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Ambroise Akoha

Ambroise Akoha began his career in 1971. He is called Jukko. He performed between 1975 and 1977 as Gnonnas Pedro's guitarist.

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This is his first album, recorded during the late 70's. The famous singer Miguelito is singing chorus and different rhythms such as makossa, reggae, slow...

Mamadi Diabate was born in Kela (Mali) in 1946. He began working as a tailor during the sixties in Bamako where he started playing guitar and singing. Unfortunately, his career was short. He recorded very few LP's, one in 1985 with Kante Manfila and the Ambassadors and this one in 1984. He also recorded with Ousmane Kouyate on a record you can fond here.

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Mamadi Diabate est né à Kela au Mali en 1946. Durant les années 60s, alors qu'il travaille comme tailleur, il commence l'aprentissage de la guitare et du chant. Malheuresement sa carrière de musicien sera courte. Il enregistre de rares albums comme celui ci en 1984, ou en 1985 avec Kante Manfila. Il a aussi enregistré avec Ousmane Kouyate sur un album que vous pouvez trouver ici.

Orchestre Black Santiago & Aristide Houwanou (1972)

Recorded on satel label in 1972. Music and Lyrics by Aristide Houwanou.

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Enregistré en 1972 sur le label Satel. Paroles et musique d'Aristide Houwanou.

Poly-Rythmo: Gold Collection Vol.4

Another compilation of unreleased Poly-Rythmo's titles on oro.

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Poly-Rythmo' 76 feat Danialou Sagbohan

This album has been released in 1976 but the title "Gbeto Vivi" was recorded in Nigeria in 1972. That day, Poly-Rythmo's drummer, Yehouessi Leopold, was too tired to play Sagbohan's Title.

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So Sagbohan asked the sound-engineer to install an other microphone so that he would sing while playing drums. Sagbohan never did it before and it was, besides, his first recording in Studio.

Super Star de Ouidah (1965)

Returning to Africa by the Mono sound Of Ouidah and the gate of No Return (Ouidah, in the Mono region of Benin), is the twin-town of Salavador de Bahia in Brazil). The Super Star of Ouidah was one of the first orchestra of Dahomey. Super Star from Ouidah was also the first band of Poly-Rythmo's bass player Bentho Gustave. It seams that he is not playing on this record composed by Houedanou Sebastien and Behanzin Paulin.

Retour en Afrique avec le son Mono du Duper Star de Ouidah et la porte du Non-Retour (Ouidah dans la région du Mono, est la ville jumelle de Salvador de Bahia au Brésil). Le Super Star fut un des premiers orchestres après l'indépendance mais aussi le premier groupe de Bentho Gustave, le bassiste du Poly-Rythmo. Il semble qu'il ne joue pas sur ce dernier ne joue pas sur enregistrement composé par Houedanou Sébastien et Behanzin Paul.

EGUNGUN (Brazil 1964)

This post is an answer of an previous post about Dahomey's Egungun music. This LP is taken from a fantastic work about Egungun ceremonies in Salvador de Bahia. Recorded in 1964, nothing changed between Benin and Brazil.

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"Only the spirits that are specially prepared to be invoked and to materialize can receive the name of Egungun, Baba Egun. The main objective of the cult is to make visible the spirits of the ancestors which act as a link between the living and their forefathers. Thus, the Baba bring to their descenders and believers, their blessings and advice but can not be touched. The Egun must always remain seperated from the living."

Side A:

1. Iba Orisha Iba Onile

Salutation to Onile at the beginning of every ceremony.

2. Osanyin

Three chants praising Osanyin, patron of leaves and medecine.

3. Egunugun Kigbale

Through this chant the ancestors are called to come and embody themselves in the world of the living.

4. Ewo Nile

Warning call, something is going to happen. The ancestor is going to arrive.

5. Oro Abi Oro

This chant expresses the meaning of the rit itself oro), re-enacting the comunity links, bringing happiness, goodness and welfare.

6. Onile Mo Bodo Ile

Baba is arriving, he announces himself saluting the elders and asking permission to come in.

7. Nile Wa Alagbe

Baba sings, encouraging the Alagbe, the ritual musicians.

8. Agboula Ago Nile

When Agboula comes to world, evrything rejoices in happiness

9. O She Wara Wara

Two chants in homage to Shango, divine ancestor of the royal dinasty of Oyo from where the Agboula community traces its origins. Many of the Egun revered today, were in life, Shango worshipers.

Side B:

1. Salutations to Baba Olukutun, head of all the ancestors.

2. Loni Ojo Odun

Two chants of great joy for the annual festival of Baba Olukotum. A burst of rockest intensifies the ceremony.

3. Kiye KiyeBo Iroko

Homage to the Egun of the forefathers that were in lifetime woreshipers.

4. Orisha Wa Iye

A chant calling the entities to come and dance with joy.

5. Afulele Ade

A chant in homage to Oya Igbale, queen and patroness of the Egun.

6.Omi Ro

A most profound chnat that evokes all african ancestry.

7. Aluja

The drums play the Aluja, the favourite rhythm and dance for Shango, head of kings, Alafin of Oyo, owner and patron of fire and thunder.

Sunny Black's Band (1965)

Another rare realese by the Beninese group out of which emerged the Poly-Rythmo. A single composed by Clément Mélomé featuring a jerk on side A and a bolero on side B. I Think this single was recorded in 1965.

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Encore une nouvelle édition du Sunny Black's Band alias Poly-Rythmo. Disque composé par Clément Mélomé, on trouve sur la face A un jerk et la Face B un boléro. Des rythmes populaires pour l'époque. Je pense qu'il a été enregistré en 1965.

Kilola & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

I have no informations about Kilola. If somebody has ? Anyway this lp has been recorded in Benin in the late 70s with powerfull Poly-Rythmo and directed by Dgib's on his Sodogil label. Heavy soukous.

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Je n'ai aucune information sur Kilola. Si quelqu'un en a ? En tout cas cet album a été enregistré au Bénin avec le puissant Poly-Rythmo et réalisé par Dgib's le propriétaire du label Sodogil. Grosse soukous.

Sonny Okosun: "Papa's Land" (Nigeria/1977)

Sonny Okosun was born in 1947. He was one of the leading Nigerian musicians from the late 1970s to mid '80s. His first band, The Postmen, was formed in Enugu in 1965. In 1969 he joined Melody Maestros, a band led by Victor Uwaifo from 1972 to 1974 he led a group known as Paperback Limited and then formed a new band, Ozziddi. From then on, he released several albums either with Ozziddi, or solo recordings.

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His 1977 song, "Fire in Soweto", became a major international hit. He was featured in the anti-apartheid album Sun City and his song "Highlife" was in the soundtrack of 1986 film Something Wild His mainstream success started to fade in the late 1980s, but he continued his career as a gospel musician under the name Evangelist Sonny Okosun.
He died aged 61 on 24 May 2008 at Washington DC.

T.P. Poly Rythmo: "Jolie Beauté Africaine" (1975)

Two joyfull Cavacha rhythms from Poly-Rythmo recorded in 1975. "Côte d'Ivoire Chérie" is clearly dedicated to Ivory Coast and all its beautifull towns as well as its beautifull girls: "Jolie Beauté Africaine".

Deux superbes rythmes cavacha du Poly-Rythmo composés par Clément Mélomé en 1975. "Côte d'Ivoire Chérie" est clairement dédicacé à la Côte d'Ivoire et ses jolies villes ainsi que ses "Jolies Beautés africaines".

Yedenou Adjahoui et son ensemble

I suppose that this LP in stereo and with a good recording sound is from the late seventies. I would love to talk Goun language because I would be able to translate the poetry and chronics from Adjahoui.

The tune "Jesu Jiji" is a pure Kakagbo rhythm. Beware of Kaka, a powerfull warrior rhythm which is played by the famous "One man-band": Sagbohan Danialou.

Pat Thomas (Ghana/1979)

Pat Thomas was Born in 1951 in Kumasi, Ghana. The wave of disco and reggae that swept Africa in the mid-70s created differing responses: some musicians pulled away from playing imported music entirely, others adopted it and adapted it to their own purposes. One of the latter category is highlife vocalist Thomas, who made his name with his band the Sweet Beans. He was brought up by his uncle, Onyina, a celebrated local band leader and the owner of a record store in Kumasi.

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In 1969 he joined the Broadway Dance Band, leaving a year later to join the Uhuru Dance Band for a tour of the UK. Returning to Ghana, he played with Ebo Taylor’s Blue Monks, spent a year in the Cote D’lvoire and then formed the Sweet Beans in 1973. Like many Ghanaian bands, the Sweet Beans received sponsorship from a government body, in this case the Cocoa Marketing Board. They released False Lover in 1974, then split and re-formed as Marijata, releasing Marijata and Pat Thomas Introduces Marijata, after which Thomas released two reggae-influenced solo albums, Let’s Think It Over and Asawado.

National Jazz du Dahomey (1968)

National Jazz du Dahomey is one of the first modern band of Benin after decolonisation. This Extended Play record was released in 1968.

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National Jazz du Dahomey figure parmi les premiers groupes modernes du Bénin après la décolonisation. Ce 45 tours longue version a été enregistré en 1968.

Dahomey (1952)

In 1952, Pierre Verger, the famous Photographer and Ethnologist, took those pictures (the sleeve too) of Egun ceremony in Benin. Egun is a mask.

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A dead spirit who's coming back behind costume, music, song, dance, advices and judgments for living people. The recording is from Gilbert Rouget, the great musical ethnologist who worked during a long period in Benin.

Harmonie Voltaique (Burkina-Faso/1978)

The group was founded by Antoine Ouedraogo in I948. They were the first group created to play "modern music" in what was then the French West African colony of Upper-Volta.

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These singles were composed by Henri Tabsoba who integrated the band in I966. During the sixties, the group started to perform songs in "Moore" (the language of the Mossi people).

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: 0+0=0 (1983)

Very nice Poly-Rythmo compilation i think released after the death in 1982 of the two composers of the band, Papillon, the guitarist, and Yehouessi Leopold, the drummer. Dossou Gilbert aka Prince Dgib's produced this LP which was distributed in France.

Très bon album du Poly-Rythmo. Je pense que c'est une compilation sortie après la mort de deux figures du groupe: Papillon, le guitariste et Yehouessi Leopold, le batteur. Ils sont d’ailleurs tous les deux compositeurs de l'album qui a été produit par Dossou Gilbert alias Prince Dgib's pour une distribution française.

Professeur Bylledey (1983)

Wonderfull and hypnotic title "Adieu Papillon" dedicated to Papillon, the guitarist of Poly-Rythmo's band who tragically died in 1982. Bylledey Guissey was singing a lot with Poly-Rythmo before returning to traditional music and its education. Great personality.

Sublime titre traditionnel et hypnotique en hommage à Papillon, le guitariste de l'orchestre Poly-Rythmo décédé tragiquement en 1982. Bylledey Guissey a chanté de nombreuses fois avec le Poly avant de se retirer dans la musique traditionnelle et son enseignement. Grande personnalité.

Jean Bittard (Mali/1982)

Jean Bittard was half Lebanon half Malian. He was the son of a Lebanese father and a Malian mother from Kayes". He used to be with Sidi Yassa, the regional orchestra of Kayes.

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Jean Bittard était un chanteur moitié libanais moitié Malien. Son père était libanais et sa mère malienne de Kayes. Il aurait commencé sa carrière avec l'orchestre Régional de Kayes.

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo & Loko Pierre (1978)

This album was composed by the saxophonist player of the band, Loko Pierre. It was edited on Albarika Store label in 1978. I particulary enjoy the beautiful gazzo rhyhtm tune "Super Yao Bebenon" sung by a super Eskill Lohento.

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Cet album a été composé par le saxophniste du groupe, Pierre Loko. Il a été édité sur le label Albarika en 1978. J'aime particulièrement le rythme gazzo du titre "Super Yao Bebenon" chanté par un super Eskill Lohento.

Sam Fan Thomas & Orchestre Black Santiago (Cameroon/1978)

Sam Fan Thomas is a cameroonian musician associated with Makossa rhythm. He began his career during the late 60's and knew his first hit with "Rikiatou". Then his "African Typic collection" would be an international hit in 1984. Perhaps his best known album. This older one was recorded in Benin in 1978 with the Black Santiago's. Very original album.

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Sam Fan Thomas est un artitse camerounais associé au rythme makossa. Il commence sa carrière durant les années 60s et connait son premier succès avec le morceau "Rikiatou". Puis son "African Typic Collection" sera une tube international en 1984. Surement son album le plus connu. Celui-ci, plus ancien, a été enregistré au Bénin avec l'orchestre Black Santiago en 1978. Album très original.

Youssou N'Dour et Le Super Etoile de Dakar (Senegal/1983)

In 1979, he formed his own ensemble, the Etoile de Dakar. His early work with the group, in the Latin style, was popular all over Africa during that time.

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In the 1980s, he developed a unique sound with his ultimate group, Super Étoile de Dakar featuring Jimi M'Baye on guitar, bassist Habib faye, and Tama (talking drum) player Assane Thiam.

Choc des 3 Etoiles: Sagbohan, Assa Cica, Miguelito

T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo & Vicky Amenoudji (1978)

Poly-Rythmo's record sung and composed by Vicky Amenoudji in 1978.

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45 tours du Poly-Rythmo chanté et composé par Vicky Amenoudji en 1978.

Gnonnas Pedro & His Dadjes Band (1979)

Gnonnas Pedro was also an actor of the "afrobeat" movement. Recorded in 1979 this agbadja modern rhythm single is, through its lyrics, a support of General Mathieu Kerekou's politic (back cover's picture) which was influensed by communism and make Dahomey become, in 1972, the Popular Republic of Benin.

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Gnonnas Pedro fut aussi un vibrant acteur du mouvement "afrobeat". Enregistré en 1979 ce single de rythme agbadja moderne rend un hommage appuyé au Général Mathieu Kerekou (voir dos de la pochette) qui transforma le Dahomey en République Populaire du Bénin c’est à dire une république marxiste.