By the way, I'm hardly a world's expert on African music, and this list is kinda whatcha call a "work in progress," so please feel free to make suggestions and comments.
Samite "Dance My Children Dance" (Shanachie Records, 1990)
Samite "Pearl Of Africa Reborn" (Shanachie Records, 1992)
Samite "Silina Musango" (Green Linnet-Xenophile Records, 1996)
Samite "Stars To Share" (Windham Hill Records, 1999)
Samite "Kambu Angels" (Wind Over The Earth Records, 2001)
Samite "Tunula Eno" (Triloka Records, 2003)
Samite "Embalasasa" (World Village Records, 2006)
A super-mellow, acoustic-based set from an Ugandan expatriate now living in the United States... The music mixes flute, guitar and finger piano (in Uganda, called a kalimba), providing a gentle, almost sugary bed for Samite's soft, half-whispered voice. He calls for peace and a cure for AIDS -- two global ills that are having particularly devastating effect on Africa -- while instilling serenity on his listeners with this quiet, lulling set. If you're looking for music that is easy on the ears and calming on the nerves, this may be an ideal album.
Oumou Sangare "Moussoulou" (Nonesuch Records, 1991)
Oumou Sangare "Ko Sira" (1993)
Oumou Sangare "Worotan" (1996)
Oumou Sangare "Oumou" (Nonesuch Records, 2004)
Oumou Sangare "Seya" (Nonesuch Records, 2009)
Julia Sarr & Patrice Larose "Set Luna" (Universal-France/No Format, 2005)
An interesting acoustic set featuring vocals by Senegalese-Gambian expatriate Julia Sarr, along with French guitarist Patrice Larose. The opening tracks are the best, with a nimble, gliding feel that's more softer than much of the modern, electrified Senegalese pop we've heard in recent years. African pop superstar Youssou N'Dour guests on the title track (and has been a champion of Sarr's budding career); Leity M'Baye guests as well. This album has a distinctive feel; Larose adds a light, deft accompaniment which compliments Sarr's reserved, introspective vocals. As the album wears on, though, she shifts from more traditional-sounding African phrasing into an amorphous, free-flowing neo-soul crooning, and while it's okay for a tune or two, it goes on and on in the same vein from the middle of the record to the end and wears thin quick if you aren't already inclined towards modern soul music. Still, for many listeners I think Sarr will come as a minor sensation; folks looking for a new sound, and for something on the mellow side, may welcome her the same way that Cesaria Evora and Habib Koite have been embraced in recent years. I don't think this album is nearly on the same calibre as either of those artists, but I think the appeal may be much the same. For the right world music fan, this would certainly be worth checking out.
Kokanko Sata "Kokanko Sata" (Honest Jon's Records, 2005)
(Produced by Simon Burwell, Tom Girling & Moritz von Oswald)
The only album, apparently, from Malian composer and vocalist Aissata Doumbia (aka Kokanko Sata Doumbia (1969-2023) one of the only Wassoulou women to play the kamele n'goni, a traditional harp typically (and exclusively) played by men. In her charmingly disarming liner notes, Doumbia recounts how she started her musical career playing a kind of calabash gourd drum called a guita, and proved good enough that she was invited to play in local wedding bands. These community performances brought her in proximity to n'goni players, and she determined to learn the instrument herself. Because the n'goni was not considered a "female" instrument, she built one by herself, and was self-taught, since she couldn't ask any of the men to show her how to play. I can't speak knowledgeably about how her style compares to that of her male counterparts, but this is a very lovely album, with a lot of compositional variety, built around the dominant sounds of her harp, a prominent balafon (xylophone), a guitar, flute, and plenty of percussion. This was one of the passion projects of rocker Damon Albarn's world music explorations, and more power to him and Honest Jon's for making this album a reality. Consistently pleasant and surprisingly varied.
Sedhiou Band "U.C.A.S. Band De Sedhiou" (N'Dardisc Records, 1974) (LP)
An earlier album from this Senegalese band, whose original, inscrutable name, U.C.A.S. Band De Sedhiou, is shorthanded below as the Sedhiou Band (and inaccurately altered here, just for the sake of convenience...) Anyway, these earlier recordings have a lot more of a sharp, Arab-influenced edge than their later, smoother sound. Still groovy, but perhaps a little more challenging for the average listener. This album is impossible to find anyway, so it may be a moot point.
Sedhiou Band "Africa Kambeng" (Africassette Records, 1998)
At the time of this recording, Senegal's Sedhiou Band was the longest-lived working ensemble in West Africa, with a sound that is both accomplished and rough. "Afro-Manding," as they call it, combines the sleek, intricate electric guitar playing of other modern African pop with a more rugged, rural regional folk style -- keening vocals, irregular, stuttering rhythms and a chunky sense of harmony. It's unusual and alluring... Also present is a strong Afro-Cuban influence, best heard in gentle songs like the Spanish-language "El Carretero," and the luxurious "Combinacion," which uses the venerable "Guantanamera" as the base for an extended, gritty jam session. Although this session was cut in 1998, the group had a catalog of earlier recordings dating back to the early 1970s, much of it released only on cassette tapes, though also some stuff came out on vinyl. This later set is definitely worth checking out.
Seprewa Kasa "Seprewa Kasa" (Riverboat Records, 2008)
(Produced by Alfred Kari Banaman & Mac Bessa Simmons)
More lovely, multi-layered stuff from Ghana. The seprewa is a small, lute-sized stringed harp which can be held in the lap, much like a guitar, a more-traditional popular instrument related to Mali's better-known kora. Though it had fallen out of fashion decades earlier, it's considered foundational to the regional development of West African highlife music. Personally, I'd tag this album as leaning more into traditional music than the "Westernized" highlife sound, but it fits comfortably into the whole "world music" concept, and will definitely appeal to many listeners eager for new sounds to explore. The songs interweave various styles, dipping into richly-textured, more ambient sounds as well as more piercing vocal tones, and largely avoids the too-sugary production style which came to pervade modern kora music. It might not always feel consistent within each song -- there's a structural element that takes some getting used to -- but it's both comforting and consistently challenging. Like most of these records, offers a lot of rewards once you can get on its particular wavelength. The main trio includes two seprewa players, Osei Korankye and Baffour Kyerematen, who both also sing lead and play various instruments, along with guitarist Alfred Kari Banaman, a member of the legendary pop group Osibisa, who met Korankye at a music festival in Europe and was impelled to record with him back in Ghana, in order to help revive the seprewa as a contemporary instrument.
Shikamoo Jazz "Chela Chela, v.1" (RetroAfric Records, 1995)
This disc provides a new twist on on the RetroAfric label's preservationist mission: the songs themselves by this Tanzanian ensemble are vintage 1960s Afro-pop, but the performances are from the 1990s. Shikamoo Jazz is an 11-piece ensemble made up of veteran players such as Fundi Konde (who has his own disc in this same series) that's sort of a Tanzanian version of the Buena Vista Social Club, keeping alive the classic music of Tanzania's early-'60s, East African "jazz" scene, but makes the material live again for modern audiences. They call their music "chela chela"; I call it awesome. More lovely stuff, with some offbeat touches, such as the antique-sounding keyboard, which calls to mind the Arabic-flavored explorations of Ethiopia's Mahmoud Ahmed (who is featured in the fabulous Ethiopiques series). Unique sounding, sometimes a little clunky, but definitely worth checking out!
George Sibanda "The Legendary George Sibanda: 1948-52" (SWP Records, 2008)
An archival delight, featuring recordings of Rhodesian singer-guitarist George Sibanda, who was one of Southern Africa's first commercial stars... Apparently he was a bit of a mystery man as well -- the folks at the SWP label were unable to unearth any biographical information about him (not even a photo!) even though they are the curators of the music archive that original recorded Sibanda's music. Sibanda recorded for several years, then died young after falling off the rails and becoming a heavy drinker: by the end of the 1950s, he was gone. The music he left behind was great, though -- fun, idiosyncratic acoustic tunes with the bounce and unevenness of early Kenyan benga. Included is Sibanda's original version of the song "Guabi Guabi," which entered the American folk repertoire through versions by Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jim Kweskin and others. The music might not be entirely accessible even to open-minded, modern world music fans, but for those who like kooky, antique, un-categorizable styles, this is a real treasure. The SWP series, by the way, collects the work of European musicologist Hugh Tracey, who documented and recorded countless African styles over the course of several decades as a professional song-catcher. It's great stuff - definitely worth tracking down!
Sila & The Afrofunk Experience "Funkiest Man In Africa" (Visila Records, 2006)
Kenyan expatriate Sila, backed by a loose-limbed, funky SF Bay Area band, revives the original, politically-charged spirit of '70s afrofunk with this earnest set of loping, danceable groove tunes. The long shadow of Fela Kuti hangs over the first half of this album, with a bit of Gil Scott-Heron in there as well... Things are pretty groovy until the last few tracks, when the band gets a little dubby, slower, and more experimental. That, and Sila's occasional vocal similarity to Sting are the main downsides -- other than that, this is a pretty solid set from this San Francisco-based ensemble... Bet they're a blast live!
Sila & The Afrofunk Experience "Black President" (Visila Records, 2006)
Mansa Sissoko & Jayme Stone "Africa To Appalachia" (Self-Released, 2008)
(Produced by David Travers-Smith)
This collaboration between Canadian roots-bluegrass performer Jayme Stone and Malian griot Mansa Sissoko came out of a two-month journey to Africa, in which Stone explored the African connections to Appalachian mountain music, and in particular to his own instrument, the banjo, an African instrument that came into the American backwoods via minstrel shows and the slave economy of the pre-Civil War era. While in Mali, he met and recruited Sissoko, who adds the haunting vocals and kora harp that have become so well known in world music circles -- Sissoko's playing is beautiful, and the tracks where he takes the lead are standouts. The integration of the two styles isn't always consistent -- Sissoko often plays what sound like essentially unaltered griot ballads, while Stone leaps into improvisational bluegrass flights that make nods towards Tony Rice and others, but aren't always clearly African influenced. When Stone slips the banjo and fiddle into songs such as "Tree To Tree," however, it's pretty groovy, and while a whole album's worth of genre-bending experiments might have done more to make the case for a connection between the two styles, the entire album is quite lovely and meditative... A nice record, very creative and filled with sweet, lulling melodies. Recommended!
Gino Sitson "Song Zin... Vocadelic Tales" (Piranha Records, 2002)
Hailing from Cameroon, world-jazz vocalist Sitson has been compared to American a capella experimentalist Bobbie McFerrin; you might also want to toss in a comparison to Brazil's Milton Nascimento to round things off, with music that mixes indigenous themes in with jazz-derived ululations and vocal meanderings. This disc is a little too spacey and jazz-oriented for my tastes, but world music fans on the mellower end of the spectrum might want to check it out.
Gino Sitson "Vocal Deliria" (Polyvocal Records, 2005)
Gino Sitson "Bamisphere" (18th & Vine Records, 2007)
The Skylarks (with Miriam Makeba) "Volume One" (Teal Records, 1991)
Absolutely mindblowing. Before her days as a 1960s folk scene/world music crossover superstar, South African diva Miriam Makeba was part of this somewhat humbler (but way more rocking!) "jive" group. A jazzy, Tin Pan Alley vibe predominates, though mixed with a skiffle beat and complicated, doo-wop-tinged group vocals. Beautiful female vocals and great guitar work -- these two discs are a real treat. If only more of this style of '50s African pop were available!
The Skylarks (with Miriam Makeba) "Volume Two" (Teal Records, 1991)
Another great set, on equal footing with the first volume. It don't get better than this!
The Skylarks (with Miriam Makeba) "The Best Of" (BMG, 1998)
An 18-track best-of that covers the same turf as the Teal albums listed above. Personally, I can't get enough of this stuff, so I'd recommend the two volume version as a matter of principal, but the fact of the matter is this music is so hard to find that if you come across this single-CD collection, don't hesitate to snap it up. It's great stuff.
Idrissa Soumaoro "Kote" (Syllart/Wrasse Records, 2003)
Unusual, atypical Malian pop music, with a softer, folkish edge to it, dipping into blues, acoustic musings and what seems almost like French musette music, on the album's opener, "Cherie." Although Soumaoro is a Bamako old-timer, an erstwhile member of Salif Keita's 1970s band, Les Ambassadeurs, this is actually his first solo album, recorded after decades of musical activity. In his day job, Soumaoro is a teacher for the blind, and has even formed a musical group whose members are all visually impaired. For something mellow and a bit different than the standard Malian fare, this is a record worth checking out.
Idrissa Soumaoro "Djitoumou" (Syllart Records, 2009)
Soweto Gospel Choir "Voices From Heaven" (Shanachie Records, 2005)
Soweto Gospel Choir "Blessed" (Shanachie Records, 2006)
Hearty, soulful religious music from modern-day South Africa. I've never been a huge fan of most South African township music, not even the lush harmony arrangements of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, although I do recognize the how technically amazing much of it is, and totally understand why it wows lots of other people... Naturally, this new group begs comparison to the much-vaunted Ladysmith, and overall they hold up well... Some notable qualities are the prominence of female voices (in contrast to Ladysmith's male chorus) and the overt, heavy influence of contemporary American-style gospel (with many songs sung in English, including standards like "Oh Happy Day"). In some ways, I'd say this is almost more of a straight, American-style gospel offering, than a "world music" record, or at least that folks who are used to the classic township style should be prepared for a sound that includes greater outside influence. Worth checking out.
Soweto Gospel Choir "African Spirit" (Shanachie Records, 2007)
Soweto Gospel Choir "Live At The Nelson Mandela Theatre" (Shanachie Records, 2008)
Star Band (de Dakar) "Number 1 De Number 1" (Dakar Sound, 1996)
Latin dance, African style... This is a collection of early work from the Senegalese band that would foster the talent of vocalist Youssou N'Dour, who later went on to become a global superstar...
Super Biton De Segou "Afro Jazz Du Mali" (Melodie Records, 1997)
Super Biton De Segou "Belle Epoque" (Sonodisc, 2000)
Super Cayor De Dakar "Sopente" (Popular African Music, 1997)
Super Cayor De Dakar "Embouteillage" (Popular African Music, 2001)
The second collection of Cuban-flavored music by this Senegalese dance band. A very mellow, low-key vibe prevails; sweet stuff with a hypnotic effect; some tracks are a little monotonous, most are trance-inducing and cool. Definitely worth checking out.
Super Eagles "Senegambian Sensation" (RetroAfric Records, 2002)
This electrified Gambian dance band sprang out of the ashes of the early 1960s group, African Jazz (heard on the EAST OF AFRICA collection) and later provided the core group of Africando, one of the great Afrocuban bands of the '80s and 90s. This disc captures the Super Eagles in their late-'60s/early-'70s heyday, playing a kind of music called ndagga, which was the roots of the mbalax pop style made popular my Youssou N'Dour and Etoiles de Dakar. This album opens with some beautiful, mellow guitar music, then shifts into American-style R&B and pop, including a Beatles song and several English-language soul numbers, sung by Badou Jope, who pioneered the genre inside Africa. The soul stuff might not be for everyone, although fans of Afro-Beat may find it an interesting stylistic footnote...
Super Mama Djombo "Super Mama Djombo" (Cobiana Records, 2003)
Highly recommended! A gorgeous, utterly alluring collection of music by one of the most influential popular bands from the tiny nation of Guinea-Bissau. Super Mama Djombo formed shortly before the nation's independence from Portugal and their fortunes rose and fell along with that of the country's first president, Luis Cabral. Touring widely, they gained a strong loyal audience, and made it to Lisbon in 1980 for a mammoth, marathon recording session that yielded material for the five albums (and previously unreleased tracks) that contribute to this collection. What's most striking about the first songs on this disc are the glorious lead guitars, full of subtle wah-wahish reverb, and quite unlike most African electric guitar work. These songs are also quite lyrical; the slower numbers convey a haunting loneliness with a strong, sorrowful spiritual feel. On later tracks, the band eschews this guitar effect, and sound more like other bands of the era. It's all high quality stuff, though, some of the finest African pop you're likely to come across. (Note -- the band broke up in the early '80s, following a political coup that undid much of the cultural liberalism of the early independence era. Drummer Ze Manel released a solo album that was critical of the new government, and was compelled to emigrate elsewhere; the Cobiana label has also released one of his recent albums, which can be found at their website: http://www.cobianarecords.com.
Zuhura Swaleh "Jino La Pembe" (GlobeStyle Records, 1991/92)
(Produced by Michael Kurzawa & Alfons Steffens)
A master musician of Arab-influenced taraab music, vocalist Zuhura Swaleh was from Mombasa, Kenya and had a career spanning back at least as far as 1973, when she began releasing her music locally on cassette tape. This may be very forceful music to American ears, with a strong Arabian base, led by a swirling, dominant organ, whose hypnotic riffs are doubled by Swaleh's longtime accompanist, accordion player Juma Khamis Faraj Bajees, along with a wide swath of percussionists and a persistent though understated bassist. And, of course, there are Zuhura Swaleh's keening, powerful vocals, which are backed by another Mombasan bandleader, Maulida Juma, and his own group's vocal chorus. Though there is some stylistic variety -- a few individual tracks are tagged as rumbas or marimbas -- most of these songs are chakachas and though it may be uncharitable to say they all sound basically the same, it's also a little true. The lyrics and vocal passages vary, but the basic arrangements sound basically the same. And yet... not monotonous. This is the kind of "foreign" music that invites open-minded (and devoted) listeners to cultivate a discerning ear. I personally found it quite enjoyable, especially as a soundtrack while driving.
African Artists... Letter "T"
African Music Index
World Music Index
