dimanche 1 juillet 2012

Orchestre Rail Band du Buffet Hotel de La Gare de Bamako

Picture artwork by my friend Faud from Les Mains Noires

Hi dear readers !

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"

dimanche 24 juin 2012

lundi 9 avril 2012

Orchestre Laye Thiam - Kokorico






Leon Keita - Papa Disco Records

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 !




Alex Weiss - Mazel Tov


Hi there !

Most of the records i present here on this blog are from Africa or from the West Indies, but i decided to make you discover a Jewish funky track, from Alex Weiss and the CBS Israel Dance Orchestra - enjoy !




dimanche 1 avril 2012

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley - Bend Down Low


Hi there !

No news for a while, uh ? Nevermind, just the time for to find pretty amazing records !

Let's start with this late 80's record from a famous Ghanaian artist, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, described as the Ghanaian James Brown (remember the holy grail "Simigwa" record ?).

I decided to make you discover one track of this album, Simigwa Soca, that reminds me Sweet Music, a song from the prolific Barbados artist Lord Shorty that i already posted on the blog.

A Soca track from Ghana, it was forced to be necessarily interesting - Enjoy !