Radio Africa - African classics
Reviews of classic African recordings
L'Orchestre Kanaga de
Mopti
The decade of the 1970s was a golden era for the
big bands of West Africa. State-funding in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and to a
lesser extent, Senegal, had created a vast network of modern orchestras across
the region. In Guinea alone there were more than 50
regional and national orchestras. In Mali, the
regional orchestras performed for both state and private
functions, and when performing under their private guise the orchestras used
their commercial name. For example, the Regional Orchestra of Mopti also
performed in their private guise as Kanaga de Mopti. In 1977 the Malian government released a series of LPs on the
Mali Kunkan label highlighting some of the great Malian orchestras of the
period. Kanaga de Mopti's release is pictured above.
The opening track,
Gambari, encapsulates the essence of the Malian orchestra style. The guitar solo,
which evokes the best of Sékou "Diamond Fingers" Diabaté, assumes a central role,
and explores the melody across several
octaves. The solo is
well-supported by electric organ, and the brass section is used sparingly to
punctuate and reiterate the melody. All the sections of the orchestra combine in
the last stanza of the song, thus unifying and reinforcing the theme. Gambari
is unquestionably one of the great songs recorded by Mali's orchestras, yet,
incredibly,
it is available only on this LP. Side B opens with Kanaga, and a
funk-laden organ solo which segues into one of the most compelling brass section
riffs one is ever likely to come across. This song really swings and towers
above its contemporaries. The track is followed by N'do N'do, another classic,
featuring a weaving organ and staccato brass section. The backing vocalists
propel the number with their call-and-response Fela-like chorus, and
are led by the vocals of Sory Bamba, who is in career-best form throughout the
LP.
This record is quite simply one of West Africa's masterpieces. Why it has never been
re-released is a tragedy, and one that underscores the need for a retrospective
of Mali's regional orchestras. Other LPs on the Mali Kunkan label featured
National Badema, Kéné Star de
Mopti, Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou, L'Orchestre Sidi Yassa de Kayes, and
L'Orchestre Bida de la Capitale, with only
the National Badema LP released on CD. There are many other classic Malian orchestra
recordings from the 1970s (for example, Regard sur le passé à
travers le présent - 1973, Panorama du Mali - 1973, and the Rail
Band's RCAM series of five LPs recorded in Nigeria in 1975) resting in the
vaults, gathering dust, and waiting to be brought back to life.…
For the discography of the Mali Kunkan label
click here and for a discography of Malian vinyl
recordings
click here.
L'Orchestre Kanaga de Mopti continues to perform today.
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