'Segu Blue' by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
6 December 2007For many people ‘world music’ really means West African music. The prominence of international superstars Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal has focused the attention of world music promoters and media on a small number of West African countries. But for me much of the most feted of this music sounds too like familiar American or European pop with a slight African tinge. I do have a soft spot for the retro fusion of the great big bands of the 1970s: the Rail Band of Mali, Bembeya Jazz of Guinea and, particularly, Orchestra Baobab of Senegal whose reunion album of 2002 ‘Specialist in All Styles’ first turned me on to the world music scene. Their Cuban/African sound is always infectiously danceable and I have fond memories of seeing them at the Derngate in Northampton in 2002. But my favourite West African artists are those who use traditional instruments and styles to create distinctively modern, serious and beautiful music. I particularly like the Wassalou music from Mali as sung by the clear strong voice of Oumou Sangaré or the more breathy vocals of Rokia Traoré. Rokia Traoré’s 2003 album ‘Bowmboi’ is a much played favourite of mine – a series of intensely rhythmic, sparsely decorated songs featuring the twang of the ngoni and the mellow xylophone sound of the balafon (and including two amazing tracks with the Kronos string quartet). As with much African music it makes much more sense when you dance to it: I saw Rokia Traoré at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 2003 and every song lasted about 6 times longer than the recorded versions as she repeatedly lost herself in her joyously exuberant dancing. Many of the best CDs of traditional Malian music in recent years (including albums by Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Toure) have featured the virtuoso ngoni playing of Bassekou Kouyate. The ngoni is a small guitar-like instrument that looks like a rough hewn wooden cricket bat with a few strings strung along its length and creates a quiet, deadened twang. Bassekou Kouyate comes from the hereditary griot tradition and is the outstanding ngoni player of our time. I have been listening this week to his own CD ‘Segu Blue’ (with his band Ngoni Ba) which is definitely one of my albums of the year. I saw him perform at this year’s Womad Festival and he was captivating. This music is quite unlike anything else and takes some listening (and dancing) to really appreciate – but that, of course, is an essential part of it’s appeal.
Labels: Albums, Concerts, Music
posted by Robin Simpson @ 11:07 am
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