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, Myst
ère 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.

Graeme Counsel © Copyright


More African classics

Kanté Manfila & Salif Keita "Dans l'authenticité vol 1" Les Ambassadeurs du Motel
Kanté Manfila & Salif Keita "Dans l'authenticité vol 2" Doura Barry "Laureat de Guinea"
L'arbre éternel - Syliphone LP 28 Djali Madi Tounkara and The Rail Band
Guinée an XII - Syliphone LP 21 Keletigui et ses Tambourinis - Syliphone LP 30
Orchestre Régional de Kayes Mamadi Diabaté et Les Ambassadeurs
Victoire à la Révolution - Syliphone LP 29 Souleymané Traoré dit Neba Solo
Orchestre Régional de Mopti Rail Band "Soundiata"
Teningnini Damba A Search for the Roots of the Blues vols 1 & 2
Ernesto Djedje "Le roi du ziglibithy" L'Orchestre National "A" de la République du Mali


Discographies

by record label -    Syliphone     Club Voltaïque du Disque     Tempo International     Mali Kunkan     Société Ivoirienne du Disque     Safie Deen

by group -            
Bembeya Jazz     Les Ambassadeurs     Rail Band     Salif Keita

by nation -            • Guinea Bissau     Mali      Guinea      Mauritania     The Gambia      Burkina Faso     • Senegal - coming soon

other -                   • Guinean orchestras of the 1st republic      Malian orchestras 1960-1980      Rail Band & Les Ambassadeurs family tree


 


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