Abel Lima e Les Sofas cantam Nos Bida

Abel Lima from the island of Boa Vista,Cabo Verde,better known as  Don Abel was (and still is) an important and politically committed artist .for today,stories of immigration, exploitation and saudade in funk and coladeira from his first personal lp -mid 70's after his participation in  the PAIGC sponsored KaoGuiAMo group

read some more in muzzicaltrips

Nos Bida

Kakraba Lobi-Xylophone Player from Ghana

In Ghana, Kakraba Lobi is considered to be the gyil’s spokesperson by virtue of being one of the only living virtuosi to have mastered the vast and difficult repertoire, and possibly the only to have gained international acclaim as a concert soloist.
He was born in Kalba Saru in the Lobi and Birifor area of Nothern Ghana in 1939. His father is a farmer who is also highly skilled in the art of xylophone making and playing, like his father before him. His brothers, too, make and play drums and xylophones. As a child, Kakraba watched and listened intently, and thus became involved in the family tradition.

When he was old enough, Kakraba traveled south to the city of Accra where he was invited by many people to perform, and even played out on the streets, earning more than most people with office jobs. He gave broadcasts for Radio Ghana, and in 1957 he was invited to give a concert at the University of Ghana, Legon, where Professor J.H. Kwabena Nketia offered him a teaching post in the Institute of African Studies.
From 1962 until 1987, Kakraba was a full-time member of the staff at the Institute. In addition to his own Lobi and Birifor music, he has learned much of the music of the Ga, Ashanti and Dagati peoples. His repertoire and technique have been studied by ethnomusicologists from around the world.

According to qualified opinion, Kakraba is the finest xylophonist in his Ghana homeland, though he is too modest to claim such a title. His art is deeply rooted in tradition, and by virtue of his personality and extraordinary life circumstances, he has evolved into a world class solo performer.
Kakraba plays a xylophone, Kogili, with fourteen wooden keys. The Kogili has spiritual significance for the Lobi and the Birifor, who believe that it acquires part of the soul of its maker and owner, whose skills are in turn attributable to spirit origin. In order to preserve this spiritual element, various objects may be added to the instrument, such as porcupine quills, ancestral carved figures, crosses cut into the tips of the keys or brass tacks inserted into them.

from this site

Kakraba Lobi passed away  in July 2007

a homage and his funeral can be "viewed" right here:
http://lobimusic.org/

Xylophone player 

& more 

I walk alone

I walk alone

this is Marijata can be found in osibisaba * salut friend wherever you are 

* 

les Dieuf Dieul

*****

Dakar 2000

mbalax, jazz , rap and rock grooves 

under the production of David Murray 

more  & some more  to read 

3 years earlier, David Murray's Senegalese adventures started with 
Fo Deuk Revue

"Fo deuk" means "where do you come from" in Wolof. David Murray and friends have crafted a diverse, yet cohesive recording, hailing from a number of "places". Murray has been a professional saxophone player since the age of 14. He and his band (Jamaaladeen Tacuma - bass, Darryl Burgee - drums, and Robert Irving III - piano) traveled to Dakar, Senegal in May 1996 intent on creating a fusion with West African musicians. This recording documents the results of their musical encounters with some of Dakar's best known local bands; rappers Positive Black Soul, the Dieuf Dieul Band, singer Hamet Maal (Baaba Maal's brother) and sabar master Doudou N'Diaye Rose. The lyrics throughout carry a strong message about how Murray sees his world and himself "as a person of African descent relating to people who live in Africa and about the difficulty and problems which exist for Africans all over the planet".

David Murray - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Didier Awadi (Positive Black Soul) - rap

Amiri Baraka - poetry reading

Amiri Baraka Jr. - voice

Amadou Barry (Positive Black Soul) - rap and voice

Darryl Burgee - drums

Ousseynou Diop - drums

Assane Diop - guitar and xalam

Tidiane Gaye - voice

Craig Harris - trombone

Robert Irving III - piano

Hamet Maal - voice

Abdou Karim Mané - bass

Oumar Mboup - djembe and percussion

Hugh Ragin - trumpet

Doudou N'Diaye Rose - sabar and voice

El Hadji Gniancou Sembène - keyboard

Moussa Séné - background vocals and percussion

Junior Soul - voice

Jamaaladeen Tacuma - bass

*****

further

more wonders

 photo

more wonders from the Fulbe queen that stole our hearts


Ganda Fadiga with Inna Baba Koulibaly: Asigan da koye

Inna Baba Koulibaly: Barou djenga niadia

thanks   mela & ngoni

les soeurs diabaté-donkili diarabi

*

 it is impossible for the blog to sail without  the passion

of donkili diarabi

very (I mean Very) beautiful love songs from  beloved  Sona Diabaté and  her sister Sayon

(and both sisters of the more famous petit Sekou "Bembeya" "diamond fingers" etc..  )

and their soul sister Mama

with Lenké Condé on guitar , Adama Condé  on bala  and Tchemsé Kanté on the bolon.

if  love has a voice ...

then this is it

donkili

Fadouba Oularé

a great master of the djembe  from the rich,cultured  soil of Faranah/Guinea:  

Fadouba Oularé was the first Guinean djembefola to be recognized around the world.

Fadouba was born in 1936 in Sankaran at Koumandi Barnatou in the subprefecture of Bendou Cérékor,

40 km from Faranah. From an early age, his relatives went to consult a sorcerer,

who learned that Fadouba would be a great drummer who would travel around the world.

His father Youssouf Oulare was a drummer so Fadouba learned from him and accompanied him

at festivals. At the age of 15, Fadouba was the best drummer around and his reputation grew rapidly.....

Fadouba died on 26 January 2010. He was one of the grand masters in the true Malinke tradition of the djembe as well as the ballets. He had a virtuosity and a series of his own created strokes that added colour to his playing, yet his playing embodied the old world of djembe. His presence commanded respect and admiration. His loss was strongly felt but he left an indelible mark on his peers and on all his students and fans around the world.

from his portrait over at  djembefola.com

*****

a laser role for  Fadouba Oularé,but I urge you to watch  next video  anyway :