Apologies

Apologies for the image quality of these three videos. But certainly not for the music. The videos have in common, besides the fact that they all feature great artists from Mali, that they are all too good not to share.
The drive, the passion and the unadulterated fun of the Ambassadeurs, the refined dancing combined with the brilliant vocals by Alou Fané and Flani Sangaré plus the unique talent of Zani Diabaté, the soul-piercing singing by Mah Damba backed by her late husband Mamaye Kouyaté: they are hard to surpass.

More soon...

Survivor

I first met Zoumana Tereta when he took part in a rather prestigious project called "Fura, Opera Bambara", which toured through the Netherlands in March 1999. I remember it was a miserable day, - cold, wet (see photo on the right).
My interest in the tour was drawn not only by the fact I had been phoned by the producer Abdoulaye Diarra, but also because my friends Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré (see previous posts on this blog) and Zani Diabaté (see particularly this post) were participating. It actually was the first time I saw Flani dance without Alou Fané. Because he was not only singing, but also dancing.

Besides these stars from the Djata Band the Opera feature two great names from Malian comic theatre & television: Habib Dembelé, better known as "Guimba", and Michel Sangaré. Leading lady in the production was Guimba's wife, singer Fantani Touré. You can find the full line-up here (unfortunately only in Dutch, but I guess you can still sort out the names..).

We saw them perform in Amstelveen and a few days later in Utrecht, where we joined them afterwards for a chat and a drink. They were staying in a somewhat bleak motel outside of Utrecht. To liven things up Flani suggested they would play a bit of music. I have posted one track of this session in the tribute to Zani (#10). If I remember correctly Zoumana himself suggested he would do one of his own songs. I was surprised about how familiar his voice sounded to me when he started singing "Sira Mougoulé" ("the well made path"), accompanying himself on the soku, the bambara fiddle.

I have since wondered about this. I had never heard him sing before, but still it seemed to me as if I had. His voice is well-matched with the instrument of which he is the undisputed master. Zoumana, by the way, disputes the suggestion that the soku has its origin in Wassoulou (as I see is also claimed on wikipedia). According to him the roots of the instrument are in Segou, and in the bambara music of Segou.

When I heard Zoumana Tereta play and sing again, a few days later at my own house, it dawned on me that I was listening to a voice from the past, a survivor from another era. The era of artists like Bazoumana Sissoko, Koni Coumaré, Fanta Damba and Tara Bouaré. An era of artists that had not succumbed to the (at times narrow-minded) taste of western moneymen. An era in which traditional music began the transition from the live performance in front of real people to the still images recorded in the sterile surroundings of a studio.

Recordings from 1999 (1 song from March 15, and 2 songs from March 20)*

Zoumana has played with everybody. In the eighties and nineties he played with Sali Sidibé, he replaced Aliou Traoré in Oumou Sangaré's band and in Badèma National, he performed and recorded with Bassekou Kouyaté, with Toumani Diabaté, with that sympathetic Samba Touré (who appears to have his own YouTube channel - or channels?), in fact with everyone who is anybody in Malian music... He has released two albums himself, "Niger Blues" (2003) and "Soku Fola" (2008), which are perhaps not so easy to get hold of (and - again - please correct me if I'm wrong).

Last October I saw him again. During a performance by Ethiopian azmaris (subject of a later post!) at the Patio, the - excellent - restaurant of the Institut Français (or the Centre Culturel Français or CCF as most Malians continue to call it) on October 26, 2011 he intervened, joined in. While it was interesting to see the merging of pentatonic styles, I was more interested to see him perform solo, - 12 years later.
I managed to record one or two of the songs he performed. He seemed very self-assured, matured, compared to 1999. And more extrovert too. It was clear that he had grown in stature in the last decade.

Seeing him unfortunately also filled me with nostalgia for my two friends who since those sessions in 1999 had passed away...

In the video you may note Lucy Duran reacting to the praises of Zoumana. Sitting to the left of me and noticeable at the end is Momo, the algerian (via Denmark and other parts of the world) host of the Patio.


* You may be interested to know that the 'percussion instrument' you can hear in both sessions is actually a box of matches. The instrumentalist is comedian Michel Sangaré.

Tribute

Preparing this post has been quite an emotional experience. And not only for the passionate music, but also for the memories of a trio of friends that have now gone. With the death of Zani Diabaté none of the men, who met at the Ballet National du Mali and who subsequently decided to 'do their own thing' on the side by starting the now legendary Super Djata Band, remains alive. Alou Fané, singer and dancer, master of the kamalen n'goni, proud member of a blacksmith family and a unique personality, was the first to go, over fifteen years ago now. A loss felt to this day. A few years ago saw the death of Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré, musical researcher, extraordinary singer, terrific dancer, sought-after romantic (very popular with the ladies), but also a man who had experienced the deepest depths of misery - after losing his parents at a young age and then (in the last decade) his second and finally his first wife -, and a warm and caring friend. And now Zani, the first and last with the Ballet, who besides a spectacular and unique guitarist was a dancer, multi-instrumentalist (with a background in djembe and other percussion instruments), bandleader and organiser, driving force, as well as being a (in my opinion: too) modest and very friendly guy.

I would like to use the music of Zani and his friends of the Djata Band as an illustration in this tribute. A few of these tracks I have posted before, but most you will find nowhere else. Those recordings were made in a private ambience, at concerts or even by Zani himself.

1. Noumouna Kouloumba
A track from the early 1980's and recorded at the Radio Mali studios in Bamako. This is in fact a medley of donso n'goni songs, made popular by the great Toumani Koné. It starts off with Zani frantically setting the pace in a tune known as "Dangoroba". Flani is singing the lead, with Sidi* Touré backing him. After 1'24 the band seamlessly moves into what is probably "Gon Magni" (see 5), followed after 2'40 by "Noumouna Kouloumba". Note how Zani uses the guitar to imitate the shooting of a rifle (e.g. at 1'45). After 4'22 wanders off with a solo that illustrates his fantastic rhythmic skills, as he meanders around the main rhythm but always gets back on the right spot. The medley ends with a version of "Baba", a track covered many times by other artists (in various forms).

2. Sinaya
A favourite among the Djata Band songs, with (I suspect) the same Sidi Touré singing alongside Alou Fané; I don't know who the third singer is (who starts after 3'10). I can picture the whole orchestra dancing on this very delicate rhythm, with the unique and unforgettably subtle moves of Alou (a bear of a guy, but what refinement in his dancing...). Very vaguely in the background in the instrumental bits you can hear a sax. I suspect they deliberately didn't open the volume of his microphone, - and that was in my opinion a wise decision by the technicians at Radio Mali. Zani's solo (from 1'43) accentuates the turning and twisting of the dancers. The use of some 'wa wa' effects (2'30) reflects Zani's admiration of Jimi Hendrix (he was near ecstatic when Aboubacar Siddikh gave him a pile of Hendrix cassettes in 1999). I love the part from 4'53 where Zani adds some coal to the fire; I wonder if he could resist doing acrobatics on the studio floor while playing this...

3. Yacouba
Recorded during a concert in the Melkweg, Amsterdam on March 20, 1987, by Joris Oldewelt. This same concert was recorded for release on lp (Milady Music 10023, also released on cd). I refer you to my earlier post for an explanation of this song (and a video). I love Zani's dynamics in this version, with some lovely restrained, almost tiptoeing guitar. Flani's singing is really superb in this song, full of genuine emotion when citing the names of the greats that have passed away...

4. Taasi Doni
A recording of a session at my place, almost exactly twelve years after the previous song, of a song made famous by Super Biton from Segou. Flani was a good friend of Biton singer Mamadou 'Percey' Doumbia. This song was never part of the Djata Band repertoire, so you can hear Zani switching to more suitable chords, displaying a great talent for improvisation. Zani and Flani were in Holland to perform in the 'Opera Bambara' with the title "Fura". I'll post more songs from this session at a later date.

5. Gon Magnin
Recorded by Zani himself during a concert in a village on the outskirts of Bamako. Another classic from the repertoire of Toumani Koné, brilliantly interpreted by Flani and Zani. After 2'30 launches into a solo in which he pulls out all the stops. This song has such pace, that lift-off is almost achieved....

6. Signana
From the same lp as #2 (and yes, I did post this one before) and clearly recorded during the same session, with the same suppressed sax. The two songs may seem very similar at first, but there are a lot of differences. For one, Flani is singing with Alou replying, together with Sidi Touré. This is a song from Flani's roots in the Ganadougou district near Sikasso. My impression is that this was originally a balafon song. Because the monotony of the rhythm the impact of Zani's solo from 2'55 is all the more intense. Again he shows his love for Hendrix's music, but he does so in an amazingly functional way, because it just increases the effect on the dancing and twirling, - which I know must have gone on when this was recorded. After 4'58 the sax player actually discovers that his microphone has not been switched on, and is allowed some 30 seconds of audible contribution. This is certainly one of my top favourite Djata songs.



7. Diabaté Zani
After the two video versions I posted (here and here) here is a third version of this song dedicated to Zani himself. This is from the same concert and recorded by the same person as #3. Attentive listeners may have noticed that this is in fact the same song as "Bomama" by Super Biton. In his solo, after 3'08, Zani does a series of acrobatics, rolling on the floor and sliding his guitar underneath his body. Alou's singing after the solo, however, is somewhat below par. This song does give a good impression of the reception the band got from Dutch audiences.

8. Koursigui Tan
From the same session as #4. The recording begins by me trying to explain which song I was refering to in a discussion that took place earlier. The original, of which I play a few seconds, was by Flani and Alou and their kamalen n'goni act. Zani needs a few moments to recall the song and Flani helps him by singing a few lines from the song. After a while Zani decides it is better to keep the guitar playing monotonous to imitate Alou's n'goni of the original. This certainly gives the song more pace, and goes on 'till the break at 4'25. The subsequent variations again show Zani's skills as an improviser.

9. Fadigna Kouma
This is a song from the very first recording of the band in the Netherlands, on December 18, 1985, at the Melkweg in Amsterdam. It was recorded by VPRO Radio, under the guidance of the late Dave van Dijk. The track starts off with the balafon of Bakari Diabaté, Zani's younger brother, who died some years later. Again perhaps not the best version, but a good illustration of how difficult it is for western engineers to get the sound right. They have a strong tendency to 'normalise' all the instruments and singers within a group, i.e. to record all at roughly the same volume. This tendency has had some dramatic results over the years, the most remarkable being the mixing out of Franco's guitar in the recordings of the 1986 concert in Utrecht (this was 'rectified' in the re-release of the lp). And while we're on the subject: besides being a fan of Jimi Hendrix Zani was - like so many African guitarists - perhaps an even bigger fan of le Grand Maître. Franco's influence is apparent not by Zani playing Franco-like chords, but rather by the boldness of his guitar playing, the choice for an own original sound and - on the level of the guitar playing itself - the awareness of the power of repetition.

10. Facia
Recorded at the Van der Valk Hotel in De Bilt (near Utrecht, the Netherlands) a few days before #4 and #8, this is a truely sparkling version of the Djata Band classic "Facia". Flani improvises with the lyrics to sing about their friend Alou Fané, who had passed away five years before. Zani is filling in both the rhythm and the solo. Such a delightful song!

As a comparison, here is the version of the same song performed by the complete Super Djata Band, in their optimal line-up, during a concert in Angoulême, France, in 1984. This was, by the way, the first performance by the band in Europe.


11. Mali ni woula
To round off this tribute another song recorded at the Radio Mali studios in Bamako in the early 1980s. With the title meaning "Good evening Mali", this is a version of a Na Hawa Doumbia song. It is sung (solo) by Flani, who was very friendly with Na Hawa and her husband N'gou Bagayoko, and visited them whenever he came to or passed through Bougouni (where Flani's eldest son lives). While Flani attempts to recreate the 'modest' atmosphere of Na Hawa's song, Zani offers a contrast with a spectacular and 'full-scope' solo from 2'47. Towards the end, from 5'30 onwards, Flani cites the names of the band members.

There will be more music by Zani, the Super Djata Band, by Alou and Flani, and by Alou and his group Fotemocoba and by Flani on this blog. These great artists and friends may be gone, but their music will live one......

The 11 songs can also be downloaded as one file here (new link March 7, 2014).

*if I remember his first name correctly...

PS: the photo on the top-right was taken by myself at his home in (I think) 1990.

Rectification

It appears that the information about Zani Diabaté's death has been somewhat premature. I have just been informed that he is in fact in a deep coma. The prognosis, however, is not very optimistic. Apparently the brain has been severely damaged as a result of the stroke.

I can only hope that Zani will do a "Wendo" on me. As you may know, Congolese musician Wendo Kolosoy was officially announced dead, - but was actually just out of town - and returned to sing about his own death.

I am glad there is still a ray of hope...

EDIT December 19, 2010: An anonymous source has informed me by e-mail that Zani has indeed passed away. As the source is anonymous I am somewhat cautious, and more so as no news has come from Mali confirming it...

EDIT January 5, 2011: Several - reliable - sources, including Malian, have confirmed that Zani has died yesterday, January 4, 2011, in a Paris hospital.
A great man, musician and friend has gone... More on the worldservice website.

Ngonifo Zani

Watching the video by Zani Diabaté and the Super Djata Band I posted yesterday, I was reminded of a video with another version of the same song. It is from the same televised concert as "Yacouba" which I posted in August.

Although the song is the same, the performance in this version, which was recorded live in the studio of the RTM (Malian television) in the early 1980s, is far more 'informal' and at times even chaotic. At the start the voices of Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré and Idrissa Magassa are hardly audible, only Alou Fané's characteristic vocal can be heard. I get the impression that Alou had no problem hearing Idrissa and Flani, as he tends to lean a bit on the harmony. When Flani does come through - after about 1'40 - Alou is slightly out of sync. Later on (3'07) an audibly irritated Flani even tries to call Alou to attention.

Meanwhile Zani remains completely undisturbed and from 1'54 even starts jumping up and down. Even when Flani walks over to him (3'35) and addresses him (to complain about Alou??), Zani seems to take no notice and even goes on to do a series of acrobatic stunts, while he continues playing his guitar!
I just love Zani's energy in this song.



PS: "Ngonifo Zani" = "Zani the guitarist"

Zani

Zani Diabaté and Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré in Groningen NL, Sept. 2006 (photo: wrldsrv)

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the loss of another great musician. Today Malian musician Zani Diabaté has passed away in a hospital in Paris, France, after suffering a stroke.
He was entering the studio to continue recording when he collapse and was rushed to hospital.

Zani was a great guitarist, a dedicated leader and co-founder of the legendary Super Djata Band, and from the beginning of this century a director of the Ballet National du Mali. But more than that he was a great family man, a dear and warm friend and a very nice and open guy.
I have many, very fond memories of Zani, and hope to share some of these with you in this blog in the future.

On this sad occasion, with the deep shock of the news of his death, I find it very hard to dig too deep in his extensive oeuvre, but I can assure you that there will be many more gems featuring Zani Diabaté in this blog.
For the moment I would like to share with you this video from Zani's heyday as leader of the Super Djata Band, recorded during a concert in Angoulême, France in 1984. The song is an ode to Zani, and is a demonstration of Zani's tremendous skills as a guitarist. The video also features the two great singers (and dancers) Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré and Alou Fané, who unfortunately are also no longer with us...



My condolences go to Zani's family, and especially to his son, who is following in the impressive footsteps of his father.

May Zani rest in peace.

EDIT: December 11, 2010: Apparently this post has been premature. See "Rectification".

En Super Forme

It appears the "hectic pre-Christmas weeks" I wrote about in my last post were even more hectic than I expected. And especially so, when an upgrade (to Windows 7) which I - naively perhaps - thought I would perform in one day, turned out to be a time-consuming and obstacle-ridden nightmare, and one which (given the limited amount of spare time and energy in these "hectic pre-Christmas weeks") lasted just under two weeks....
Anyway. It's all working now (<knocking on wood like an idiot>), so let's get on with it.

Although the Super Djata Band (see earlier posts) has covered songs from other artists (for example Coumba Sidibé's "Yamba", Abdoulaye Diabaté's "Massa Djourou" and Bazoumana Sissoko's "Yiriba") most of their songs are based on traditionals from the Sikasso region.

The track "Batila" (which on a later album was misinterpreted as "Bandjila"), for example, is based on a song performed by an uncle of Alou Fané. This uncle lived in a village about 70 kilometres from Sikasso where he was a regionally renowned balafon player, with links to the local komo circle.

In the case of "Sisse Na Djolo" a connection on a personal level too is at the basis of the selection. The song was composed by Na Hawa Doumbia and had been interpreted by her at the Biennale a few years before. She and her husband N'Gou were good friends of Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré and - like Flani's eldest son - living in Bougouni.

Of the two other songs on this album, which was released in the early 1980s (1982, according to Graeme on RadioAfrica) in Abidjan, "Nama Djidja" is in the typical Djata Band style, with lyrical references to several donso ngoni classics. Note the part where Flani names the musicians and the percussionists respond with a small solo.

It's the first song of this album that has caused some controversy. Some of you may recognise "Fongnana Kouma" from the version by National Badema with that great singer Kassemady Diabaté (and if you don't know this, please let me know and I'll be glad to post it later). Although it may not sound like a track from the Djata Band repertoire, both Flani and Zani Diabaté have assured me it is. Similar claims have, however, been made by members of the former Badema.
Personally I have fond memories of this song. The first time I heard it was sleeping in a hotel in the centre of Bamako. I had some difficulty sleeping after I had spent the whole afternoon searching for Flani, who I later heard had travelled to Abidjan. Through the noise of the traffic (which also contributed to my insomnia) I kept on hearing the same Flani singing this wonderful, haunting song. In my semi-conscious state it seemed like the song went on for ever, but after a few hours it dawned on me they were repeating the cassette. So I decided to record it (this recording can be found here).

As before I have two versions of this lp, a cassette version (which I bought a few days later in Bamako) and a copy of the lp (which I copied years later). The cassette version of "Nama Djidja" is (for reasons only known to the producer of this cassette) shortened by almost a minute.

Musique Mondiale MAD 003 (cassette)
Musique Mondiale MAD 003 (lp)

And to give you another idea of the quality of the Djata Band, here is another track of their 1984 concert in Angoulême, France. I just love the dancing in this track. If you look closely you'll notice the little idiosyncrasies which distinguish Flani's and Alou Fané's dancing....
The balafon player, by the way, is Zani's late brother Bakari.

Pioneers of Malian music (5)

After these intense days of Christmas, you may feel the need for some exercise. And what better exercise is there than dancing on the Bambara rhythms of the Super Djata Band?

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, the origins of this band were with the Ballet National du Mali. And although the direction of the videos of the Angoulême festival I posted earlier leaves a lot to be desired, they should give you some idea of the brilliant dancing technique of Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré, Alou Fané and Zani Diabaté.

This is one of the most danceable albums by this great band. It features tracks just made for dancing, like "Maliniwoula", "Zani Diabaté", "Konadou" (tracks which the band played in all of their European tours), plus -my favourites- "Sinaya" and "Signana". I am not quite sure who the other singers -besides Alou Fané- are in the first of these two; if I remember correctly one of them is called Sidi Touré. He is probably also singing in the latter, besides Flani and Alou.
Zani's guitar is clearly leading the dancers, turning and swirling, directing the breaks...

The sax is somewhat lost in the mix, but I for one am not unhappy about that.

I only have the cassette version of the album which was released -as the lp I posted earlier- on the Disco Rama label in Côte D'Ivoire. It's possible the cassette doesn't contain the complete album. The track "Yacouba", the last track of side A, is only three and a half minutes long, about half the size as the same track on MAD 004 on the Musique Mondiale label*.

As a bonus, here is a short video of a concert at the back of the Carrefours des Jeunes. I am not sure where Flani was during this recording, but I suspect he was on tour with Alou. According to the video the track is called "Balla", but I have my doubts about this title.

* which I'll post later

Pioneers of Malian music (3)

This third post about Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré, Alou Fané and Zani Diabaté is about the Super Djata Band.

When Daouda Sangaré came to Bamako he met with friends from the same area of the Sikasso region. As Flani was already quite popular as a dancer, musician (he played the kamalen n'goni and the bala) and singer his friends asked him to join them to play at baptisms, weddings and other events.
In 1964 he was introduced to Alou Fané, who came from a village close to Flani's native village. They were best friends right from the start. Flani (who was very popular with the ladies) even found Alou a wife.

Flani's popularity grew until in 1968 he was invited to join the Ballet National du Mali as a principal dancer and singer, acrobat and musician (mainly bala). He persuaded them to contract Alou as well. In the Ballet they met Zani Diabaté. Zani already had a band going in Bamako called Harmonica Jazz, with Zani playing the harmonica. He, Flani and a talented djembé player called Maré Sanogo decided that they could combine their work with the Ballet with a private orchestra. They would rehearse in their spare time while on tour (the Ballet performed all over the world), with Zani playing guitar, Flani kamalen n'goni (and vocal) and Maré djembé and percussion. The band was called Ganoua Band.

At the time there were two national orchestras: the Formation A, led by Kélétigui Diabaté and Formation B, led by Ades Traoré. And in the early 1970s the Ganoua Band was appointed to be Formation C. They played at the Club Sportif (which is now the Carrefour des Jeunes). First Formation A three tracks, then Formation B three tracks and finally Formation C three tracks.

Flani and Alou Fané had already made their first recordings at the Radio Mali in 1968. These were the very first recordings made of kamalen n'goni music. I'll post some of these recordings in a later post.

After travelling abroad (amongst others to Cuba) the Formation C was left without work. So Zani and Flani went back to the private form which they named the Djata Band. The band started recording in 1974 (at the Radio Mali).
Later some of these recording were released through record labels in Abidjan (Mali didn't produce records until 1980).

Here is an lp from the late 1970s, released on the Disco Rama label in Abidjan. As is the case with most of the Super Djata albums the quality of the record is rather poor. So here are two versions of this classic Super Djata album, one from vinyl and one from a cassette reproduction which I bought in Mali.

And to give you an idea of the enormous talent of this orchestra, here is another track of the 1984 Angoulême concert, "Djegnogo Djougou" featuring Daouda 'Flani' Sangaré on lead vocal.