Africando

Few could imagine a more qualified duo than Senegalese music lover Ibrahima Sylla and Malian Boncana Maïga to ressuscitate the salsa/son style that was so popular in Seventies Africa. The release of Trovador in 1993 underlined the enduring links between the West Indies and West Africa that the duo sought to exploit. It drew from the repertoire of Beny Moré, Noro Morales and Miguel Matamoros, and sung standards in the Mandingo, Wolof, Fulani and Serere languages. Three vocalists from Senegal were backed by a horn section drawn from the best of the New York salsa scene.

The death of Pape Seck (former leader in the Star Band de Dakar) in 1995 was a devastating blow to Africando. Its following two albums, however, proved that Sylla and Maïga could draw on a deep reservoir of talented African vocalists to replace the Senegalese crooner. Tabu Ley Rochereau, Sekouba Bambino and Gnonnas Pedro were just some of the singers to become involved in the albums Gombo Salsa and Baloba. The multinational band soon became a must for dance-floors around the world.

Betece marked the year 2000 with its eclectic group of guest singers. Lokua Kanza, veteran Médoune Diallo (of Orchestre Baobab fame) and Salif Keita, added their voices to Bambino and Pedro who had become stalwarts of the band. This fifth album also saw the appearance of Kôrô Ahmadou Traoré, aka Balaké, who had penned in one of Africa’s most affectionate tunes “Taximan n’est pas gentil”. The Ivorian sang the title track, marrying a griot tradition with Afro-Cuban rhythms that have become emblematic of the group.

The premature death of Gnonnas Pedro in 2004 marked a second turning point for Africando. The Béninois was a remarkable vocalist who had been a major pioneer of Afro-Cuban music with his combo Los Dadjès de Cotonou. The band’s seventh album Ketakuba is a homage to the affable composer, signifying “origin” in one of the Béninois languages. The man who arranged three of the album’s songs, pianist Alfredo Rodriguez, also died abruptly during the making of Ketakuba. Nevertheless, Africando has vowed to continue its exploration of the music linking the two sides of the Atlantic. It has brought two new singers into its ranks, Basse Sarr and Pascal Dieng, both from Senegal, as well as the Puerto Rican Joe King.

May 2007

Daniel Brown