Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Djeli: les gardiens de la mémoire de l'empire du Mali

A very interesting documentary about Djeli in Mali, embrassing myths, past history, present social context, and take care to giving a large part of djeli speaking about themself and their vocation on Mandé cultural area.
With Adoulaye Diabaté, Sekouba Traoré, Toumani Diabaté 
Sorry for those who don't understand but speak off and sub-title are in french, but if you get opportunity to have a translation by someone speaking it, don't miss it, this documentary worth it .
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9649d_djeli-les-gardiens-de-la-memoire-de_music

Friday, March 29, 2013


DJ SBU featuring ZAHARA "LENGOMA"


My dear friend Kate Kondji make me discover this video, an efficient house-music track, with a repetitive sanza hook and the wonderful chant from Zahara, 
I feel similars work directions with Jefté Guillaume productions. 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Baba Gallé KANTÉ

  A master of fulà flute....


Baba Gallé KANTÉ used to play his tambin ( Fulà flute) for many recordings sessions at JBZ studio in Abidjan, Côte-d'Ivoire in the 90's such as Alpha Blondy, Sékouba Bambino, Oumou Sangaré, Doura Barry, or choregraph dancer  Georges Momboyes but never release a recording focused on his own instrument.
 So the day he  came and told me that he was in the need to promptly record few accoustic instrumentals tracks, I was a little bit embarrassed because the main static microphone I had to use was out of order.
We had made differents recordings before those instrumentals tracks, those sessions most of the time included Abdoulaye Traoré on guitars and Kemsé Kanté on dudumba, djembé, bolon and gongoma.
Baba Gallé  was singing in fulfulbé on some of these recordings,  a track like "Guigol" is the only one of the CD from this period (circa 2006), and the oldest recording  released on it.
All others tracks were recorded 2 years laters, when he thought it was the time the time for him, after spending years to play as a sideman, to express his own musical work.
A friend lent me a static rode, which is little more harshy than the one I had, but despite availability, diferences and sounds specificity of  the mics , the work has to be done !
Great Balafonist Mancondé Mory Diabaté dit Balakala joint him for those sessions
also Abdoulaye Traoré on guitar and Madou Condé on percussions. 
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
 Baba Gallé Kanté : vocal ( trk 10 ) trad. pulaar flute, calabash, wassamba ( trad. rattles), hand clap, compositions
Abdoulaye Traoré :  acc guitar & solo guitar, arrangements
Madou Condé : djembé, dudumba
Balakala : balafon
Ali Diallo : Sokou 
Julien Chauveau : acc gt & drm prog ( trk 10), hand clap, rec, mix, prod
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
                  wassamba
  
                                                              fulà flutes

 Tambins come in several keys; from E, up to Bb. The most common ones are F, F#, G, Ab      and  A. They produce one complete diatonic scale, starting on the lowest note of the second register (the 3rd of the scale) and going up three registers to the sixth of the scale. The first register is disconnected form the scale. These instruments are usually constructed from a conical vine from the forests of Guinea, the largest end being on the side of the embouchure and tapering down to where the fingerholes are. The bore can vary from 5/8" to one inch. 


 



More About Tambin here