Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Liberian Voices
Posted by John B. at 7:33 AM 3 comments
Labels: Liberia, Music Makers of Liberia
Friday, November 2, 2018
Forest Sounds
Some years ago I posted the LP Pre-Festival Lagos 77, featuring tracks from a number of Guinean orchestras who were in competition to appear at the memorable Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, or FESTAC '77, which was held in Lagos in 1977.
One of these groups was the memorable Nimba de N'Zérékoré, based in Guinea's second city. The group also released an album on their own in 1980, Gön Bia Bia (Syliphone SLP 71), which I present today. From the French liner notes I take it these songs are based on traditional initiation rites. Since I don't know French and don't have access to anyone who does at the moment, I've depended on Google Translate to render these. The results, while hardly "vernacular" English, are oddly poetic! For instance, this passage by producer Justin Morel Junior:
This disc is an ethnology page.Comments on the songs likewise are from the liner notes, via Google Translate.
It retraces moments of initiation. The initiation marks in the traditional society the passage of the child-adolescence the maturity, at the age of responsibility.
"Initiation is understood as a set of practices aimed at communicating to the individual necessary for his proper integration into society. In short, all the moral patrimony of the group that is transmitted on the occaision of initiation":
GÖN BIA BIA", the essential title of this disc, celebrates the departure for the initiatory camp. The merit of the Nimba musicians of the City of N'zérékoré, is to have been able to transpose the sounds with fidelity. Foresters: these hoarse voices, these phoned rhythms, these tiered horns that reproduce an endearing forest atmosphere. At the end of listening to these songs, we can no longer doubt the words of the conductor of Nimba, Samaké Namakan: "the mysteries of the forest can be mastered in music"
Gön Bia Bia - "This song tells of the departure for the initiation camp. Blowers shine, guitarists sparkle. Beautiful stereo dialogue blowers. Sovereign intervention of tenor KOUI BAMBA. Warming!"
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Gön Bia Bia
Kori Magnin - "Literally: 'Fatigue is Dangerous.' In the deep meaning it is about 'deprivation.' The solo guitar breaks loose and screams its revolt in enflamed notes."
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Kori Magnin
Ziko - "Call singing telephoned and answered with passion."
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Ziko
Babaniko - "This is the favorite piece of the orchestra. Taken with warmth, color and flavor, it is the song of exit of the initiation camp. Succulent dialogue of the wind. Broken voices. Rhythms cut. Spicy melodies."
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Babaniko
Kongoroko - "The forest is resplendent and sunny. The secret forest, mysterious. The forest that thinks and dances! Stubborn rhythm. Rapacious music."
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Kongoroko
Zoo Mousso - "Song of gratitude, reunion and rejoicing."
Le Nimba de N'Zérékoré - Zoo Mousso
Download Gön Bia Bia as a zipped file here. A technical note: this is one of the first albums I digitized a dozen years ago when I was first getting started with this blog. I hadn't yet mastered the software and there's a little clipping on some of the tracks. It's not too noticeable, though. My apologies.
Posted by John B. at 9:27 AM 1 comments
Labels: Guinea, Nimba-Jazz de N'Zérékoré
Saturday, October 27, 2018
An Overlooked Genius
Posted by John B. at 10:45 AM 3 comments
Labels: Congo, Lingala, Soukous, Théo Blaise Kounkou
Monday, October 22, 2018
I Just Saved You $1350.71
The first son of the late highlife music maestro, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, Obiajulu, is dead. According to a family source, Obiajulu, 43, died on Tuesday at Niger City Hospital, Onitsha, Anambra State, after a brief illness.
The body has been deposited at the Ozubulu Central Mortuary in Ekwusigo Council area of Anambra State. Although the cause of his death could not be ascertained as at press time, there were speculations that he died of heart failure. He had been bed-ridden for over five months at his Atani country home, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State.
Obiajulu, who came back to the country after the burial of his father on February 8, last year, stepped into his father’s shoes, remixing some of his hit songs. He also performed at some popular joints within and outside Onitsha.
Until his death, Obiajulu was married to Olayinka. They have a daughter. Besides, he is survived by an aged mother, brothers and sisters.
Posted by John B. at 11:46 AM 5 comments
Labels: Highlife, Igbo, Nigeria, Obiajulu Osadebe, Stephen Osita Osadebe
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
"The Otis Redding of Zimbabwe" (Eyeroll)
Here is Nzara (Kudzanayi BL 459), a 1983 release that showcases Tuku at the peak of his powers, his soulful voice soaring above inspired arrangements and a variety of styles. Enjoy!
Posted by John B. at 8:44 AM 8 comments
Labels: Oliver Mutukudzi, Shona, Zimbabwe
Friday, October 12, 2018
"Some Beautiful Woman Are Dangerous"
Sammy Koffi himself started out with K. Gyasi's band in Ghana in the '60s, before leaving to form Okukuseku's No. 2 Guitar Band in 1969. I've been wanting to post something from Okukuseku for a while. Thing is, quite a bit of their material has been posted on various blogs already, notably Moos's Global Groove, which has an extensive selection. Beautiful Woman, to the best of my knowledge, has not been made available before. In fact, it's not even included in Discogs' extensive listing. So, double bonus!
Posted by John B. at 11:34 AM 4 comments
Labels: Ghana, Nigeria, Okukuseku, Sammy Koffi
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Kiamwuangana Verckys, Producer Extraordinaire!
Perusing Alastair Johnston's excellent overview, "Verckys and Vévé: A Critical Discography," I see that the songs in this collection haven't had a lot of distribution outside of Africa. Several were featured in the Sonodisc/African "360" series issued in France, now long out of print. A couple were included on CD reissues and may still be available in that format. Nonetheless, listening to these tracks should evoke a sense of déjà vu. They've been remade numerous times and included on medleys by such artists as the Soukous Stars and Soukous Vibration. Moreover, they acheived such widespread distribution back in the day that they're part of the DNA of African music from Kenya to Senegal. A comment on YouTube about Orchestre Kiam's "Masumu" is representative: "...I was a little boy at that time when my late Daddy and his Seamen friends used to rock those songs on a 45 rpm turntable. Guinness was 30c, Heineken 25c in Sierra Leone. Music is sure History...."
Posted by John B. at 9:24 AM 5 comments
Labels: Congo, Kiam, Lingala, Lipua-Lipua, Orchestre Veve, Soukous, Verckys
Monday, October 1, 2018
Kamale et Kiam
The School of Verckys
Posted by John B. at 3:46 PM 6 comments
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
The Voice of the People
Posted by John B. at 6:36 AM 2 comments
Labels: Abel Lima, Cape Verde
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
A Couple of Rochereaus
During the '70s Afrisa International vied with Franco's TPOK Jazz and other groups to popularize Congolese music around the world, making it the most widespread and popular style across Africa. During this period Afrisa performed at the legendary Zaïre '74 concert, during FESTAC '77 in Lagos, and at the Olympia Theater in Paris.
The sound of Mpeve Ya Longo and Kele Bibi is subtly different from the Genidia recordings. I don't know if it's because of different recording engineers or what, but the mixes here are looser-sounding, less polished and push the vocals to the forefront while making way for some really inspired instrumental jams. Truly infectious!
Following Bel's departure, Rochereau hooked up with two new female singers, Faya Tess and her sister Beyou Ciel, and continued to record and tour internationally. After the fall of Presidnet Mobutu Sese-Seko in 1997 he took a cabinet position in the new government of Joseph Kabila and followed that up with several other positions over the years. He passed away on November 30, 2013 in Belgium and was buried in Kinshasa after an official mourning ceremony.
Posted by John B. at 11:16 AM 13 comments
Labels: Congo, Lingala, M'Bilia Bel, Soukous, Tabu Ley "Rochereau"