There seems to be an intense lack of interest by the western
music listener in the music of Burkina
Faso. There are phenomenal bands &
musicians from Burkina Faso
(or Upper Volta).
One such band is Dafra Star.
Tidiani Coulibaly started Dafra Star in 1975 after having
left the famous Volta Jazz Orchestra. Only one year later, his new group won
first prize at the National Festival of Modern Music.
The winning song is featured on the A-side of this LP. The
song is simply called "Recital-1 eprix Festival Musique
Voltaique-1976". The guitar & horn section are fantastic. The
guitarist is none other than Zoumana Diarra, who in the 1980s went on to play
with Super Biton, Rail Band & Super Djata.
The B-side contains five great songs with a slight Cuban influence, kinda Afro-funk, also with bambara flavor, but the music of Upper Volta has a style all its own. It has been labeled ‘voltaique’.
Coulibaly Tidiani et l'authentique Dafra Star de BoboDioulasso, Dafra Star DS LP 01, 1976.
decryption code in comments
Side A –
Recital 1 eprix Festival Musique Voltaique-1976
Side B –
Fanta
Super Diarabi
Kanou
Nakan
Foli
El Hadj Hamado Kanazoe is an African Sufi singer. He was
born in Mané, not far from the town of Kaya, in
north-central Burkina Faso.
Since 1970 he has been living in Ouagadougou.
El Hadj Kanazoe started singing when he was 12 years old. He has released 15
studio recordings. This is acapella religious chanting for the head &
heart.
Sufism (Arabic:
تصوّف) is defined by its adherents
as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is
generally known as a ṣūfī
(صُوفِيّ). They belong to different ṭuruq or orders, congregations formed
around a master, which meet for spiritual sessions (majalis) in meeting places
known as zawiyahs, Khanqahs, or tekke. El Hadj Hamado Kanazoe is a disciple of
the Tidjani leader Cheikh Aboubakar Doukouré.
Hamado is the most famous performer of Wazu music, a style
that alternates chanting of the Koran in Arabic, with moral commentary in
Mooré, the language of the Mossi people. If you have never heard this kind of
singing before, I think you will be amazed & enthralled by the richness of
sound & harmony in this purely Mossi version of Quranic reading. These
centuries-old West African Islamic practices are in danger of being uprooted by
Islamic fundamentalists, whose advocates may disparage these as ‘unIslamic’ or
‘unorthodox’. The words I’ve heard it called are more accurate, I believe:
“Majestic, otherworldly”.
El hadj Hamado Kanazoe, Bazar Musique BM 401, 197?.
decryption code in comments
Face A –
Nabi Yaam Pingr
Face B –
Nabi Yaam Siifo
This is a fantastic compilation of rare 70s African groove
music. Most of the bands & musicians here are already well known to
Afrophiles. Artists like Amadou Ballaké are among the nations greatest (if not
the continent). Bands like l’Orchestre Super Volta, Le 5 Consuls, & Afro
Soul System are all well respected, well known groups.
The landlocked West African nation of Burkina Faso, which was known until 1984 as Upper Volta,
didn’t have civilian radio until 1939. Even in the 50s it took music from the US a year to
reach Voltan ears. But it’s not totally isolated. In the 70s when this music
was being made, economic conditions in Upper Volta forced many adults to
travel to neighboring countries to seek work. There they were exposed to Latin
American rhythms, US
soul music, & the emerging national sounds of these neighbors.
There’s the obvious Cuban club/dance influence in Amadou
Ballaké’s “Baden Djougou”.
There’s James Brown soul in Jean Claude Bamongo’s vocals on
Afro Soul System’s “Tink Tank”. There’s Congolese beats & guitar riffs in
Orchestre CVD’s “Rog Mik Africa”. What really makes this Voltan is the mix of Mosse,
Fula, & Mandé local dialects. & the way the guitar licks are laid down,
the arpeggio heavy organ runs, & Afro-soulful singers.
Various Artists – Bambara Mystic Soul – The Raw Sound of
Burkina Faso 1974-1979,
Analog Africa AALP 070
(2xLP), 2011.
decryption code in comments
Side A –
Amadou Ballaké et l'Orchestre Super Volta - Bar Konou Mousso
Abdoulaye Cissé- Kodjougou
Compaoré Issouf - Dambakalé
Amadou Ballaké et Les 5 Consuls - Renouveau
Side B –
Afro Soul System - Tink Tank
Mamo Lagbema - Love, Music & Dance
Amadou Ballaké et Les 5 Consuls - Baden
Djougou
Amadou Ballaké et l'Orchestre Super Volta - Johnny
Side C –
Coulibaly Tidiani - Sie Koumgolo
Mangue Konde et Le Super Mandé - Kabendo
Orchestre CVD - Rog Mik Africa
Amadou Ballaké et l'Orchestre Super Volta - Sali
Side D -
Mamo Lagbema - Zambo Zambo
Richard Seidou Traoré et Les Vadou du Flamboyant - Katougou
Amadou Ballaké et l'Orchestre Super Volta - Oye Ka Bara
Kignan
Sandwidi Pierre et l'Orchestre Harmonie Voltaique - Tond
Yabramba
Enjoy this sampler of the Burkina Bambara experience, then
go find the ones you like to buy & cherish,
NØ
Dafra Star
ReplyDeleteamsunXyvtG5Pz8QZbolv4ELcS5xeGe3rJxUk0zw5QuE
El Hadj Hamado Kanazoe
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Bambara Mystic Soul
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So much of this African leg of your journey is virgin territory for me. You're Doing The Lord's Work here. And I thank you again.
ReplyDeleteThen the Lord surely does work in mysterious ways
DeleteIndeed It do.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I was after the Coulibaly Tidiani record for quite a while and still didn't manage to get it on vinyl.
ReplyDeleteTobias (Bochum, Germany)
Well, thanks you for your comment. Mp3s not as great as having the vinyl, but you can listen to it until that lucky day when you land that licorice pizza.
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