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ZOUMANA TERETA : MARIDJÉ NIARE
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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

FATI NIGER   




Real beautiful melody on this one

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

This one come from Nigeria, I  firstly thought it came from Niger, country on north of Nigeria, but it seems that parents of  woman singer lives in Kano,  in North Nigeria 
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

When I've heard this song for the first time at Bamako on a friend K7 tape, my mind couldn't escape from those so charming background vocals  chorus sung in french with malian pronunciation :
" 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.
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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
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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
   

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 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 

 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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This blog is about to share recordings, videos and reports about african musics and african roots linked musics.