "Watina" with Andy Palacio now, and it's really wonderful. I do not know much about music from Belize, but this is the real thing. A friend of mine has been to Belize, and says that it's a beautiful country.

[jimi089]

I'm posting this album in the African Music thread because sonically it's most at home here.

Famoudou Don Moye, Baba Sissoko and Maurizio Capone in tribute to Malachi Favors, Marcello Melis, Johnny Dyani and Djeli Baba Sissoko - really a joyous beautiful album with great percussion and grooves throughout. Highly recommended and available for $10 from Dusty Groove.

[seeline]

Thanks for the heads-up on this, plus the Toumani video!