Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Baba Gallé KANTÉ
A master of fulà flute....
Baba Gallé KANTÉ used to play his tambin ( Fulà flute) for many recordings sessions at JBZ studio in Abidjan, Côte-d'Ivoire in the 90's such as Alpha Blondy, Sékouba Bambino, Oumou Sangaré, Doura Barry, or choregraph dancer Georges Momboyes but never release a recording focused on his own instrument.
So the day he came and told me that he was in the need to promptly record few accoustic instrumentals tracks, I was a little bit embarrassed because the main static microphone I had to use was out of order.
We had made differents recordings before those instrumentals tracks, those sessions most of the time included Abdoulaye Traoré on guitars and Kemsé Kanté on dudumba, djembé, bolon and gongoma.
Baba Gallé was singing in fulfulbé on some of these recordings, a track like "Guigol" is the only one of the CD from this period (circa 2006), and the oldest recording released on it.
All others tracks were recorded 2 years laters, when he thought it was the time the time for him, after spending years to play as a sideman, to express his own musical work.
A friend lent me a static rode, which is little more harshy than the one I had, but despite availability, diferences and sounds specificity of the mics , the work has to be done !
Great Balafonist Mancondé Mory Diabaté dit Balakala joint him for those sessions
also Abdoulaye Traoré on guitar and Madou Condé on percussions.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Baba Gallé Kanté : vocal ( trk 10 ) trad. pulaar flute, calabash, wassamba ( trad. rattles), hand clap, compositions
Abdoulaye Traoré : acc guitar & solo guitar, arrangements
Madou Condé : djembé, dudumba
Balakala : balafon
Ali Diallo : Sokou
Julien Chauveau : acc gt & drm prog ( trk 10), hand clap, rec, mix, prod
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
wassamba
fulà flutes
Tambins come in several keys; from E, up to Bb. The most common ones are F, F#, G, Ab and A. They produce one complete diatonic scale, starting on the lowest note of the second register (the 3rd of the scale) and going up three registers to the sixth of the scale. The first register is disconnected form the scale. These instruments are usually constructed from a conical vine from the forests of Guinea, the largest end being on the side of the embouchure and tapering down to where the fingerholes are. The bore can vary from 5/8" to one inch.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
ZOUMANA TERETA : MARIDJÉ NIARE
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Another awesome artist originated from Niger, Zoumana Tereta accompany with his sokou ( mono-cord violon ) the most famous malian artists and bands like Oumou Sangaré, Djeneba Seck, National Badema, Ensemble instrumental du Mali and others...
He's also a great singer with a deep rugged bluesy voice.
This man is one of the most recommanded malian musician for his perfect ability to play his sokou ( so = horse, kou = tail ) on any pentatonic scales.
Few words about this instrument, it named "sokou" in malinké and bambara, "njarka" in tamashek, "nyanoro" in fulbé, and "ritti" in wolof.
Probably dues to its sound and the kind of sneaky rawling melodies played on, it says that sokou has some strongs magical skills and mentioned to be a powerful link beetween humans and spirits.
It built with middle cutted little calabash with a skin of a big lezard named "kgana" fixed with nails, sometime skin goat is used, but it can' t stay tight as long as kgana and sounds more muddy.
Cord and arc are made of horsehair on which is rubbed a piece of resin wood before playing it to make horsehair grips and sounding louder.
Its size make it an easy-to-bring instrument, this must be the reason why violon, in Africa as in Europe is particulary appreciated in (semi-)nomadists cultures, groups and peoples.
Zoumana was a driver truck beetween Ivory Coast and Mali for 28 yrs, always bring his sokou with him during his travelling ,
'til the day he decides he could be able to live by his music.
disco. Zoumana TERETA: "Niger Blues" Prod : Cobalt 2003
Sunday, February 10, 2013
NEBA SOLO : MOUSSO
Neba Solo comes from Sikasso on the Wassoulon land in south of Mali.
Populations in wassoulon mainly consists from ancient migration of sedentarised Fulà peoples mixed with bamanan peoples.
This is the country of the hunters, called "donzo" who had a strong role in social buiding in Malian traditional society, instead of which, indeed, hunting is often more about transmitting a way-of life principles and a initiatic rite than is a effective economical need.
On this land, no matter of "Nyamakala" ( name for the Djeli, the iron
workers, and others economical casts except nobles and military) or not
to express a self musical abilities.
Donzo have them own, that influenced the whole region, with typical use of Donzo ngoni, also named Kamalen ngoni ( transl : youth's ngoni ) and karignan ( sometimes written karin or krin ) , a kind of harshy and roughly metallic sounding guiro in iron.
Here is the north of the Bala area, that go down in west in Malinké area of Guinée, and in east to the Sénoufo land on Ivory Coast.
A tribute to women and another big malian hit tune of the last decade, I hear a syncopated thing close to reggae feeling inside the groove, don't you ? Oriental touch on the melody surely come from Fulà musical background in Wassoulon music.
SANI DANJA & MANSOURA ISAH : JUMAI FANTASIA
I don't know much about Sani Danja & Mansoura, I've read somewhere they are a couple in life.
Carreer of both of them seems going forward with them appearance on nigerian tv movies programs.
Attention ! this one is a top-hitter song ! I'm sure you won't resist ! in the party, you can't miss it !
Its sung in hausa, a language mainly spoken in Niger and Nigeria.
Jumai is a word about love shared beetween man and woman, and according to comments seems have fun as beautiful romantic content on the lyrics.
A perfect drum box uptempo and a typical sahelian synth that work perfectly with an obsess and training question/response autotuned chorus form added to the high charisma expressed by the duo artist, Mansoura Isah serves topic song at the best with her attractives gestures on this one , and make this video so much fresh and absolutely fantastic !
Hausa symbol
for more information about Hausa culture and language,
click here <-
ADAMA NAMAKORO FOMBA : ALLAH ANW DEMÊ
" Que dieu me sauve la vie, que dieu m'aide, la vie , la vie de tout les jours" ( "May god save my life, may god help my life, my everyday life.." ) over a minimalist hypnotic-bluesy musical pattern.
Despite couples of hours spent asking to K7 and Cd street vendors about Adama Namakoro Fomba recordings, the only one I found was a old second-hand k7.
Adama's music melts bamanan music elements with a strong wassoulon musical background infuences and despite a recognize from a small following audience, his carreer seems goes slowly for few years, and the topic of the song reflects the same deeply sad feeling, singing how much is difficult to be fed by making music, chanting about alternates jobs he done to try to survive and asking to god to save and help him.
I really like Philippe Berthier 's production on this one :
Those drums patterns roughly cutted, this guitar with cheap distording sound ( seems to be a Zoom guitar box fx or somthing like that) added with harmonica parts from Vincent Bucher goes perfect on this tune and gives a brilliant global and very original handcrafted and rooted touch.
Album was recorded in 98 in Studio Bogolan at Bamako with Philippe Wermert at the mixing-desk
A masterpiece from mali pop music, according to me.
Hope you'll appreciate it too.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Word, music Adama Namakoro Fomba
Adama Namakoro Fomba vocals, calabash, donso n'goni
Ramata Diakité, Tata Diakité, Lobi Traoré, Adama Traoré, background vocals
Vincent Bucher Harmonica
Koko Dembélé guitars,
Kalifa Koné guitars bass,
Abdoul Wahab Berthé bass, karignan,
Dramane Sissoko djembé,
Philippe Berthier realisation,
Produced by Philippe Berthier
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Here is another song from Adama Namakoro Fomba, same kind of minimal bluesy pattern, same kind of backing vocals that raise-up over his hypnotic repetitive melody with strongs wassoulon influences on 2nd part.
Adama Namakora Fomba is definitly one my favorite artist from Mali.
So much soul can be heard on his voice and his music is as much brilliant as evident and simple.
A very underrated artist, for my opinion
.adama namakoro fomba "koninia"click here
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux : Mandjou
Mandjou , l'hymne mandingue, plusieurs fois centenaine, dédié aux rois, interpreté ici dans une superbe version modernisé des Ambassadeurs Internationaux , chanté par un Salif Keita tout jeunot, en hommage au president guinéen Ahmed Sekou Touré dont le role dans la valorisation du patrimoine culturel musical guinéen et mandingue fut determinant.
Le musicien arrangeur Keletigui Diabaté au balla et au violon ainsi que Manfila Kanté à la guitare lead , qui officia egalement au sein du Rail Band se cotoient dans cette formation filmée ici a Abidjan.
Pour l'anecdote, vous reconnaitrez tout a droite, à la 2eme guitare Amadou Bagayoko, du duo bien connu.
La prestation de Salif est d'une intensité toute en retenue absolument remarquable, notamment un superbe solo vocal a 6'27".
Il est sans doute difficile d'imaginer aujourd'hui a quel pointle succes et l'acceptation de Salif Keita par le public malien, guinéen et ,au delà, celui de la sphere linguistique/culturelle malinké-Dioulà, allait a l'encontre des valeurs traditionelles et des prejugés inherents a toute culture.
En effet son appartenance a la caste noble : Keita, l'excluait de fait de toute activité artistique, de plus, les personnes atteintes d'albinisme ont été et sont toujours victimes de préjugés tenaces.
Une telle interpretation leur laisse en definitive bien peu de place
Un grand moment de musique !
Mandjou, the mandingo hymn , several times
As a matter of detail interest, you'll recognize on right, in the 2nd guitar Amadou Bagayoko, before his success in the well-known duo, Amadou & Mariam.
Salif 's performing is full of soul self-maintained intensity , notably a superb vocal solo at 6 ' 27"
It's probably difficult to imagine today how much succes and the approval of Salif Keita by the Malian, Guinean public and beyond to the linguistic / cultural malinké-Dioulà area ,
was in opposite to the preconceived ideas that exist in any culture.
Keita, a royal name definitly excluded him from any artistic activities, besides, persons attained by albinism were and are still victims of persistent prejudices. This performance give them any chance. A great music piece !
hundred years olds ,
devoted to the kings, performed here in a superb version by Les
Ambassadeurs Internationaux, sung by a very young Salif Keita lad, in
tribute to Guinean president Ahmed Sekou Touré of whom the role in the promotion of Guinean and mandenka musical cultural heritage was determinant.
Musician arranger Keletigui Diabaté plays balla and violin as well as Manfila Kanté at guitar lead, who was also officiated within the Rail Band are both together in this TV show filmed here in Abidjan circa 82. As a matter of detail interest, you'll recognize on right, in the 2nd guitar Amadou Bagayoko, before his success in the well-known duo, Amadou & Mariam.
Salif 's performing is full of soul self-maintained intensity , notably a superb vocal solo at 6 ' 27"
It's probably difficult to imagine today how much succes and the approval of Salif Keita by the Malian, Guinean public and beyond to the linguistic / cultural malinké-Dioulà area ,
was in opposite to the preconceived ideas that exist in any culture.
Keita, a royal name definitly excluded him from any artistic activities, besides, persons attained by albinism were and are still victims of persistent prejudices. This performance give them any chance. A great music piece !
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