Moriba Kaba

In 1988 he was not one to push himself to the forefront. He hadn't been part of the European tours of the years before, so he was 'outside'.
Guitarist Mama Sissoko had moved himself in the limelight during the concerts in Holland, and - according to some - was rivalling for the position of leader of the orchestra, after the retirement of Amadou 'Armstrong' Bah. But sax player (and hunter) Mamadou Diarra better known as 'Blick' had filled that position, a logical choice given the historic focus on the horn section.
I had met with Toussaint Siané a few months before, and had been spotted by Amadou Bah when he was touring in Ségou on his Yamaha motorcycle while I was trying to get some money out of the bank.

Singer Papa Gaoussou Diarra I didn't meet until I saw Super Biton play at the Hotel GTM on November 19, 1988.

Both public and bandmembers addressed him as Papus, at the the time. Later on, after he had made three solo albums (one of these is posted here), he acquired the surname of "Pèkèlè", after one of his hit songs. But to me he will always be linked to the concert at the Hotel GTM.

A few days ago I received news that he has died on January 25, at the age of just 56.

By way of a tribute to Papus I would like to share with you the song that earned him a place in my list of best musical moments ever.
This song was the opening song of the concert at the Hotel GTM in Ségou. Technicians of Malian television were still installing their equipment to record a few songs, which were to be part of a celebratory emission for the (then) president Moussa Traoré. On guitar is, of course, Mama Sissoko, and the vocal in this Malinké classic is by Papa Gaoussou Diarra.

Moriba Kaba (flac)

Additionally here is a video of a song featuring Papa Diarra, recorded at the Institut Français in Bamako in October 2011. The sound is slightly overmodulated (sorry).

Bronkoni

Two of the tracks I am sharing with you in this post were on a cassette labelled "Super Biton National 81" which I bought some ten or eleven years ago in Bamako.
It was only last year that I found out I had been misled.

In meeting the musicians from Super Biton in Bamako, last October, I asked them to help me out with the titles of a couple of cassettes attributed to them which I had collected of the last thirty years. Much to my surprise they identified these two tracks, which up to then had been among my favourite "Biton" tracks, as being performed not by Super Biton from Segou, but by Orchestre Bronkoni* from Niono!

The name rang a bell. I had heard of this orchestra in 1988 during my visit to the last of the old style Biennales in Bamako. Two years later I even ventured down to Niono, partly to retrieve some music by this mysterious group, and partly because others had pointed the small town of Niono out as a "hotspot" for traditional Bambara and Sarakolé music. Disappointingly I only found a disproportionate amount of Sudanese music (largely due to the presence of a Sudanese medic, I was told), and some Dutch (agricultural) development aid workers.

In the meantime the name "Bronkoni de Niono" appears to be almost exclusively associated with one artist: Adama Yalomba, who seems to have been touring in Europe (and perhaps also other parts of the world). Apparently he has been a member of this orchestra at one - undefined (!) - point. As seems to be common on the web, all references are indiscriminately copied (and often even without bothering to change the wording).
I am told he is not the only musician with a history with Bronkoni. But I am sure Vieux Paré (video!) is not as well known in the west, so you won't find as many references linking him to the Niono orchestra.

Getting back to the music, even now I have a hard time not associating this music with the legendary Super Biton orchestra. These two songs are of such a high standard, and so brilliantly executed, that it seems hard to imagine them as originating from another source. The opening lines are 100% in the Biton style, with a superb horn section sliding in over the guitar intro. A spine-tingling opening usually only to be found with the music of Biton.
On the other hand it can be seen as an indication of the general - exceptionally high - level of the Malian orchestras, during their 'Golden Years' in the 1970s and 1980s.

Both songs feature elements which can also be found with other Malian orchestras, such as the female impersonation (in "Pary-Mary") and the 'underground' organ (in "Kômon Foli").
But I for one certainly would love to hear more from and by this great orchestra.

Two songs by Bronkoni de Niono

As a foretaste of things to come, I am adding a track which I recorded myself at the Biennale in 1988. The track is by the orchestra representing the district of Bamako: Bamansaba de Bamako. The photo on the right taken during this concert should give you an idea of the circumstances during this concert on September 11, 1988 at the Cinema Rex in the center of Bamako (which no longer exists).
In a future post I hope to write more about the competition of the "Orchestres Modernes" of the 1988 Biennale.

Bamasaba de Bamako - "Danaya Kouma"

* Toussaint Siané wrote "M'Brokoni", and Florent Mazzoleni "Boronkoni", but it's all the same orchestra...

Doldrums

Continuing the story of that great Malian orchestra, Super Biton de Ségou, I would like to share with you two cassettes released as 'solo projects' by members of the orchestra.

Both cassettes are from the early 1990s, i.e. the period that can best described as the doldrums, after the stormy European tour and the desastrous last Biennale. The orchestra was in a state of serious decay, which had set in after the retirement of Amadou 'Armstrong' Bah (see also in this post).

Singer Mamadou Doumbia a.k.a. 'Percé' moved to Paris. I understand that he has since retired from music, although I have heard other reports that he performs infrequently at weddings and sumu's* ( or 'soirées'). To many his name is firmly linked to those two 'golden' albums released on the Mali Kunkan label, with evergreens like 'Taasi Doni', 'Nyeleni' and 'Nyangaran Foli'. I have been told that many of these hits were researched and contributed by Percé, but I have to add that my source, Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré, may have been slightly biased, as he and Percé were good friends.

It is clear that this cassette comes nowhere near the level of Super Biton, and the fact that it was recorded in Paris doesn't help either. I am reminded of Amadou Bah's words (in reference to Salif Keita) that you can't expect to remain true to your culture if you go and live somewhere else. The music on this cassette breathes the stress of Parisian life, combined with an undetermined shallowness which tends to prevail in a lot of Parisian recordings of African (and not only Malian) artists.
I think the cassette doesn't do justice to the great singer Percé was when he was a member of Biton.

Camara CK7 047 (or CK 047)

I met Aboubacar Kissa dit 'Cubain' in 1990. He didn't take part in the European tour of 1986, as a result of a dispute with the regional authorities in charge of the orchestra (according to some sources about his drinking habits). I was sitting in a bar in Bamako with Flani, waiting for Zani Diabaté, when Cubain walked in followed by Zani. He and Zani joined us, and we ordered more drinks. After a while a young guy playing an acoustic guitar came up to our table and, recognising Zani, started playing one of the Djata Band's tunes. Badly, I must add. Zani got somewhat annoyed, at which the youngster remarked that his guitar was a bit out of tune. Zani asked to hand it to him and proceeded to play the opening chords of "Farima". "Nothing wrong with the guitar", he noted, and switched to his signature tune "Diabaté Zani". Flani and Cubain soon picked up the vocals.
The young guitarist, by the way, recorded his first album not much later. He, Lobi Traoré, died of a heart attack in June 2010...

I am always reminded of this incident listening to the last track of this cassette. Although named "Maliba" it is, of course, exactly the same song as "Diabaté Zani".
This, unfortunately, does not mean that it gets anywhere near Zani's version. Compared to Percé's Parisian effort this cassette does, however, has some redeeming qualities.
First of all, it was recorded in Mali. And this is manifest, not only by the more relaxed atmosphere of the recordings, but also because of the somewhat makeshift character of the instrumentation. The synthesizer is downright irritating, and annoyingly prominent in all songs.

Positive features of the cassette are Cubain's singing and his choice of songs. He includes three songs from the Biton repertoire: "Diagneba" and "Garaba Mama" (see my earlier post), plus "So Karafe" from the "Nyangaran Foli"/Mali Kunkan lp. The execution of these songs is at times - to put it bluntly - bizarre. "So Karafe" is given an unsettling reggae treatment, while "Garaba Mama" can be recommended as a song to get the last drunks out off a bar at closing time.

Nevertheless, all in all, I prefer Cubain's cassette to Percé's. I was very happy to see Cubain with Super Biton in October last year. That's where he is at his best, as he proved during the concert at the Institut Français (of which I'll post more very soon). Toussaint Siané confirmed that Percé is still in France and has no intention to rejoin Biton, - which is a pity.....

Oumar Kouba OKP 004 (or OKP 004)

I have received a report from Bamako, by the way, that Super Biton were due to play at the Festival "Les Voix de Bamako", but in the end didn't. I am waiting to hear why.

*more about this phenomenon in a future post.

EDIT January 22, 2012: Ngoni sends me this video of the first song (gracias!) and points out that Djeneba Seck is in the chorus:

Mama Sissoko

I would like to start this post with a video of the concert by Orchestre Super Biton. This - in my opinion historic - concert took place at the Institut Français in Bamako on October 24, - i.e. on the evening of the first day of the colloque.

Unaware of any seating arrangments, we (Graeme Counsel, John Collins and me) went and sat down in the middle of the first row. Just before the concert began, the Malian Ministre de la Culture, Hamane Niang, made his entry surrounded by his bodyguards. John, to the right of me, was obviously sitting in the seat that was meant for his excellency. But the minister made no attempt to claim his privilege and sat down next to John, and subsequently proceeded to noticeably (but in a dignified manner) enjoy the concert.

This video was recorded with a smaller camera (hence the movement), with mono audio. I am still trying to correct the slight distortion on the songs I recorded (in stereo) with my other camera. So there is more to come....

The title of this song is "Kara Demba". You may remember my post of the Balandzan lp and Bomama cassette, both of which feature this track. The singers in this video are, from the left, Toussaint Siané, Gaoussou 'Papus' Diarra, Aboubacar 'Cubain' Kissa and - the oldest surviving member of the group - Mamadou 'Coulou' Coulibaly. Left of Toussaint is Mama Sissoko, the lead guitarist and chef d'orchestre.



I hadn't seen Mama Sissoko perform as a member of Biton since 1988, and I have to admit I wasn't very enthousiastic about his solo projects. During the tour of 1986, which brought the orchestra to Holland, his fellow musicians complained about his tendency to prolong the guitar solos. The annoyance was one of the factors which led to chef d'orchestre Amadou 'Armstrong' Bah retiring from the orchestra, which in turn contributed to the decline of the orchestra after 1988. So it is ironical that one of the persons who was in a way co-instrumental to the disappearance of this great orchestra is now playing such a major role in its revival.
And not only through his position as chef d'orchestra.

I was particularly impressed by his very controlled and well-dosed guitar playing. I think that most of the participants of the colloque agreed that his well-tempered* guitar managed to compensate to some extent for the absence of a horn section. Or perhaps I should write: the horn section. And, please, don't get me wrong: I still hope Biton finds some good horn players to fill in the gap left by the demise of the great Amadou Bah and Mamadou 'Blick' Diarra.

I hope I can correct the distortion on the other videos so I can share some more examples of the brilliance of this great Malian orchestra.

In the meantime I would like to share with you two examples of Mama Sissoko's guitar playing from the 1980's.
The first was recorded in Amsterdam on October 2, 1986 by Dave van Dijk for VPRO radio. Super Biton did three concerts in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Especially during the concert in Rotterdam Mama was virtually instoppable, also as a result of the audience reaction.

Tere (Super Biton, Melkweg Amsterdam, October 2, 1986) [FLAC]

The second was recorded by myself two years later in Segou, during a concert for president Moussa Traoré, which was recorded by Malian television. This song was actually a 'prelude' to the concert, - which incidentally was attended by no more than 30 persons, including the technicians of the ORTM. The singer of this version of a Malinke classic is Papa Gaoussou Diarra.

Moriba Kaba (Super Biton, Segou November 19, 1988) [FLAC]

I intend to post the complete recordings of the Segou concert in a future post.


* I used this analogy intentionally, as Mama is trying to play in two tonal scales: the heptatonic of the traditional Malinké music and the 'classic' Malinké guitar and the pentatonic of (amongst others) the traditional Bambara music and the classic Bambara ngoni.

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)

Panorama

Having posted the first lp on the Mali Music label, it seems only logical I should also share the second with you. This album contains tracks by the same orchestras as on the first, with the addition of the regional orchestra of the Sikasso region.

The addition is absolutely justified, because the two tracks are of an Orchestre Regional de Sikasso in exceptional form. With the great guitarist Madou Sangaré a.k.a. "Madou Guitare" leading the troops, Sikasso never had a stronger line-up.

Some of these songs have been re-released on CD recently by Ibrahima Sylla, who - as reliable Malian sources have reported repeatedly - has obtained these recordings by other than purely legal means. The same producer has gained access to the Syliphone catalogue by the same or a similar dubious method; and in this case the report comes from the highest possible source, Justin Morel Junior, - a man not only involved in the Syliphone label at the time, but also (at least according to the latest reports) the present Guinean Minister of Cultural Affairs. In a later post I will return to this subject....

Returning to the lp, I would like to draw your attention to the two extraordinary tracks by the Orchestre de Gao, the first based on a takamba rhythm (at least, according to the sleeve notes; I still have problems recognising the takamba bit...) and the second described more accurately as a "romance sonhraï sur un air de blues" (and this time I do hear traces of takamba).

Strangely the Rail Band is represented by two tracks which I would normally expect from Super Biton. Both "Badialamale" and "Sounan" are bambara rhythms from the Segou region. The latter is based on the bara (picture on the left) rhythm which Biton have used more than once.

Personally I can't get enough of this music by those legendary orchestras from Mali.

Mali Music Mali 1002

EDIT: there was a problem with the file. This has (hopefully) been corrected.

Balandzan

In an interview in 1986 I asked Amadou Bah (nicknamed 'Armstrong'), who was at the time 'chef d'orchestre' of the Malian orchestra Super Biton National, about the record released on the Tangent label and titled "Balandzan". He told me "Balandzan" was in fact the name of the group. This group from Ségou was a sort of nursery for the Super Biton orchestra; talents were recruited and trained in this nursery until they were ready for the 'real thing'. Also, if for some reason they were short in certain positions within the orchestra they could invite members of "Balandzan" to join them. The lp, explained Amadou Bah, was recorded by members of this group in Abidjan. The mention (on the sleeve) of the name Biton was to indicate not only the orchestra to which they were related, but also the repertoire which they were using. Because all the songs on the album are in fact songs from Biton.

Despite never hearing anything to indicate the contrary I am not convinced that the musicians in this record weren't at the time members of Biton. Could it have been a coincidence that the orchestra played nearly all the songs from this lp when they toured Europe in 1986? And why were members of Biton selling a cassette (on the right) with (on the B-side) the tracks of this lp?
I suspect political motives may play a part in this affair. Biton was the regional orchestra of the Ségou region, and funding came from the regional authorities. I have heard many rumours about the strict rule of regional directors and conflicts between musicians and regional authorities (as in other countries, usually about money).

To be honest, I am inclined to prefer the older repertoire of Biton*. But as Biton is one of my favourite Malian orchestras, this album still features in the top 100 African lp's.

The majority of the songs of this great orchestra are traditionals rearranged for an 'orchestre moderne'. Of course, most of these traditionals were from 'their own' region. The opening track "Sodanso", for example, was taken from a traditional made famous by the great Hawa Dramé. She also sung "Garaba Mama", which is on the cassette Biton were selling in 1986.
The themes of the songs are mostly of a moral nature. Even in praise songs, the emphasis is on the moral aspects. This doesn't mean that controversial subjects are avoided. In "Waracoro" a man rejects the popular 'norm' that a man can only be succesful and get married if he is well-dressed and his appearance is smart. He chooses to stay single and have girlfriends instead. And "Diagneba", on the cassette, is about arranged marriages. "I will marry the one I love" is the message of this song.
"S.T.I." is a song in praise of an organisation, the Sociéte de Transports Internationaux. I am told this song caused some trouble for the orchestra, presumably because the regional authorities hadn't authorised the flattery.
"Kara Demba" is a song about a great Bozo (an ethnical group of fishermen), who knew the profound mysteries and myths of the Bozo culture.

I am adding the cassette Biton were selling during their European tour of 1986. Side B of this cassette has the same tracks as the lp, but side A has five great additions to the songs on the lp. I would like to draw the attention of the connoisseurs to the first track of the cassette, "Bomama", which you may recognise as (the older) "Zani Diabaté" by the Super Djata Band.

Tangent TAN LP 7008
Bomama (cassette 1986)

As a bonus I would like to add this 'teaser' of a French documentary about the great Malian orchestras. This contains recent footage of members of Super Biton in Ségou, including Toussaint Siané, Mama Sissoko and Aboubacar Kissi 'Cubain'.


*I hate to keep referring to future posts, but I can assure you I will get round to this.

PS: The photo at the beginning of this post was taken by Isabelle Vigier at the 1986 Biennale in Bamako, and shows - from left to right - Toussaint Siané, Mama Sissoko, Amadou 'Armstrong' Bah and Mamadou 'Blick' Diarra.

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.

Papus

After the lingering demise of Super Biton from Ségou (Mali), which set in after the European tour in 1986 and the subsequent retirement of longtime chef d'orchestre Amadou Bah, most of the bandmembers tried to save their musical hides. Some left for other orchestras, others embarked on solo 'projects'. One of the more succesful of these projects was one by a singer who hadn't joined the orchestra on the European tour.

I have never found out why Papa Gaoussou Diarra, a.k.a. Papus was left out of the line-up. Maybe he had fallen out of favour with the regional authorities. Or maybe he was left behind for musical reasons; because Papa Diarra had a secondary role with Biton, and was not one of the front men. During concerts he usually sang the 'lesser' tracks, which with Biton -as an orchestra from a Bambara region*- meant the Malinké classics.

The title track of this cassette was quite a hit in the late 1990. And I can imagine why. The whole cassette has an unpretentiousness, and (I am told) deals with everyday subjects of everyday people. The tunes are at least related to the repertoire of Super Biton, without being direct copies; the second track is the exception to this rule, as it is a version of the track Biton played at the last (old style) Biennale in 1988.
But all in all it's a very enjoyable cassette.

EDIT December 10, 2010: I see our friend Ngoni has posted a video if the song "Bila Siraba (52)". The copy of this video I have is nowhere near this quality...

Papa Gaoussou Diarra - Bilasirabaga door Melynga

EDIT: February 8, 2015: I have had to replace the video with another copy on dailymotion.

*and I know there are other ethncial groups in the Ségou region...

Biton's last

The story of the Super Biton orchestra from Ségou has always been closely linked to that of the Biennales and its predecessor, the Semaines Nationales. The orchestra represented the Segou region in the category "orchestre moderne" at all the Semaines and Biennales (although a few times 'hors compétition'). I will come back to Biton's history in a later post.

But at the very last of the old style Biennales in 1988 Super Biton disappointed and came nowhere near winning. Band members sought excuses and blaimed the lack of investment in equipment and instruments. The general opinion of the public attending the concert at the Cinéma Rex in Bamako was that Biton had exaggerated the flattery. Too much "Président Moussa Traoré is a great guy".

Personally I think it was the absence of Amadou 'Armstrong' Bah, who had retired as 'chef d'orchestre' after the European tour of 1987. He was the invariable quantity in the history of Biton.

Biton released their last cassette (which they recorded in Abidjan) at the same Biennale. Although enjoyable, it's certainly not their best.

EDIT April 12, 2015: The link has been updated.