DOBET GNAHORE
NA AFRIKI (Cumbancha CMB-CD4)
Dobet Gnahoré comes from Ivory Coast where she grew up in an artists' enclave. Her father was a famous drummer and by the age of 12 she had dropped out of school to stay home and learn music. But there were dancers, actors, puppeteers, painters, sculptors, poets and dramatists all living in this community, a rural idyll set in the bustle of Abidjan. A French guy showed up with a guitar and stayed three years, taking the teenager back to Europe in 1999 and in 2006 she was nominated for a BBC Radio 3 Newcomer Award. I saw her on the Acoustic Africa tour and was not particularly impressed, but this new album showcases her fine singing and is well arranged. "Inyembezi zam (My tears)," sung in the South African language Xhosa, has an irresistible groove. She also sings in Malinké, Wolof, Lingala, Fon, as well as the languages of Ivory Coast. "Ma poo (My breath)" has a soukous kick to it that picks up the tempo after a few sleepy songs. However it fades just as it gets to a breakout point. Then we get some pygmy hocketing for a minute, and right back into a ballad. Gnahoré shows many facets on this disc, her sentiments are heartfelt and earnest. It's true good songs are also social comments, but I found all the songs about Massacre, Incest, Pillage and Mourning too preachy, and felt she was over-reaching in trying on so many styles. Still Dobet Gnahoré deserves to be heard.
AMADOU BALAKE
TAXIMEN ET AUTRE SONS (PAM African Dancefloor Classics 308)
Amadou Balaké may be new to your ears but he's big in Abidjan. He was born in Ougadougou and gigged with bands in Ghana before leaving his native Burkina Faso for Ivory Coast. He teamed up with Aboudou Lassissi, the super-producer of Abidjan in the late seventies, and followed him to New York for more recordings and then on to Paris where the two lived and worked for a spell. He also sang with Africando on the MARTINA album. OK, so now you've heard of him. He was included on GOLDEN AFRIQUE vol 1 and here's an hour more of his music, which is a pan-African mix and really enjoyable. At first I was reminded of Gnonnas Pedro who also managed to include Salsa, highlife and Islamic-influenced music into his diverse sets. The title track, "Taximen," tells of unfortunate adventures among the nasty cabbies of Abidjan. We also have highlife numbers and a Malian blues, "Toungaranké," which sounds like Super Biton de Ségou to me. Back to Ghana for "Kikiriki": the album keeps bopping about in a most exhilarating way. The tracks were drawn from two different albums recorded in Nigeria but flow well together. The last three cuts are classic Cuban son, and much longer than the previous tracks. They don't quite fit with the dance concept, but it makes a good contrast to what's gone before. For me it's like a separate (not unwelcome) album. If you want to get this disc you can buy it directly from Günter Gretz at his Popular African Music website. He now takes PayPal and will gladly send you any of the CDs in his list (You actually need ALL of them!! But most definitely the ADC series of eight African Dancefloor Classics).
ERNESTO DJÉDJÉ
LE ROI DU ZIGLIBITHY (PAM ADC305)
Like me, you've probably heard of Ziglibithy, a musical style from the Ivory Coast, but couldn't really describe it. Now is your chance to get inside the music with the King of Ziglibithy, Ernesto Djédjé. Parallel to the archival work at RetroAfric there is Günter Gretz, musicologist of Frankfurt and genius behind the POPULAR AFRICAN MUSIC label, all of whose products are carefully considered gems. Gretz is responsible for bringing back Balla et ses Balladins, and finding Super Cayor de Dakar, among other coups. The fifth entry in his African Dancefloor Classics series is devoted to Ernesto Djédjé, LE ROI DU ZIGLIBITHY, and compiled from two of his hit albums released in the Ivory Coast in 1977. Ziglibithy is Ivorienne music but adapted from black roots music like afrobeat, rock, blues and soul. You might even detect a taste of reggae in the rhythms. With his afro hairdo and flashy clothes, Djédjé was a huge star in his native land. His songs are in his Bété language but the music is international, articulated in complex rhythms, ornate finger-picked electric guitar and crashing horn lines with the trumpet never sure what key the saxes are in. But the groove is there and the instruments are carefully separated so there is air in the songs as the beat comes apart to snare drum and hissing high-hat. The bass returns and the heat builds slowly as the horns fall in. Djédjé was opposed to the "Congolisation" of African music and thought the local rhythms had more than enough to offer the Ivoriens. In 1972 he said, "We should refine our folklore in order to popularize it among the white civilizations, whose interest in African music is growing and growing." In another interview, three years later, he said, "In 1970 the Ivory Coast was the number one importer of records in Africa. This is really a shame in view of the 72 peoples in this country with all their varieties of music. Within two years I will impose an Ivory Coast rhythm." He succeeded spectacularly with the Ziglibithy, adapted from a traditional Bété dance that was originally backed exclusively by drums. Djédjé died in 1983 at the age of 36 of an untreated ulcer (his mother said it was witchcraft). Had he not died he might have attained the international popularity he richly deserved, but thanks to Günter Gretz we can relish this rich moment in popular African music. (Also check out his home page for his perspective on the latest African music releases.)
LE ZAGAZOUGOU
ZAGAZOUGOU COUP (Piranha pir 49-2 1993)
Ivory Coast is often considered a musical crossroads. Since independence in 1960 the most popular artist has been reggae superstar Alpha Blondy, but the country has had waves of musical influence from neighbouring Ghana as well as the huge success of soukous. Sam Mangwana brought his African All Stars to play and stayed, then businessman Abdou Lassissi recorded Empire Bakuba and other hot acts in Abidjan the late 70s, releasing them on the SACODIS label. Contrast the music on this CD with the processed muzak one generally hears on the airwaves and you feel the distance we in the West have come from real music. In fact, this album sounds so stark that many folks may not hear it out. This is what is meant by roots music: it's fresh and unpretentious. Subtitled "Accordeons go to Abidjan," it has an urgency to it that reminds me of the MUSIQUE URBAINS À KINSHASA field recordings done by OCORA in 1978. The rollicking Goumbe percussion adds a thudding underpinning to accordion; the heartfelt vocals are perfectly poised. The music is vaguely reminiscent of Zydeco two-step. The group obviously listens to pop music, as a name-check for Franco and OK Jazz on track 7, "Lolo Saraman," attests. The whole thing is wild and catchy. Since its debut in 1992, Le Zagazougou has garnered a huge following in Ivory Coast despite the contempt usually accorded the accordion.