More Kebendo!

A few months ago I posted the first of the two lp's on the Tempo label by the wonderful Orchestre de Danse de Gueckédou, better known as Kébendo Jazz. They are among my favourite orchestras in Guinea, and that's saying a lot considering the fierce competition (I refer you to that amazing Boum à Conakry lp I posted a few weeks ago).

I have always wondered why this orchestra was never nationalised. They were the first orchestra ever to win the 'Orchestre' competition of the Festival National des Arts et de la Culture. This was in 1963, a year before the Orchestre Bembeya Jazz from Beyla won the competition and immediately became Bembeya Jazz National.

What did they do wrong? Were they 'sidetracked' because of a lack of 'patriotism' (i.e. loyalty to the P.D.G.)? It can't have been their musical qualities, because at the time of these recordings at least they were musically far superior to Bembeya Jazz, and I have found no evidence that the quality of their music went downhill from then (on the contrary, as you will be able to judge for yourself in a later post).

This lp is brilliant, although maybe not as brilliant as the first. Personally I am great fan of the dreamy vocals of Mamady Traoré, and he has only song on this lp, "N'na gnalen". This track is of outstanding beauty, and at least as good as his two songs on Tempo LP-7013. I also love the first track "Plan triennal", the version of "Soumbayaya" (made even more famous by Jardin and by les Balladins), and the music-to-lie-down-and-gaze-at-the-sky instrumental "Yagou sagou".
What tips the scales in favour of Tempo LP-7013 however is the fact that that lp has two more tracks.....

Tempo LP-7014

Kebendo

I hope you are not thinking that I have stopped posting. This is not the case. We are experiencing an outbreak of the flu, and family matters have taken priority at this moment.
I assume we are not the only victims of this nasty virus. So here is some music that will certainly cheer you up, and that even may transform a burning fever into a feeling of rosy intoxication.

Should you -once you have vanquished the infectious enemy- wish to be informed about the background to these wonderful recordings, I advise you to visit the blog of the Voice Of America.

The music is brought to you by the Orchestre de Danse from Gueckédou, better known as the Kébendo Jazz. According to the label the recordings for this (Tempo LP-7013) and the second (Tempo LP-7014, subject of a future post) record were made in 1961 and released in 1964. By then the orchestra had triumphed in the 1963 edition of the Festival National des Arts et de la Culture, - the first festival to have a competition for orchestras.

I especially like the dreamy boleros ("Sewara", "Bessawa" and the classic "Mama"), with the matching falsetto of Mamady Traoré.
With this music, you may even enjoy having the flu!

Tempo LP-7013