Episode #9: Sounds of Africa

With the arrival of the musical Fela! to the Broadway stage, I thought it would be an opportune time to put together an introduction African music. Naturally, with a place as large and varied as Africa it is impossible to cover every genre in a single mix. So, for this one I focused primarily on classic material from several West African countries.

Sir Victor Uwaifo (Nigeria), Dr. K Gyasi’s Noble Kings (Ghana), and The Oriental Brothers (Nigeria), are all excellent examples of the infectious genre of music called Highlife. It is dance music played mostly in Ghana and Nigeria and represents one of the century's first fusions of African roots and Western music, and before 1970 it ruled dance floors across much of West Africa. Sir Victor Uwaifo is especially noteworthy as his guitar style blends the West African highlife sounds with mid-'60s soul, early roots rock, psychedelia, and even funk. He often played a strange hybrid double-neck six- and 12-string guitar earning him the nickname “Guitar Boy Superstar.”

Youssou N’Dour, the musical icon of Senegal, is one of the pioneers of the Senegalese sound called Mbalax, which was related to wolof music and used the sabar and bugarabu drums. The unusual sound of African drums added to the attractiveness of this Senegalese music on the world market.

Mali’s Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté performance of “Gomni” is a great example of intense guitar finger-picking in the tradition of Jurana Kura (translated as new era) cultural movement, which accompanied Mali’s struggle for independence in the 1950s and early '60s. It can be thought of as a type of desert blues.

Franco, a prolific musician from Congo/Zaire, is the preeminent example of Soukous, which originates From the French word for "shake." It is the generic name for an influential music of Zaire and the Congo that has spread across Africa. The style combines local musical ingredients with Cuban/Caribbean rhythms and elements of '30s and '40s American country music.

King Sunny Ade, is the master of Juju music, which has been the most consistently popular musical style in Nigeria over the last half of the 20th century, with roots in the traditional, mostly drum-based music of the Yoruba (one of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups). In its fully developed form, juju is a dance music played by large ensembles centered around guitar and percussion: several guitarists play interlocking, complex melodies over a thundering wall of rhythm, led by traditional Yoruba talking drums.

Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab nicely showcases the Afro-Latin feel in a more traditional African context found in quite a bit of Afropop as Cuban music exerted a huge influence in West Africa dating back to the 1940s.

The music of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, from Benin, is called Sato, a fun, hyper-energetic rhythm performed using an immense vertical drum, and mixed in with funk, soul, organ sounds, horns and psychedelic guitar riffs.

I couldn’t help and sneak in Cape Verde’s national treasure, Césaria Évora singing her famous Morna, which combines West African percussion with Portuguese fados, Brazilian modhinas, and British sea shanties.

And of course, the legendary Fela Kuti had to be featured given that his influence on Afropop is incalculable. His music incorporated various elements from funk, soul, traditional Nigerian music and he is credited with having invented what is now commonly called Afro-Beat. His fierce political messages coupled with the ubiquity of his sound puts him on par with Bob Marley in terms of his influence and level of sheer star power in the realm of popular African music.

Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track listing:
1) Dododo (5:20) – Sir Victor Uwaifo
2) Immigres/Bitim Rew (7:03) – Youssou N’Dour
3) Ja Funmi (7:17) - King Sunny Ade
4) Gomni (4:18) – Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
5) Boma l'heure (5:07) - Franco
6) Jeun Ko Ku (Chop ‘n’ Quench) (7:14) – Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa 70
7) Onwetarani Nye Ibi Efe (4:57) – Oriental Brothers
8) Nsem Keka Dooso (4:26) – Dr. K Gyasi’s Noble Kings
9) Mouhamadou Bamba (6:37) – Orchestra Baobab
10) Se We Non Nan (5:04) - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou
11) Africa Nossa (3:54) – Césaria Évora