Trust

Another of the Syliphone releases from 1980 features another* orchestra from Beyla: Simandou Jazz.

Unlike Palm Jazz or Télé-Jazz, they get the full Syliphone treatment on the sleeve of their album.
I am referring to the lyrical descriptions of each individual track. "Faisons confiance en l'avenir. Demain sera le fruit de nos mains. Saxo ténor sentimental serpentant dans les jardins fleuris des guitares" ("Let us lay our trust in the future. Tomorrow shall be the fruit of our hands. Sensitive tenor sax snaking through gardens blossoming with guitars" - the translation is not as ridiculous as the French original). Wow!
I just love these little explosions of enthusiasm. They fit in so well with the music.

Because the music is just that: enthusiastic and exciting. This lp has no weaker tracks and I can only say that some tracks are slightly more favourite than others. "Kani Ye Sa", with the distant trumpet solo and the superb rhythm guitar. "Sensenko", with that great sax. "Festival", for the fantastic turbo horn section. And gardens blossoming with guitars too, - trust me.

SLP 72

*PS: I hope you have noticed this great post on the VOA site.

Nanfoule

Some say the original is by Mahawa Kouyaté, but I think it's a traditional.

Balla et ses Balladins have a version, but it hasn't been included on the (nevertheless) brilliant collection from Stern's. And that's the only version on the Syliphone label.

A quick search on the web reveals a rap version (using the version by Morydjeli Deen Kouyaté*), a version categorized under Papua New Guinea and a few more.

Here are two more versions: the first is by the Simandou Jazz de Beyla (broadcasted on April 3, 1986 by the RTG), the second is a superb instrumental version by the Horoya Band. It's from a cassette attributed to the 'Horiya Band', which appears to be an attempt by a few of Horoya's musicians to survive in the post-Syliphone era. It's one of my favorite non-Syliphone cassettes from Guinea, - so I have included the whole cassette.

*I'll come back to him in a later post

EDIT (March 4, 2010): extra link