INITIATION INTO VOODOO MUSIC : DANIALOU SAGBOHAN

This slow rhythm from Sagbohan was recorded live in 2005 during a funeral ceremony.Pepita D, a famous stylist from Benin, lost her father. During his concert Sagbohan is wearing a costume created by Pepita one month earlier for a special occasion: a big wedding where Sagbohan was invited to play.

DISCOTHEQUE 76

By the mid-1970, the Syli Authentic orchestra was the greatness of Guinean popular music. Disbanded too soon, this band was of the new generation better hopes, being deeply rooted in the rich mandingo traditional while displaying an insolent modernity.

AFRO SPOT

Fantastic live from Fela at the Afro Spot, recorded between 1966 and 1969. The afrobeat is about to born and Tony Allen is totally possessed on the drums, espcially in Moti Gnrokan.

Fela Kuti: "Everyday I got my blues"

Fela Kuti: "Moti Gnrokan"

"It was so fucking strange to them you know. It took us 5 years to establish that music properly in the country (Nigeria). At first it was only the jazz lovers who got it.But later people started to pick up because now we started to do this afternoon jump thing at the Afro-Spot. They would come in early to the club to enjoy themselves, and then this music started to enter them".

Tony Allen

Fela Kuti: "Waka Waka"

Fela Kuti: "Lai Se"

MAKEBA & DIOP

This is a personal editing of "Malouyame" by Miriam Makeba with poem "Les Souffles" by great senegalese poet Birago Diop.

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Montage personnel du morceau "Malouyame" par Miriam Makeba et du poème "Les Souffles" par l'immense poète sénégalais Birago Diop.

INITIATION INTO VOODOO MUSIC: YEDENOU ADJAHOUI

Yedenou Adjahoui is a famous traditional and voodoo singer from Benin. He was the biggest indpiration for Benin's older generation of singers. He was a real poet. He could sing about voodoo gods as wall as vividly as about street people. Adjahoui was initiated to Sakpata's vooddoo, the Earth's voodoo.

His traditional's music may be difficult to hear, but, as the famous musicologist, Gilbert Rouget, said: "Voodoo music is difficult to understand because it is the most complicated in the world. All the rhytms are inside voodoo music."

The first person to introduce Yedenou Adjahoui was DJ Franc O from Voodoo Funk in his Mede woui 's mix with a very rare title: Yedenou Adjahoui: "Keke Zeto".

Yedenou left us in 1995.

ENGLAND IS THE PLACE FOR ME

Painting from Ghariokwu Lemi

Ambrose Campbell led what have been the first band of British based black musicians. He formed his West African Brothers in London during the Second World War, two decades before the first Notting Hill carnival and more than 40 years before the term "world music" was invented.

Campbell was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1919 and given the Yoruba name Oladipupo Adekoya. He died on June 2006.

Nigerian Union Brothers: "The wind in a frolic"

West African Brothers: "Iku Koni Payin"

West African Brothers: "Ibikunle Alakija"

West African Brothers: "The memorial of Chief J.K Randle"

GUINEA: "LAND OF THE BLACKS"

Painting from Gwenaelle Trolez

The name Guinea comes from the Berber term "aginaw" via Portugese; it originally meant "black" or, in context, "land of the blacks".

For those who did not manage to catch those "Syliphone Discotheques" on Black man land's blog, here is my selection:

Balla et ses Balladins:

"Ancien combattant "

Kaloum Star: "Maliba"

Camayenne Sofa: "Manalaby"

Super Boiro Band: "Daba"

Horoya Band: "Kulumba"

Horoya Band: "Aristes"

AFRO ROCK

Today a great Afrobeat's compilation called Afro rock edited in 2001. First Jingo from Kenya. A very rare title release in 1974.

Jingo: "Fever"

"Envy No good" vocals chants echo those of "Egbe Mi o" interprated by Fela and written by Sammy Walker. Mercury Dance Band is from Nigeria.

Mercury dance Band:

"Envy no good"

The famous Frimpong from Ghana. This deep and soulfull track was recorded in 1976.

K.Frimpong: "Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'awu"

Bokoor Band is coming from Ghana. The track was recorded in 1974 in Nigeria with some production help from Fela.

Bokoor Band: "Onukpa Shawarpo"

VOODOO JAZZ: Gangbé Brass Band

After the first part of musical voodoo initiation I think you will understand a bit more Gangbé and their primary Jazz...

(Painting from Dominique Zinkpé)

Gangbé Brass Band: " Ekui Nao"

Gangbé Brass Band: "Tagbavo"

Gangbé Brass Band: "Gangbé Vile"

INITIATION INTO VOODOO MUSIC : Danialou Sagbohan

Sagbohan is known to be the greatest traditional music's singer. He has not been initiated into voodoo religion, nevertheless, he is the best voodoo representative with his famous rhythm called Kaka.

The Kaka rhythm is coming from Porto Novo. The name comes from the kakagbo instrument which is played with bamboo sticks.

Danialou Sagbohan: "Djomidjowamo"

Danialou is often called to play in funeral ceremonies. He can sing voodoo songs for all the joy of dead spirits.

Danialou Sagbohan: "Dewemibio"

INITIATION INTO VOODOO MUSIC (5): King Alokpon

Alokpon is a traditional music's star. He has been recording thirty albmus since 1969. His rhythm is the Tchinkmoumé from the hills region, in Savalou. You will regognize the Gota drum with its heavy basses.

Alokpon

"Ma wa nu dogbé mè"

VOODOO BRASS BANDS

In a early post I talked about brass instruments. The colonisation brought back military brass bands. After, Benin was for a long time a military regime and Brass bands of were playing everywhere in the country. The cultura freedom gave rise to a genuine Jazz...

Fanfare Adonaï Jazz: "Culture"

Nowadays In every church of the country you can hear brass bands. But during the nineties the freedom of Vodoun religion revealed a deeper Jazz like the one of the international Gangbe Brass Band and their first album: "Gan-gbé".

Gangbé Brass Band: "Segala"

"New Orleans and Lagos both seemed equally closed to Benin when the Gangbe Brass band made its euphoric New York debut at Joe's pub last night. The band has the world in its grap; its music leaps among the many ethnic traditions of its home, Benin, and beyone to Africa and the New World's African diaspora, seguing from traditional voodoo rhythms to jazz without missing asyncopated beat..."

(John Pareles-New York Times sept 2002)

Gangbé Brass Band: "Remember Fela"

Gangbé Brass Band: "Ekui nao"

All the paintings are from Dominique Zinkpé a famous painter from Benin

STRINGS AND SADNESS

Traditional music in Guinea, Mali, Senegal is more nostalgic and sad than in Nigeria, Benin and Ghana. One of the reason might be the still strong influence of the fallen Malian empire and also I think that the traditional string instruments, the Kora and the N'goni, make a big difference and open the doors of deeper melodies. As an example I present you with two differents versions of "M'borin" where sadness triumphs over joy.

1977

Camayenne Sofa: "M'borin"

1996

Africando: "M'borin"

DECOLONISATION AND JOYNESS

The colonisation brought back brass instruments to Africa, a source of joy for many local orchestras

Let's hear two groovy recordings from Guinéa

1977 (live):

Simandou Jazz de Beyla:

"Bounika"

1980:

22 Band:

" Mousso la tintani"

A GUINEAN IN BENIN

This is a very special post for my Guinean's friend Mohbee Camara. Because I love his flow I decided to produce his first album in Benin 2005. "Ya foyi" is taken from this album. One year later, he produced himself his following album "Standing alone".I hope this post will make him known better because I think he really diserves it.

Speciale dédicasse pour toi mon pote Moh.

Mohbee Camara: "Ya foyi"

Mohbee Camara: "Standing alone"

PASSION (act 1)

If my friend Dj Soulpusher from Voodoo Funk is feeling sad and nostalgic, i offer him those glasses of sodhabi:

Clément Mélomé: "Angélina"

Blueky d'Almeida: "Les djos"

Emmanuel Gnassounou: "Gbè do dé ko"

I would like to talk especially about Sophie Edia. i used this title in my last documentary "Au coeur des théâtres" which I talk to you about later. Edia Sophie used to be a "Vidomégon": slave children...

Sophie Edia: "Adjanouvi"

MAH-LI

Mah Kouyaté Number 2 is one of my favorite Diva from Mali. She was born from a griot family whose chief was Kabinè Kouyaté. Those two titles from "Sumu" album are particulary "envoûtants".

Mah Kouyaté: "Badjourou"

Her guitarist and husband, Fimani, was one of Mali's most famous musician. The sounds taken from his guitar are rare and powerfull. Fimani died in 2007. His guitar sound was uniquely raw and powerfull.

Mah Kouyaté: "Mali Sadjo"