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African Discographies
Greetings, Platterbugs!
Updated 1 May 2025
Upcoming New Releases:
African Jazz invites OK Jazz, new from Planet Ilunga, celebrates the first Brussels recordings of both bands on the Surboum African Jazz label in the 60s.
return of Burgher Highlife: Ghanaian dance music from 1984-99, volume 3
Ken A comments: Just checked the track list and I have seven of the twelve songs. As usual, the compiler selected songs from some of the most in demand (price wise) albums, but not necessarily the "best."
The legendary Monk of the OK Jazz shrine, Jerome Ogola now has a daily radio show, broadcast on Jabulani airwaves on line from 5 to 8 a.m. Kenya time, Monday through Friday!
Video:
"We want the funk": great documentary on the influence of James Brown, from PBS
Before rock music in England there was Skiffle, which had about an 18-month lifespan following the success of Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line." That song was a cover of a tune by American bluesman Hudie Ledbetter, a.k.a. Leadbelly, first recorded in a Georgia prison by Alan Lomax and his father John. Billy Bragg traces the roots of "Rock Island Line" and the growth of skiffle in this fascinating documentary.
"Reggae Britannia": a BBC4 documentary on British reggae. Though I am personally uninterested in Aswad, Steel Pulse, etc, it has a lot of archival footage of Max Romeo, LKJ, Dennis Bovell, Big Youth, Dennis Alcapone & many others
Max Romeo, socially conscious reggae singer who had a massive hit with War Ina Babylon
Amadou Bakayogo, Malian guitarist and singer, and part of the duo Amadou & Mariam
Latest Muzikifan Podcasts
(Note: The muzikifan podcasts are hosted on Soundcloud; please subscribe there)
Listen, do you want to know a secret? Max Romeo, tribute to women, West Africa, Dr Nico, Monk + more
Mellow vibes: music from Haiti, Jamaica, New York, Syria, Paris, Tanzania, Congo, Angola, Bollywood & New Orleans
Mellow vibes: music from Haiti, Jamaica, New York, Syria, Paris, Tanzania, Congo, Angola, Bollywood & New Orleans
ZULU GUITAR BLUES
COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS & JILTED LOVERS 1950-65 (Matsuli Music MM130)
South Africa has the largest economy in Africa, but as you know it was built on slave labor. 130 years ago there was a struggle for control known as the Boer War between British and Dutch settlers; one outcome was the creation of the Boy Scouts by Robert Baden-Powell who defended the town in the Siege of Mafeking. Then there were native insurrections which we remember from films like "Zulu." Minority white control, which lasted for a century, made the natives essentially aliens in their own country: they were forced to labor in mines and relocated to shanty towns. Elon Musk's father was expelled from Canada for being a fascist and found a perfect home in the racist country where he grew wealthy with emerald mining rights. There were a few sympathetic whites, Hugh Tracey for one, who travelled around recording native music for Gallo & other labels (no one understood why a white farmer was interested in his workers' songs), but many other commercial companies found markets for 78 rpm shellacs among the miners. As in other parts of Africa in the 1950s, the indigenous people saw cowboy movies and adapted the music they heard to their mbaqanga beat, creating a new hybrid, distinct from the jazz-inspired music in the cities. And, as in Congo, a whole subculture developed with its own patois (in Kinshasa it was called Hindubill) and of course appropriate costumes. Matsuli's Chris Albertyn has been collecting African recordings and has followed in the footsteps of Tracey in promoting obscure black musicians. One of them is so obscure he is called "Blind man with his guitar" and his piece "Isoka Labaleka" is outstanding, with counterpoint and brilliant harmonics reminiscent of Jean Bosco Mwenda. For this compilation Matsuli also drew on the collection of Siemon Allen of the Flatinternational Archive. There's Hawaiian-style slide guitar, hints of Jimmy Rogers, and many outstanding performers with names like Cowboy Superman and Cowboy Sweethearts. The lyrics are translated: the Play Singer is a trickster, he sings "Leave your burden behind and come to the city," but in the next verse he sings, "those headed for the city carry a heavy burden"! The brutality of life is a constant theme of the songs; the grumbling became so prevalent that many songs ended up being censored and this led to an increase in instrumental music in the next generation. The richness here opens a treasury like the discovery of great forgotten American blues artists such as Geeshie Wiley. The music is beautifully restored and packaged to the high standards familiar from Matsuli's catalog. The LP release has 18 tracks; if you buy the download you will get seven bonus tracks.
KWASHIBU AREA BAND
LOVE WARRIOR'S ANTHEM (Soundway)
Kwashibu Area Band from Accra, Ghana are the former backing band for Pat Thomas. Introspective, rootsy, this great disc has a mellow mood and seems to have adapted some dubby sensibilities to generate a spacey sound, very unlike most highlife. In fact the title track sounds more like Jamaican jazz, and I bet people in a blindfold test would guess it was Count Ossie or Monty Alexander. The leader, Kwame Yeboah, plays Hammond organ and there's a big sound from the saxophone player Ben Abarbanel-Wolff (on Stereo chorus?). The other members of the quartet are Giuseppe Coppola and Eric Owusu on percussion (congas, drums). Ben Abarbanel-Wolff toured with Ebo Taylor's band (and was also driver on their US tour!); Giuseppe Coppola, from a glance at his Instagram, appears to be a German reggae drummer. Kwame Yeboah is the son of Highlife musician A. K. Yeboah. In his teens he moved to Denmark and took workshops with Michel Camilo and Danilo Pérez. He then moved to London where he played with many musicians in all genres (from Stevie Wonder to Tom Jones, and from Ken Boothe to Shaggy). He also maintains a recording studio in Ghana so is perfectly positioned to lead such a dynamic group. I listened to their 2015 album backing Pat Thomas and it is straightforward classic highlife; there is no indication of anything not in that style, nothing you might call subversive in the solos. The new direction of Kwashibu Area Band does have some hints of highlife, such as the opening cut "Mpaebo Mu Asomdwee" which sounds like a half speed dub version of traditional Ghanaian music. But the disc fits more into the categories of jazz and dub.
YOUSSOU N'DOUR
ECLAIRER LE MONDE / LIGHT THE WORLD (TBI Publishing)
Many of us grew up with Youssou Ndour, which is to say, when we got into African music the Etoile de Dakar were flying high and they toured the world, spreading mbalax music to eager fans. Youssou eventually returned to his hometown of Dakar, Senegal and served as Minister of Culture. But for this album he forsook his home studio where he records up-and-coming bands, and travelled to Barcelona, Spain to record with producer Michael League of Snarky Puppy (I have no idea what that is). The result is massive: very strong percussion, spare instruments and Youssou's powerful voice to the fore. According to an interview with Banning Eyre, Youssou wrote the songs over the past two years, and says it's about his confidence in humanity in the post-Covid era.
Over the years we have learned of Youssou's involvement in the Mouride Sect of Islam, with songs like "Shukran Bamba" on his masterpiece album Egypt. Other great Senegalese singers, Baaba Maal and Cheikh Lô are other adherents. Also here is another song, called "Sam Fall," about Cheikh Ibra Fall, leader of the Baye Fall, delivered simply and honestly with only acoustic guitar backing. Youssou admits that often he would let the electric guitar replace all the traditional instruments, filling the space left by xalam, kora and balafon with electric amperage. Interestingly, Youssou's right-hand man, Mamadou "Jimi" Mbaye, his lead guitar player for decades, died in February 2025. But here the traditional instruments, including njarka, return. There's a slight irony in the song "Mbëggèl doole" which Youssou says is inspired by his love for Orchestra Baobab. The older Latin sounds that characterized groups like Baobab were swept away by the youngsters and their mbalax in the 70s, and that is why Baobab and many others broke up. The guitar solo on here is more US white boy blues-inspired, but then no one could come near the brilliance of Baobab's Barthelémy Atisso, so I'm glad the snarking puppy did not try. Despite some embarrassing forays into English (the awful and skippable "Tell me what you want" and the chorus to "On l'a fait"), this is a strong new album from the mighty Youssou. "Say thank you" has the classic Etoile energy with the anthemic call and response vocals and "everybody wave your hands in the air" energy of the big stadium shows he used to enjoy. He winds down the perfectly paced disc with another praise song for his spiritual guru, "Ahmadou Bamba," and leaves the last note to the traditional instruments.
Remember "Rock the Casbah"? Well, this is exactly that: rock music from Algeria showing the influence of the Clash and other rock bands of the early 80s. Right from the booming opening track, "Id ed was," you can see why this duo were so popular in Algeria and France. Les Abranis were formed in Paris by two young expats who sang in Kabyle and channeled funk ('Thassousmi"), touches of reggae and psychedelic rock. They returned to Algeria to great public acclaim to appear at the Festival de la Chanson Algérienne in 1973 but the authorities were not pleased that they did not sing in Arabic. They sing in one of several "mutually unintelligible Berber languages"! While not their first disc, Album No 1 is a much-sought-after LP from the height of their career, recorded in 1983 and backed by top session musicians in a Paris studio. Karim sings and plays lead guitar; Sharmy is on keyboard. Don't be put off by the gloomy cover: it's a varied and uptempo set and if you understand the lyrics, apparently there are socio-political and cultural statements celebrating the group's Amazigh identity. "Akoudar" is quite moody and reminds me of Talking Heads and Eno. The driving bass especially is reminiscent of pop of that era (and Eno's albums in particular), and returns to propel the instrumental "Thadoukli." Tony Bonfils and Jannick Top were in on the session to add some Parisian sheen.
I know Salif Keita had a hard life, but since he moved to Paris and became a big pop star things must have been easier for him, no? Anyway, he sounds really mournful, once again, on this album, which has simple acoustic guitar backing his voice. Regular contributor Tony P calls it "stripped back and intimate." Salif plays the guitar himself and its delicate tone matches his vocal style. On the cover he is sitting on the bed in a fancy hotel room with a bandage on his head... well, that's what it looks like. The title means "In the room," and according to the liner notes it was recorded in a room in the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. Lucky him: last time I was in a Tokyo hotel room I had to climb over my suitcase to get to the bathroom; in fact most Tokyo hotel rooms are smaller than that bed he is lounging on. His accompanists show up for a few moments. On "Awa" there's ngoni (Badia Tounkara), tama (Mamadou Kone) and cello (the latter played by Julia Sarr though I could not distinguish it). The same trio return for "Chérie," and on "Soundiata" there's ngoni and calabash, but again I barely noticed them (maybe they were in the bathroom). Actually the variety does brighten up the proceedings somewhat when you notice it. "Laban" and "Tassi" are traditional songs; presumably "Soundiata" is also. There is a song dedicated to the late Kanté Manfila, a Guinean who sang alongside Salif in Les Ambassadeurs and later had a successful solo career. Salif breaks into English for the last track, "Proud," which seems to have a hammered dulcimer on echo accompaniment: "I'm what I am, I'm proud; I'm African and proud; I'm albino and proud; I'm different and proud." But this is not that different; I found it sleepy: that inviting large bed beckons, though I expect fans of his singing will probably enjoy it.
FANFARE CIOCARLIA + ADRIAN RASO
THE DEVIL RIDES AGAIN (Asphalt Tango)
This century, Balkan music emerged from small folk venues to become some of the hippest sounds breaking out of Eastern Europe. Fanfare Ciocarlia, from Moldova, had a hit a decade ago with their album Devil's Tale and have reunited with Canadian rock guitarist Adrian Raso from that session for another dose, called The Devil Rides Again. For "Stromboli," Raso adds a Duane Eddy twang. He also plays banjo which seems more in keeping with folk music, but he twists some devilish runs on Django Reinhardt's "Blue Drag" and "Roma Stomp." There are some unusual covers: Dolly Parton's "Jolene" for one (but it was unrecognizable to me). Steve Winwood was only 19 when he sang "I'm a man" with the Spencer Davis group. That song was one of the great anthems of my own youth, and was also a hit for Chicago in 1968. Now it has resurfaced in the repertoire of this brass band, with a vocal version last year and now an instrumental with added guitar. However, the guitar tends to overwhelm the other instruments including the excellent saxophone of Opricå Ivancea. Still it's one to check out.
There may be a chicken and egg story here. I put on the debut album by Ozan Baysal and my first thought was, he has been studying Hans Reichel (1949-2011), the innovative German artist, graphic designer and guitarist who created a unique sound by redesigning his instrument to be basically two conjoined guitar necks. He played by damping on both fretboards simultaneously, in a style known as hammering on, letting the amplification reveal the sonic subtleties. Now, listening to this, I also learn that it is a traditional Anatolian style of playing with various sub-techniques (plucking, hammering and strumming), collectively known as şelpe. So maybe Reichel heard it in Turkey. Baysal also has a double-necked instrument, called a baglama, or sometimes a saz. He is a scholar, and is also reputed as a jazz musician (Anatolia is Eastern Turkey, or Western Asia, depending on where you are standing). Baysal brings virtuosity and great creativity to improvisations on traditional themes with this instrument. The title translates as "String and Skin" and he is joined, briefly, by bendir (on "Cakal Cokerten Zeybegi"), acoustic bass, electric guitar (on "Childhood Memories") and vocals (on "Beyond Dreams"). Having attained a Ph.D. in şelpe music studies from Istanbul University, Baysal is pursuing post-doctoral research in London, where he has found an expatriate community who still keep şelpe traditions alive. The music is complex and exciting; the modal forms of the old tunes have been augmented with Western harmonies which adds richness and depth to them.
Most recent posts
(click on maps at the top of the page to get to continent of choice)
April 2025
Tsapiky! is music from Madagascar
Orquesta Akokán's latest is filed in Cuba part 4
Trio da Kali is filed in Mali part 6
Mike Guagenti is filed in Salsa
March 2025
The latest from Baianasystem can be found in Brasil part 3 Sweet Rebels: The Golden Age of Algerian Pop-Rai is filed in Algeria Damily & Toliara Tsapiky Band are filed in Madagascar
Two new anthologies of Gnonnas Pedro are in Benin
Muslim Shaggan can be read about in India & Pakistan II
The Original Sound of Mali vol II is filed in Mali part 6
February 2025
Novalima's latest can be read about in Peru part 2
Aboubacar Traoré & Balima is filed in Burkina Faso
Tumblack are from the Caribbean
Brooklyn Sounds are filed under Salsa
December 2024
Festival Donso Ngoni vol 1 is filed under Mali part 6 Zanzibara 11: Congo in Dar with orchestres Maquis and Safari Sound is in Tanzania part 3
Accra Quartet can be read about in Ghana part 2
Dogo du Togo's latest is filed in African miscellany
Occidental Brothers' Likambo Te also made it to African miscellany!
Los Kenya's Vol 2 went to Venezuela
while the 107th Street Stickball Team slid into Salsa in a questionable call
November 2024
Arun Ramamurthy Trio's New Moon went to India & Pakistan part 2
Houssam Guinia's Dead of Night can be found in Morocco
Oriental Brothers' Onye rie ibe ya erie is filed under Nigeria part 3
as is Music of Igbo Masquerade by Okwy Osadebe & his Highlife Soundmakers Super Disco Pirata 1965-80 is filed in Colombia part 3
Danilo Perez with the Bohuslan Big Band is found in World miscellany Magnifico Boogaloo is pumping it up in Peru, part 2
...
PAST TOP TENS BY YEAR
Essentially the best of this website in condensed form:
"Essential reference guide to the Congo guitar king" — SONGLINES 64 **** (four stars)
"I do not know anybody who has such immense knowledge of African music. Congratulations." — Gerhard G (a purchaser)
BACK IN PRINT (Second edition, November 2012)
A DISCOGRAPHY OF DOCTEUR NICO
By Alastair Johnston
Poltroon Press, 2012, expanded to 88 pages; list price $19.95. Available now. Click HERE for details.
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