Stefan Wood Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Amazing music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 (edited) Don't know about him being the Hendrix of the kora, but just bought the album it is quite good, a nice balance of groove, ryhthm and great melodies, maybe purists will think of him as a watered down version of the "real stuff" but it is still enjoyable fare that people who don't listen to this kind of music can relate and appreciate wihout being lost. That "Hendrix of the kora" biz was cooked up by publicists. He is good, but he's not the only kora player to have done plugged-in work - Toumani Diabate has played with a pickup, and so has Mory Kante. (See Banning Eyre's In Griot Time for more info.; there should also be some material about this on the Afropop Worldwide site.) * Note: Banning's book appears to be o.p. in the US, but the asking price on Amazon.com is insanely high. I'd try abebooks.com, or else write directly to Banning - he should have some copies for sale. Edited to add: Just for fun, I Googled the phrase "Hendrix of the kora" (no quotes) and found that it's applied to virtually every African kora players who's performed in the UK, the US and Canada. Edited February 21, 2009 by seeline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverrat Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Amazing music. I have ASC on the way to me as I write this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Found these two suckers at the used cd store, put them in my will buy later collection, had not the time to listen yo them at the store but since i don't see this stuff often , i did not want to leave them on the shelves and watch them gone next visit. Now, here's my question know next to nothing about these, what's your opinion about it. Here's the track list 1. Oscar Sulley And The Uhuru Dance Band - Olufeme 2. Joe Mensah - Africa Is Home 3. Ebo Taylor Jnr And Wuta Wazuri - Mondo Soul Funky 4. Ebo Taylor - Atwer Abroba 5. The Sweet Talks - Kye Kye Pe Aware 6. The Ogyatanaa Show Band - Disco Africa 7. The Apagya Show Band - Tamfo Nyi Ekyir 8. K Frimpong And Vis A Vis - Aboagyewaa 9. The Uhuru Dance Band - Agbadza 10. Uppers Chapter 2 - Samarin Bolga 11. The African Brothers - Sakatumbe 12. Marijata - No Condition Is Permanent 13. Christy Azuma And Uppers International - Naam and this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 They're both good, although I have mixed feelings about reissues like these, because the compilers have chosen music that's not really representative of most of what was going on in W. African pop music at the time. They seem to want to focus on cuts that will have immediate appeal to American audiences. Too bad, really, because there's a lot of nifty material out there that they're overlooking. You can find some examples on these blogs: http://wrldsrv.blogspot.com/ http://likembe.blogspot.com/ http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/blog/ - lots of fantastic stuff here, from the Voice of America archives http://mattgy.net/music/ http://matsuli.blogspot.com/ * For a taste of contemporary Ghanian pop, you might check out King Ayisoba's MySpace page (for starters). Not sure why his album hasn't gotten much press, because he's really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Dig this King Ayisoba, hip hoppish but not too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverrat Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) Found...at the used cd store....what's your opinion... I recently picked this up via Amazon for full whack. I can relate to where seeline is coming from, but I like this one alot. Plenty of interesting electric guitar playing- varying degrees of 70's rock influences; some nice horns and strong African percussion. There are several standout tracks and overall strong 75 minutes of music. Next up: African Scream Contest Edited February 21, 2009 by riverrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 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. This was just released on vinyl. Awesome stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I personally think Ghana Soundz 1 & 2 are great. I've gotten most of these compilations like Nigeria 70 etc. Anyway, it's nice to see that Sterns is putting many of their offerings on eMusic. I've picked up Bembeya Jazz and Balla et Ses Balladins (both collections called The Syliphone Years). I have a 2 CD collection of early Franco on deck, and something else I've forgetten. What they don't seem to have at eMusic is this: Authenticite I went ahead and bought this, but haven't had time to listen to it. I also managed to snag an all-but-brand new copy of Darkest Light - The Best of Lafayette Afro Rock Band from Reckless at a good price. As I am going through the liner, it says these guys recorded an album with Mal Waldron called "Candy Girl," which never was officially released. Anyone happen to hear it? Is it one of those things that make you curse stupid record label execs, or is it not all that? Finally, while trying to find Afro Super Feelings, I found an interesting podcast (well two, but Jumping the Gap seems sort of off-line)-- Radio Freetown: http://wfmu.org/playlists/RF It looks like it is just getting off the ground as a podcast, so there are only 3 to download at the moment, but you can listen to a bunch of the old shows here. I'm going to subscribe to the podcast for a while and see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Listening to this, a lot more of the the virtuosic side than the other Diabaté, not bad but can be a bit a too much on a long period of time , i prefer the smoother approach but definitively worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeline Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Mamadou Diabaté is an incredible player - haven't heard all of this disc, but I've really enjoyed his older recordings... I've been listening to this and loving it - Sinaly "Papus" Diabate - Kara Bara (Hard Work) "Mali Music: Mande songs, master drummers from Les Ballets Maliens, balafon, African violin, Mali guitar..." there's one kinda negligible "crossover" cut, but the rest is beautiful - great singers, wonderful balafon and guitar, super-tight percussion orchestra (well, "small ensemble," maybe). CD Baby is the only source for the disc (AFAIK) - MP3 can also be downloaded at Emusic.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 My next two African purchases will be Keletigui & ses Tambourinis was one of the greatest of the Mandinke big bands of Guinea Conakry and made the first album to be issued on the Syliphone label. Keletigui Traore, a sax player who led the band, was one of the musicians who formed the first Mandinke big band, Syli Orchestre National, in 1959. Keletigui et ses Tambourinis was created in the early sixties, having originally been called “Orchestre de la Pailotte”, which was formed from “L’Orchestre de la Bonne Auberge” and “La Formation Kerfala Camara Tamborini”. (This was some time before Bembeya Jazz became a National band. Keletigui (who died last November) was one of the most important musicians in Guinea. The band continues, even after Keletigui's death, to play at "La Pailotte". The Sterns album (issued in Britain in July and almost certainly in Europe soon after) is a 2 CD compilation similar to the three Syliphone compilations Sterns have already issued: Authenticite Bembeya Jazz National - The Syliphone years Balla & ses Balladins - The Syliphone years All have copious and very well researched and informed sleeve notes by Graeme Counsel, an Aussie DJ who has been given the highest civilian award by the government of Guinea for his work in researching these recordings. And the music! Well, I've got to say that I don't know yet Graeme has - wonderfully - selected 32 tracks of which I have only three (I think) on the two Keletigui albums I've got. But this was a great band, there's no doubt about it. The other LP (if I can find it) will be This was the first LP made by Keletigui's band under their new name. Earlier recordings were made as Orchestre de la Pailotte. Graeme reviewd this LP on his Radio Africa site and recently added a note to say that it was being reissued on CD by Gunther Gretz on Popular African Music. He also put a link there to buy it but I've tried it and it takes me to some general German site and I can't find Gretz' stuff. I've e-mailed him to ask how to get the CD, which isn't on Amazon UK, and, when I find out, I'll post details. Graeme didn't include any of this album in the 2CD Sterns compilation. This is a wonderful band and, if you like this kind of stuff, it's pretty well as good as it gets. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jostber Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 These are a couple of great releases I just got from Honest Jon's: V.A. - The World Is Shaking Cubanismo From The Congo, 1954-55 (Vinyl) V.A. - Ouaga Affair: Hard Won Sound Of The Upper Volta 1974 - 1978 (Vinyl) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Gunther Gretz' label POpular African Music didn't reissue the Keletigui & se Tambourinis album, it turns out. But he does sell the CD reissued by Bolibana retail. So I've got it now. He also had this one in stock, so I sprang for it, too. Both albums are superb. And I think Graeme Council excluded all the tracks from them from his Sterns compilation I referred to earlier (which I haven't got yet). The Bolibana CDs are pretty expensive from Gunther Gretz - 17 euro each and the postage (to UK) is 3 euro for up to 3cds. But, oh boy, they're worth it! If you're interested, Gunther can be e-mailed at pamffm@t-online.de He accepts payment by PayPal. MG Gunther Gretz' label POpular African Music didn't reissue the Keletigui & se Tambourinis album, it turns out. But he does sell the CD reissued by Bolibana retail. So I've got it now. He also had this one in stock, so I sprang for it, too. Both albums are superb. And I think Graeme Council excluded all the tracks from them from his Sterns compilation I referred to earlier (which I haven't got yet). The Bolibana CDs are pretty expensive from Gunther Gretz - 17 euro each and the postage (to UK) is 3 euro for up to 3cds. But, oh boy, they're worth it! If you're interested, Gunther can be e-mailed at pamffm@t-online.de He accepts payment by PayPal. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 20, 2009 Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 Here's a little video of one of my favourites, Moussa Ngom Moussa is probably the most sucessful contemporary musician from the Gambia. The original lead singer with the Guelewaar Jazz Band and a founder member of The Super Eagles, he was one of the early lead vocalists with Super Diamono, in the eighties, with Ismael Lo, Mamadou Maiga and Omar Pene. Lo left early to pursue a solo career, and Pene edged the other two out in the early nineties (a shame, because I greatly preferred their voices to his). MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Wood Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Picked up the Keletigui & ses Tambourinis double disc set from DG. I've enjoyed these reissues, and hope for more! Also bought from DG: One of the better compilations of Dibango's work, 2 discs! However, I am haunted by an Atlantic lp with him on it (was is Soul Makossa?) and it had a kick ass afro funk tune that to this day I have not seen on any compilation. It was a blue cover with him on it.......... I had it once, then sold it long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Wood Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 (edited) Dusty's got these -- I am all over them!! Edited November 6, 2009 by Stefan Wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'm thinking of ordering some more South African music (mostly jazz related, but I still feel this thread is fitting better than the ZA Jazz one) - here's what I have on my kalahari.net wishlist - any comments? Elite Swingsters/Dolly Rathebe - Woza Elite Swingsters/Dolly Rathebe - A Call for Peace McCoy Mrubata - Phosa Ngasemwa Basil Coetzee - Monwabisi Basil Coetzee - B African Jazz Pioneers - Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival African Jazz Pioneers - Afrika Vukani Linda Kekana - Kodumela Linda Kekana - I Am An African The Best of Allen Kwela (Sheer Sound) I am aware of MG's endorsements of both Linda Kekana discs, and I'm familiar with the African Jazz Pioneers, Mrubata and Coetzee (though I only know him as a Dollar Brand sideman so far). And I definitely have the stray Elite Swingsters and/or Rathebe cut on compilations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aparxa Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Listening an old tape of Leon Bukasa recently, I would be interested by any CD release! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'm thinking of ordering some more South African music (mostly jazz related, but I still feel this thread is fitting better than the ZA Jazz one) - here's what I have on my kalahari.net wishlist - any comments? Elite Swingsters/Dolly Rathebe - Woza Elite Swingsters/Dolly Rathebe - A Call for Peace McCoy Mrubata - Phosa Ngasemwa Basil Coetzee - Monwabisi Basil Coetzee - B African Jazz Pioneers - Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival African Jazz Pioneers - Afrika Vukani Linda Kekana - Kodumela Linda Kekana - I Am An African The Best of Allen Kwela (Sheer Sound) I am aware of MG's endorsements of both Linda Kekana discs, and I'm familiar with the African Jazz Pioneers, Mrubata and Coetzee (though I only know him as a Dollar Brand sideman so far). And I definitely have the stray Elite Swingsters and/or Rathebe cut on compilations. I have a McCoy Mrubata album - "Firebird" on Jive Jazz. Dated 1989. It's OK, but not that OK. He may have improved over the last 20 years, however. "Monwabisi" is splendid. I don't know "B". Perhaps I should get an order together myself Next year, I think. "Woza" is most enjoyable. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 11, 2009 Report Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thanks Allan! Will wait a few days (hoping their discount will still be valid) and make up my mind. I forgot that I also have the "Jazz Epistles" disc on my wishlist... hoping it contains the few titles that the Camden/KAZ "Jazz in Africa, Vol 1 - The Jazz Epistles" omitted (didn't check yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jostber Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Got this one on vinyl some weeks ago, really hot music here: From Sublime Frequencies: http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp...p;t=Group-Doueh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jostber Posted November 13, 2009 Report Share Posted November 13, 2009 Got this recently, wonderful singer from Mali: Kandia Koyuate - Ngara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted November 14, 2009 Report Share Posted November 14, 2009 Got this recently, wonderful singer from Mali: Kandia Koyuate - Ngara Is that a recent recording? Is it issued on Sterns? I must get it: I have all her albums. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverrat Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 (edited) Bumping up for more African Music recommendations, I've been really enjoying the Analog Africa and Sterns reissues of 70's vintage stuff...do you experts have any more recs in that vein? Also, I've been checking into the large Ethiopiques issue series. Which ones should I start with? There seem to be at least 20.. Edited December 4, 2009 by riverrat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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