Title (no longer) unknown

The cassette I would like to share with you in this post was a major source of inspiration for me to want to dig deeper into the music of Mali. I copied it from a Malian living in Amsterdam in the mid-1980s. I remember he complained that a lot of Malian music was "talk talk talk". I assumed he meant he was no fan of the "Regard Sur Le Passé" genre. I, however, was new to this phenomenon, and was - and still am - intrigued by the combination of epic and music. The epic part was (and still largely remains) a mystery to me, but the music.... Well, what can I say? It was love at first hearing.

A little later I discovered that some of the tracks of this cassette were also available on lp. The lp being the Bärenreiter-Musicaphon version of a Malian original, by the Orchestre Régional de Ségou. The cassette had "Super Biton" written on it, but it was clear that this was the same ensemble.

To be honest, I still prefer the cassette.
And not just because of the absence of the irritating fake applause on "Da Monzon". But mainly because of the titles on the B-side.

The cassette is undisputable proof of the Greatness of the regional orchestre of Ségou. An orchestra that can come up with a majestic, or even imperial, beginning like the one of the second or the fifth song on the B-side, should have at least a museum to preserve their legacy and to glorify their name.

Unfortunately nothing of the sort has happened to Super Biton. As I reported in an earlier post the orchestra fell apart in the late 1980s, and it is nowadays hard to find any traces of the orchestra in Mali, other than indirect references*.
I hasten to add though that attempts are being made to revive the orchestra, albeit in a leaner version. I'll keep you informed.

At one point I found someone who gave me the titles of the tracks on the B-side, but unfortunately the list got lost somewhere between Bamako and Amsterdam, along with assorted other items of my luggage. Perhaps there is someone who can help us out with these?

As a bonus I add another version of "Bakari Dian", which is from a cassette recorded at my request in 1990 at Radio Mali. It is perhaps hard to recognise, but it is - unless I am very much mistaken - the same version as the one on "Regard sur le passé à travers le présent".

"Bakari Dian" (Malian cassette earlier 1980s)

And finally as an extra bonus I am adding a FLAC version of the Bärenreiter-Musicaphon lp.

BM 30 L 2601

* and while on the subject of videos, you may want to take a look at this 1990 video by the last remnants of Biton. Certainly worthwhile.

EDIT November 13, 2011: I had to change the title of this post, as I have retrieved the names of the songs of this cassette. In meeting the members of the orchestra in Bamako, I was able to sit down with them and listen to the cassette. Toussaint Siané, with the help of the other singers (and especially doyen Mamadou 'Coulou' Coulibaly), wrote down the missing titles. The version with the titles can be found here: Bakari Dian (Malian cassette 198x)

Regard sur le passé

To any connoisseur of West-African music the title of this post must at least sound familiar. And I am sure most will recognise it as the title of a classic album by Bembeya Jazz National, in which the legendary singer Aboubacar Demba Camara recounted the epic story of Sekou Touré's grandfather, Samory Touré, and his heroic struggle against the French colonial oppressors. The album was released twice on the Syliphone label, or three times if you count the live version recorded in Abidjan.
The success of the Bembeya tale provoke a lot of orchestras to follow the Regard formula, and evoke tales of other glorious and heroic pasts. The Horoya Band had its own versions with "Tunyalee" and "Boloba", and the Dirou Band follow suit with "L'Arbre Eternel".

The formula soon caught on in other countries, and more particular in the country with which Guinea shares culture and a large part of its history: Mali. Soon Malian audiences too were glowing with pride on hearing the musical accounts of the intrepid endeavours of Great Ancestors like Soundiata Keita, Da Monzon Diarra and Bakari Dian. I have been assured that most of these epics have never made it to vinyl (and certainly not the many regional versions).

But the great version of the epic of Bakari Dian, gloriously performed by Biton National de Ségou and masterfully recorded at the Radio Mali, did, - and was released on the first lp of Mali's own Mali Music label*.

Besides Biton the lp contains tracks by the Rail Band, the Orchestre de Gao and two tracks by the Tjiwara Band de Kati. Of these the track by the Orchestre from Gao offers another link to the Guinea of Sekou Touré with a song in the Regard style about the attack led by Portuguese officers on Novembre 22, 1970.
The Rail Band song is an ode to the band's founder and sax player, Tidiani Koné (see this and further videos).
The two tracks by the Tjiwara Band can perhaps not compete with the superior standard set by Biton and the Rail Band, but have become -over time- historic proof of the overall high level of Malian orchestras.

Mali Music Mali 1001

*"Da Monzon", albeit a comparatively short version, was also released on the Orchestre Régional de Ségou lp released on the Bärenreiter-Musicaphon label. I will post a version of this without the irritating applause later.

Malandros

I would like to begin this post by referring you straight away to the site of Muzikifan, which not only offers a concise discography of Super Mama Djombo, but also a very relevant introduction to these two records.

Yes, two records: the second and third volume of the SMD series. I copied these lp's years ago, and for some reason lost in the mist of time (or my memory) I have not copied the second track. So to make up for this act of obvious stupidity I am adding a second lp.

The second volume is titled "Festival", which as they keep repeating in the title song is a reference to the festival Super Mama Djombo attended in La Habana, where they joined the struggle ("luta") against imperialism. With this song you don't have to understand crioulo or portuguese to get an idea of what this orchestra from Guinea-Bissau is talking about.
It gets more difficult with the other songs. "Mortos" no doubt means "dead", and "nega" may have something to do with denying. But what does Cabo Verde have to do with this? And about which Cabral are they talking: about president Luis Cabral, who was overthrown at around the time this record was released, or about his brother Amilcar, who was killed in Conakry in 1973, by the Portuguese (who three years before had attempted to get rid of both Sekou Touré and Amilcar Cabral).
And the one that keeps bugging me most: "Sociedade de malandros". What a great title! Repeat it a couple of times and I am sure you'll agree. A "society of sneaky rascals", - now there's one that gets my imagination going......

Luckily it is balanced by the peaceful "Julia", which is neatly summed up by Muzikifan: "There is a dreamy guitar floating across the stratosphere". Great song, which was a logical choice for that memorable CD released in 2003 on the Cobiana label.

The third volume, "Sol Maior Para Comandante", is really another album in the Regard Sur Le Passé style, including a storyteller recounting the historic events. The difference with Bembeya's Regard is the fact that the events (the heroic acts of Amilcar Cabral in the luta for the independance of Guinea-Bissau) weren't from a (relatively) distant past, but from a few years before the release of the album!
Like the Bembeya classic, the album not only conserves a very interesting chapter of African history, but also offers some brilliant music from a country which has remained relatively underexposed in the study of and research into African music.

SMD 002
SMD 003

UPDATE: Alastair from Muzikifan was kind enough to send the missing track of SMD 002, plus copies of both sleeve and labels. For those who have already downloaded this volume, here is the additional material. Those who have not yet downloaded the volume can use the 'normal' link to download the complete album.
Thanks also to African Music Recycler for sharing the missing track through the link in the comments.

Syli Orchestre National

Formed in 1959, the Syli Orchestre National contained Guinea's elite musicians. The orchestra represented Guinea at international festivals, including Helsinki (1962), Algiers (1969), and Tunis (1973), as well as performing in Berlin, Lagos and Cuba. The first chef d'orchestre was Kanfory Sanoussi (accordion, banjo and vibraphone), with other musicians at the time including Kerfala “Papa” Diabaté (guitar), Balla Onivogui (trumpet), Kélétigui Traoré (tenor saxophone), Clement Dorego (tenor saxophone), Honore Coppet (alto saxophone), Momo Wandel (alto saxophone), Pivi Moriba (trombone), Kerfala Camara (bass), and Jean Fanga (drums). In later years the orchestre included Demba Camara (vocals) and Sékou "Bembeya" Diabaté (lead guitar). In 1962 they were disbanded, as they were too many musicians, though the orchestra were reformed for special occasions for many years to come. At the Premier Festival Culturel Panafricain held in Algiers in 1969 the Syli Orchestre Nationale performed "Regard sur le passé", by Bembeya Jazz, "Sara", by Balla et ses Balladins, and other material from Guinean orchestras. They were rewarded with a silver medal in the "Orchestre moderne" section.

Graeme Counsel (here)

Here is a video from the concert in 1969, featuring the legendary singer Aboubacar Demba Camara, and Sekou Diabaté 'le Docteur' (Balladins) and a young Sekou Diabaté 'Bembeya' on guitar, and Sekou Legrow (he's the one with the silly walk at the beginning), Balla, Kélétigui, Pivi and lots of other superb musicians.

The energy, the drive, the music, the voice: this is top of the league music from Guinea!*

*"O.U.A." (referring to the Organisation of African Unity) is a version of a track by the Orchestre de Beyla (i.e. Bembeya Jazz) on Syliphone SLP 5.

Dafra Star

For some time now I am slightly disturbed by the lack of interest by the western music 'industry'* in the music of Burkina Faso. And not just because of my hero Amadou Balaké, but certainly also because of deserving bands like the Dafra Star, who are the subject of this post.

The star of Dafra Star is singer Tidiani Coulibaly, who - I am told - was quite a celebrity in the Upper Volta of the 1970s. Coulibaly started Dafra Star in 1975 after having left the famous Volta Jazz orchestra.
A year later, in 1976, his new group won first prize in the national Festival of Modern Music, with the song which is featured on the A-side of this lp. The song, which on the album is simple called "Recital", is another example of a track in the "Regard Sur Le Passé" style 'invented' and/or made famous by Bembeya Jazz. The horn section and the whole sound of this track remind me strongly of Super Biton from Ségou, but this is not surprising: the songs were recorded at Radio Mali by Boubacar Traoré (who also recorded Biton, - and many many many others).

The link to Mali and Biton does not end there. The guitarist on the left of Tidiani Coulibaly (in the photo) is none other than Zoumana Diarra, who in the 1980s went on to play with Super Biton, Rail Band and Super Djata, and who also performed on that great cassette of Coumba Sidibé. Zou has been living in the Netherlands for the last twenty years.

Side two contains five great songs which others probably would describe as "influenced by Cuban music" or - worse still - "Afro funk". I prefer "authentically voltaique" - but certainly with bambara influences.

If you, like me, are interested in the music of Burkina Faso (or Upper Volta), I would like to draw your attention to a release on the Savannaphone label called "Ouaga Affair". I have yet to hear this collection, but it looks very promising.....

DS LP 01

*and I realise that we are dealing with a dwindling, if not moribund phenomenon...