Badmos

Continuing the series of posts of 45s, I have dug up two singles on the Badmos label from Malian artists. In general, singles from Malian artists are rare and mostly -if not all- manufactured 'abroad' (i.e. not in Mali). The Badmos label was owned by a Nigerian living in Abidjan, and the lack of information on the sleeves of the Badmos records has led to some speculation and misunderstandings about the origins of the artists.

In this case the artists are from Mali, although in the case of Mamadou Doumbia it seems likely that he was one of the many migrants from Mali living in Côte D'Ivoire. A hit from the 1960s, "Super Bébé", can be found in an earlier post.
Regretfully the quality of this record is poor, mainly as a result of dust wear. But if you are -like me- a regular listener to sand-blazed vinyl you will be able to enjoy a delicate and suave (ahum) two-part ode to the women of Ivory Coast and their sisters in other African countries.

Badmos BB 183

The second single is by Tentemba Jazz, a Malian orchestra that has managed to stay well out of the limelight. That is to say, I have never heard anyone mention them in Mali, and I can only find a very limited amount of records by them. But these two tracks, mangled as the record may be (and this is the best of two copies I have!), are pure gold. With a leader singer vaguely reminiscent of that shining star of African music, Amadou Balaké, great guitars, a solid groove and even a (toy?) trumpet.
The track on the A-side has been covered to by the Rail Band, but I can't remember if they have recorded it. The pure platinum "Moussolatintani" was covered -and probably later- by the 22 Band (on SLP 67), - or maybe it just served as an inspiration for that version.

I am hoping someone has a better copy of this single than the frustrating one posted here. If so, please let me know (please...).

Badmos BB 229