This is a classic Malian album, and by classic I mean it fits into a tradition that really began with the ascendancy of Sailf Keita and his Paris producers. Though he eventually went quite far into studio effects (though not as far as his bandmate Mory Kanté), Salif reached a peak where his voice was lifted up on a wall of echo and sweet harmony vocals over a base of ngonis, koras (even if sometimes they were electronic keyboards programmed to sound like koras or balafons, god forbid) and Western rock instruments against complex percussive rhythms. The key here is Saly Kouyaté, the singer, and she has one of those great strong Malian "songbird" voices (like Sali Sidibe or Oumou Sangare) where she carries everything while trap drums, talking drums, dueling ngonis, acoustic guitars are all squirming for a breakout moment in the surging momentum of the music. As you know the role of musician in Mali is hereditary and taken seriously. So each generation brings forth amazing talents who are cradled in tradition and brought up in all the new ideas coming to bear on the music as it evolves. Saly Kouyaté is the daughter of ngoni virtuoso Andra Kouyaté who arranged the session for his daughter's debut. She is also the niece of the legendary Bassekou Kouyaté, another master of the ngoni. Her cousin Kankou sings backup, and remarkable among the assembled talents, another cousin Mamadou Kouyaté, drops in too. Curiously the title track is reggae. When I last saw a group of Kouyatés in concert, Bassekou's bass-playing son, Mamadou, took a solo and immediately went into one-drop Kingston funk, so I imagine it is pervasive among the younger generation and he was there in the session offering up the herbal incense. One regret: "Atan Dèmè" fades out at 5'25 just as the guitarist is starting to get snarly. However a friend said he thought the electric guitar intruded too much. Each to his own.
ZANJA ALL STARS
CUBAN JAM SESSION VOLS 1 & 2 (self)
Zanja is a collective who span all sorts of Cuban music and they do it well as this disc explodes with talent. First trumpet Julito Padron is the band-leader and his career indicates the general thrust of this operation. After graduation from art school he joined Septeto Nacional, one of the main standard-bearers of Cuban Son, then Chucho Valdes drafted him into Irakere in the 90s where he got to express his love of jazz. After Buena Vista died off, their band was kept going as the Afro Cuban All Stars, and this ensemble is an extension of sorts, as jazz and classic Cuban music combine in Zanja. Some of it tends to the saccharine, like they are aiming for the Buena Vista Social Club audience, while other tracks show their versatility goes far beyond golden oldies. Among the elders Padron brought along Changuito on timbales, but the rest of the ensemble are from a new generation of young talents. This group recorded in Egrem's famous Areito Studio 101 in Havana in 2017 but it has taken a long time to get the albums (there are four so far) issued. Needless to say, Padron's background influences the course of this sonic tour. After a traditional invocation and a mambo, we are taken to "Shaker Heights," a hard bop tune from 1967, in a tight jazz arrangement. "Los Cacos del Amor" was a 1955 big band number popularized by Tito Rodriguez; it is updated with a haunting slide guitar (not Ry Cooder!) and turned from a mambo into a boogaloo-cha (Figure that out)! Rolando Luna's piano stands out. Another haunting big band jazz number is Padron's own "La Serpiente"; and to show his versatility, Padron also composed "1959" which is a classic son using a poem by Nicolas Guillen as the text. The first disc ends with a restatement of "Papa Boco," the ceremonial opener.
Much as I enjoyed the first set, the second one is even more enthralling, as it becomes something of an Afro-Cuban Jazz suite along the lines of the classic Machito and Dizzy Gillespie efforts of 75 years ago. The tunes are structured to allow for horn solos, with tunes from Cannonball Adderley and Gil Evans in the mix. We have a break for "Punteame bien el tres" (a big hit for Monguito) which reminded me strongly of Sierra Maestra, one of my favorite Cuban bands, who gave rise to both Cubanismo and Afro-Cuban All Stars. "Danzon a Isabel" features strong performances from Luna on piano and Changuito on timbales. It was written by trombonist Eduardo Sandoval Ferrer whose father sang with Chappotin's conjunto. They go out steaming on "Vandalo" also known as "Cha-onda" by Ray Fernandez, which chugs along on a Mozambique rhythm.
LEVE LEVE VOL 2: SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE SOUNDS 70s-80s (Bongo Joe)
In the 1970s and 80s the tiny volcanic islands of São Tomé and Principe, off the West coast of Africa, had developed an indigenous musical style incorporating influences from Congo and Cuba, as well as America, Argentina and Portugal. Their native rhythms Puxa, Danço Congo (which came from theatrical performances) and Socopê can be heard in congas, guiros (reco-reco) and especially the bright and sometimes jagged electric guitar riffs backing the singers. Of course, primarily they have African influences; the Puxa rhythm from Angola is popular though was banned periodically for its erotic content. Much of the music is lilting like a rocking boat, while the speedy numbers seem to have more beats per minute than you'd expect from a perspiringly hot tropical country. Typical of Portuguese colonies, São Tomé and Principe were not granted independence until quite late: 1975. But unlike Angola there was no interminably war of liberation. Actually the islands were uninhabited when the Portuguese landed in the 15th century and they used them as a slave depot, as well as a place to unload undesirable Sephardic Jews from Portugal who were set to work growing sugar. As sugar plantations developed in Brazil and the Caribbean around 1800 the islands were converted to growing coffee and cocoa. The abolition of slavery did not prevent the use of indentured workers throughout the nineteenth century. The Kingdom of Kongo (which at that time included Angola) provided a lot of the labor and so the music is naturally connected to those sources. The Socopê incorporates rhythms from Brazil, showing a two-way traffic. And like the rest of the world the arrival of electric guitars, radio and recordings of popular music blossomed in the mid-20th century. The big names locally are Pedro Lima, Africa Negra and Sangazuza, all of whom were politically outspoken, and are represented here as on volume 1. The two latter sound similar as they regularly traded members. Sangazuza's "Mario bi cedo" and "Zon fada non" are from their album Izaura (Saudad serie 5 vol 9); the two other tracks by them "Sono sá kuá de téma" and "Luiza anté kedja" were on Quando eu parti (Sodad serie 4 vol 10). Both of these are pretty obscure CDs, really only available if you go to Lisbon looking for them. The opener "Mario bi cedo" was also on a cassette called Expluzão 95. The other big name here, Africa Negra, are represented by two tracks: "Apoiámos a luta dos nossos irmão (we support our brothers fight)," about the liberation struggle in Mocambique and Zimbabwe, and "Simoa" with a relentless fast beat and wiry guitar. Now I have 18 albums and cassettes by them but these tracks were unknown to me! And predictably as my other holdings from São Tomé are much more modest, none of the other eight artists' tracks are widely available. Bongo Joe has issued two volumes of Africa Negra, and two more from Pedro Lima. The final cut by Lima is brilliant: as the bass and drums chug along, he starts playing behind the bridge of his guitar, using it as a percussion instrument. There is also an unusual folkloric track with accordion from Bulawê n'Guli Fala, Quinta das Palmeiras that gives a greater dimension to the anthology. Bongo Joe haven't quite cornered the market but they have done a great service in broadening the availability of this wonderful music. The booklet has nice photos but has been badly translated.
LES BELGICAINS
NA TANGO YA COVADIA 1964-70 VOL 2 (Covadia)
Congolese independence was a turning point in the relationship between the new nation of Congo (later Zaire) and Belgium. In an effort to foster trust and help build a generation of administrators, smart young Congolese went to Brussels to attend college, while whites who had run much of the country's infrastructure, along with merchants and traders, also left the newly independent colony. Among the departures was Nikis Cavvadias, mastermind of the Ngoma record label. Once in Belgium, Cavvadias used his connections to start a new label, Covadia and recorded groups of youngsters enjoying the novelties of Europe. When they returned home they brought these wonders: new dances and fashion trends, but their culture baggage was paramount, and they always carried their love of rumba with them. The big names here are Carlos Lembe and Los Nickelos, fronted by Max Mongalia and Tony Dee, but the other bands include Ebuka Ebuka and Afro Negro who are as compelling as they were formerly obscure. Ebuka Ebuka, who stood out on the first disc, turn in a stirring bolero "Poso na yo Egilite," which would do OK Jazz credit, and suggests where they learned their technique. Turns out they were actually Dynamic Jazz recording here under a pseudonym. Back home they had been one of the long-running and prolific bands on the Ngoma label so were friends with Cavvadias. Afro Negro, whose "Palado, Palado" was also memorable from disc one, give us Latin covers. Another pseudo-latino, Charles, or Carlos, Lembe is an interesting figure as I discovered when I was researching the Ngoma compilation. He apparently appears in and wrote the soundtrack for a movie called Hold Up à St Tropez, but there is no sign of it anywhere on the internet. I wonder if a copy exists. He is a fine guitarist and backed by Latin percussion, piano and marimba. There is a one-shot mambo "Mi Mambito" from a group called Ba Bolingo that is Latin fire, and even manages a "Manicero" quote in the horn section. This disc is another great installment in the history of the spread of Congolese rumba.
Like good little children, the Himba are seen and not heard. Seen because they are a tourist attraction like pygmies at the world's fair in the nineteenth century. As they walk around wearing only the barest loin cloths they appeal to those camera-wielders who seek the sight of nubile breasts in the wild. Listening to these semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers put me in minds of the Mbuti pygmies (the only "primitive" people I have personally visited) and also made me think about how man came to make music. Happily settled in their desert world, I believe they are closer to our African ancestors who left the caves 300,000 years ago to go hunting. They needed to signal one another over long distances so probably invented whistles from hollow bones or pieces of wood they could blow into. Hollow animal horns too amplified sound if you put your mind, and lips to it. Similarly, if you have ever swung a piece of kelp round your head on a beach you discovered the thrill of a bull-roarer. You can play with echoes in caves or rock walls: just some of the ways nature encourages you to make music. This engaging album presents a spectrum of their music with singing and rhythmic musical pulses made on primitive instruments such as a blown oryx horn. There is a beaten strung wire instrument that reminds me of a berimbau. The singers cup their hands over their mouths to create effects eerily like flanging, like kids beat-boxing. They also mimic wild animal noises, as one does. Ian Brennan the producer admits to using digital looping effects on three tracks, which enhances the sound. Brennan travels the world looking for under-represented people to record. He won a Grammy for Tinariwen's Tassili (2011) and has also recorded Ramblin' Jack Elliot among others. The label claims this is the first recording of the Himba people but I have an LP recorded by Gerhard Kubik in Angola in 1965 released by the Royal Museum in Tervuren that sounds like the same people. It is called Humbi en Handa so I am persuadable that it is a different tribe. Yet some of the pieces do sound familiar like the call and response, with panted response, "Who is going to welcome the white people?"
STEVE HERNANDEZ Y SU ORQUESTA LATINOAMERICANA
THE BOOGA MAMBO BEAT (Rocafort Records)
Steve Hernández, whose name is on this album is nevertheless not the bandleader. He was a fan of mambo and the nascent salsa sounds who wanted a bigger role in the music so he assembled a supergroup of his favorite players and booked studio time for them to record this one-off LP. This much has been surmised as there is no real information about him or this rare disc. In 2025 someone turned up the master reel-to-reel tape of the session which was labeled May 1967. Reports claimed that the album had been originally recorded in Puerto Rico so these tapes found in New York were the mix-down masters. The compiler of the current issue did some further research and found that Hernández was in a traffic accident which left him in a wheelchair but that tragedy gave him a cash settlement which allowed him to follow his dream. The compiler by chance ran into Ray Santos who led the session and who gave him the scoop that this was not a working band but Santos did use arrangements he had written which had been popularized by other bands such as Machito, Puente, and others. The tracks are in all styles: Boogaloo, descarga (jam), mambo and merengue. There is still speculation about who is on the album and the list of guesses includes Roberto Roena on congas and Kako on timbales, even Cabrerita on trumpet. But the guessed guests are just an indication of the quality on here. There are fine horn solos on the opening track "Steve's Boogaloo" which has a smooth big band pulse. Steve's choice in arranger was right on: Santos was a Latin jazz devotee who had studied at Juilliard and he wrote arrangements for all the big bands, including Eddie Palmieri, both Titos and so on. He won a grammy for his soundtrack to the Mambo Kings and an album with Linda Ronstadt, Frenesi. And the talent he brought to this session is truly stellar. The lead singer is Vitín Avilés who was a lifelong friend of the arranger. It's lush big band jazz in a Latin style, we can assume Santos is one of the sax players but it doesn't really matter who is playing trumpet or timbales: they are at the top of their game.
AYJAT WALZAQAT AL JILALIA
WALID HAJA (RADIO ANNAJAH 718 / Hive Mind Records راديو النجاح )
This is Jilala trance music, a brand of Moroccan different though not entirely distinct from Gnaouan trance music, unless you are an expert. According to Hive Mind Records' Marc Teare: "The formula is always the same, a couple of interlocking Gasba flutes, a couple of those buzzy bendir hand drums we all love so much playing in 2/4 and 6/8 rhythms, and a shouter (I’d say singer but shouter is more accurate) encouraging you to touch the infinite." If that's your thing you need to jump on it. Hive Mind has not tracked down the rights to this cassette, which Teare picked up in the souk in Fes years ago, so, rather than try to cash in with dubious legality, he is not profiting from the sale of downloads. Any money you give (and it's literally pay anything you want) will be passed on to Medecins sans Frontières. Also it wont be around much longer, so act now. Enjoy the vibe while helping out the deserving and needful doctors. Teare also posts a link to Moroccan Tape Stash, another public service, who pass along more of this sort of music.
That site, in turn, will take you to K7 Maghreb, another archive of found tapes from Morocco.
And from there it's a short hop to Arab Tunes — yes, it's endless, this rabbit hole.
Most recent reviews
(click on maps at the top of the page to get to continent of choice)
March 2026
Azuka Moweta and his Anioma Brothers' Kenechukwu is found in Nigeria part 3
Tim Maia's eponymous fourth album is reviewed in Brasil part 3
Roberto y su Nuevo Montuno can be read about in Puerto Rico Music for a Revolution vol 2 is filed in Music of Guinee Indian Talking Machine part 2 is filed in India & Pakistan part 2
Joseph Kamaru's Heavy Combination went to Kenya part 3
February 2026
Los Rogers are filed in Peru two
January 2026
Excavated Shellac: Voices is filed under world miscellany
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December 2025
Dr Nico presents African Fiesta Sukisa & Roger Izeidi presents African Fiesta Vita Matata are both filed in Congo Classics part 2
Noura Mint Seymali is filed in Arabia part 3
Syran Mbenza's Rumba Africa is filed under Music of Congo 4
Pelengana Blo's Hunter Folk vol II is found in Mali part 6
Son Palenque's latest is filed in Colombia part 3 Africa Shangazi is filed in Kenya & Tanzania part 3
November 2025
Bizimungu Dieudonne from Rwanda, is filed under African miscellany
Philip Tabane and Malombo's Sangoma is filed in South Africa part 2
Los Wemblers can be found in Peru part 2
The Last Poets' Africanism is filed in USA part 2
October 2025
I put Cheikh Lo's latest, Maame, in Senegal part 4
The return of Radio Tarifa can be discovered in Euro misc Salsa Dura from the Discos Fuentes Vaults is bound for Colombia part 3
Alhaji K. Frimpong, both Black and Blue albums are reviewed in Ghana part 2
...
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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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