5-Track

awesomeness

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johne

For those interested in music coming from West Africa, just a quick update on music from Mali. Check out new album from Amadou and Mariam: "Welcome to Mali."

Here is their myspace link--especially see the promo about their upcoming tour with Coldplay in the U.S.: Amadou & Mariam on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

A video of them live: AMADOU et MARIAM

New album tracks: Welcome to Mali | Nonesuch Records

And a short abc world news clip about them, their relationship, and their music:
MySpace Video - Amadou & Mariam's Video Channel & Video Clips

They are not exactly my cup of tea (not thrilled with the vocals, though instrumentation is good), but their new album seems to be making a spash on the world music scene...

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Daktari

Hi there,

I just found this site a few days ago but I am into African music, both listening and playing. Check out the website called Djembefola.com. This is mainly a drum site but if you check the video section it has some really good examples mainly of west coast music.

My first instruments are bass and guitar but I have recently bought a djembe and I am about to order a gyil which is a wooden xylophone type instrument as played in North Ghana. Look up these three guys to get an idea of the amazing sound these things can produce.

Aaron Bebe Soukoura, Bernard Woma, and Kofi Ameyaw.

Also for some great African guitar demos just search for 'Soukous guitar style on youtube'.

Some good stuff. Gordon.

johne

^^^
I have been off MB since June, but visited today. Seems like the West Africa thread still gets some views even though posts are infrequent. I looked up the artists you mention, thanks for info on the gyil.

I especially like Aaron Bebe Sukura; here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqmo9ovaSQ

Woma and Ameyaw have plenty of tracks on last fm.

Good luck with the djembe and gyil.

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johne

Sierra Leone (Palm-wine music)
Palm-wine music, named after the naturally fermented palm oil that people usually sipped while sitting and listening to African guitarists, originated in Sierra Leone. While Sierra Leone was still a British colony, sailors brought to the country Portuguese guitars and slaves from the Caribbean. Palm-wine music emerged from the fusion of these guitars, the calypso beat influenced by the Trinidadian slaves, and indigenous African sounds. The result is an easy-going, folksy, unpretentious sound.

One of the earliest well-known palm wine musicians was Ebenezer Calender who, in the 1950s and 60s, made the genre famous with his Maringer Band. Here is a sample of 3 tracks from the album, “Marvelous Boy”: http://www.amazon.com/Ebenezer-Calen.../dp/B001W2YKCO

Unfortunately, Calender’s music is hard to come by—it has not been preserved on CD, and the few album tracks above are available only through Amazon. If you go to BBC’s link: BBC - Africa On Your Street - Hosts - Rita Ray - February 2007 - looking at the Musical Legacy of Slavery and scroll down to the link for “Fire, Fire, Fire,” you will hear a short clip of Calender’s most famous song, which is as recognized in Sierra Leone as its national anthem.

Palm-wine music heavily influenced African Highlife music and Congolese Soukous, but itself began to wane in the 70s and 80s. It threatened to die out as an important genre; but one musician, SE Rogie, almost single-handedly was responsible for its continuation. Rogie’s following clip might be the best existing example of traditional palm-wine. Note the simple tapping of the bottle with a table knife, which illustrates the humble and laid-back nature that always characterizes palm-wine--So Good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aJqa...ature=related\

With Rogie’s death in 1994, the genre was threatened again. However, a few current musicians, most notably, Koo Nimo, who is from Ghana not Sierra Leone, serve to keep the tradition alive. Free samples of his work can be found on his myspace page: Koo Nimo Palm Wine Guitar Ensemble feat. Alissa on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

The latest and freshest musician who integrates palm-wine with Afro-pop, world, and jazz is Ebenezer Calender’s grandson, Seydu! Free videos and tracks are available at his myspace page: SEYDU on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Of all the genre’s I’ve talked about in this thread, I think palm-wine is most in danger of becoming extinct. It’s a shame, because it is one of the most easy and honestly soulful styles. So, I hope people will grab a glass of wine, sit back and relax, and give palm-wine a listen...

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Daktari

Hi Johne,

Nice to see you are back on the site. I have only recently discovered this forum so I spend time flittering around all the different categories.

I have started what I would call a "musical sketch pad' where I lay down pretty basic recordings of anything that I happen to be experimenting with at the moment. I play my djembe then maybe come up with a guitar accompaniment, them maybe add some bass or cabassa. What I end up with is not any defined style but really just a coming together of all the different stuff I have been listening to and therfore influenced by.

So far, I am still learning how to use my digital recorder, (I am pretty slow on the techy side), but I do have a couple of African style tunes that I mananged to capture. Each one is less than a minute long but that is enough for me to go back to in the future and maybe develop them further. If I can figure out how to do it, I will post them here as attachments and it would be nice to hear what you think. (Or anyone else who might happen to hear it).

All the best, Gordon.

Daktari

Hi there,
As mentioned in my last post, here I am attempting to attach a couple of short African guitar samples I have been working on. Not sure how to do this so I'll keep my fingers crossed......


Gordon. Sorry, can't get that to work. It won't allow an mp3 as an attachment.

johne

^^^
You might try posting on you myspace page and creating link to that. The mods sometimes think of these kinds of posts as self-promotion and look down on that. I know that's not what you are doing, you just want to share something you are excited about. But the forums in MB don't make this easy to do. Best thing is to place your stuff in myspace and letting people know they can go there to hear it.

Glad you are back too. Continued good luck with the experimentation.

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mahmoud

thank you

mahmoud

you can listen to Sheikh Yasin Al-Tuhami from Egypt