For this new article, I decided to present to you a very nice Egyptian compilation from various artists : Egypt - a holliday souvenir.
This record pressed in Greece and issued in the 1970's on the EMI label was offered to tourists visiting the mystic country of Egypt.
All the tracks on this LP are winners, and it contains one astonishing tune, "Amber of the Nile", from Salah Ragab (or Rageb), an Egyptian Jazz Player.
This tune is actually a different version of his well known track, "Egypt Strut", that exists only on this compilation (and that is faaar better according to me), a mixture of Funk, Jazz and Oriental Groove.
Salah Ragab - Amber of the Nile
Here are some pictures on the inside parts of the gatefold cover, that show several famous historical places around the Nile to be visited by tourists.
As a tip, another track (the last one) taken from this record by Karim Shukry, an Egyptian crooner (my favourite song of the LP !)
I presented last week a great Malian band, L'Orchestre Rail Band du Buffet Hotel de la Gare de Bamako, and I decided for this week to stay a little bit more in this beautiful country with another greeeat artist, Ali Toure "Farka".
Father of the "Desert Blues" genre, Ali Farka Touré was a very well known Malian artist (considered as one of the greatest African guitar player ever), who recorded many albums during his life (his last from 2005, "In the Heart of the Moon", recorded with Toumani Diabate won a Grammy award) and who collaborated with many national & international artists.
Ali Farka Touré died in 2006 in Bamako at the age of 67.
The track presented here, Manakoide, is taken from one of his first albums (my personnal favourite), out on the famous Sonafric label in 1976.
Today, I decided to make you (re)discover one of the great African Orchestra, from the Mystical country of Mali : L'Orchestre Rail Band du Buffet Hotel de la Gare de Bamako, also nicknamed Le Rail Band.
State-sponsored by the national railroad Malian Company (it explains the name of the band), Le Rail Band was the most powerful Malian orchestra, that released more than ten LP's and many 7' from the 70's to the late 80's.
The Rail Band's leader was the great Tidiani Koné, an outstanding musician who was also a griot (a kind of religious leader/ influent personality), who decided to give his chance at this time to a young albino singer, Salif Keita, that would become world famous in the future.
The track presented here, Mouo Dilo, was released on a 7' on the Nigerian division of EMI, and produced by the Nigerian government for the republic of Mali (release date unknown, 1971 I estimate)
Orchestre Rail Band - Mouo Dilo
This track, one of the first tracks of Le Rail Band (this is maybe the first 7' of the Band !) was re-recorded a few years later in a slightly different version under the name of Moko Jolo, for the second LP of the Band out in 1973 (my favourite one), a great mixture of Funk, Griot Music, Mandingo and Bambara Folklore, narrated by Salif Keita's diamond voice.
Orchestre Rail Band du Buffet de la Gare de Bamako - Moko Jolo
To Finish, as a bonus, another track taken from this great record, Bajala Malé (also called Badialan Mallet), an hypnotic quiet ballad - enjoy !
Orchestre Rail Band du Buffet de la Gare de Bamako - Bajala Malé
This article is dedicated to people of Mali, in reaction against what is happening right now in Tombouctou (Timbuktu), the destruction of holy malian sanctuaries and ancien tombs by the "holy army of Al Qaeda"
Today, i decided to make you discover two records the great Leon Keita (a Malian singer, compositor and author not to be confused with Salif Keita) released on a private Abdijan based label (his own actually), Papa Disco.
The first album he released in 1978 on Papa Disco, also called "Papa Disco', contains two tracks, "Koma Kouma" and "Wousse", that are sung by the great Salif Keita. This record contains a nice ballad sung in french, "Chacun a sa vie".
Leon released a few years later his second record, Dakan, that contains an interesting track, "L'amour ne s'achete pas" ; interesting because it begins like a traditional Malian track, but the rhythm totally change at 2min30, to become a furious afro funk track, with a wiiild organ - Enjoy !
