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Africa's Many Incarnations
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Newsday.com, Africa's Many Incarnations >>
While some observers rightfully worry about the fading of traditional music in Africa, several African artists are cross-pollinating traditional elements to create hybrids that are as beautiful as they are varied.
In the 1930s, as young Africans moved to urban centers such as Kinshasa, they discovered Cuban music, recognizing this new thing as an old relation come home, a by-product of the slave trade to the Americas. They imitated Cuban records, eventually creating their own genre called Congolese rumba. The group Kékélé has revived the old style; its third album, "Kinavana" (Stern's), has Afro-Cuban beats, but a sweet and gentle swing. It is a sound apart from salsa, with honeyed vocals, no brass section, acoustic guitars and plenty of percussion.
The music from this long-ago era is virtually unknown among salseros, but hopefully some will discover it when Kékélé plays S.O.B.'s July 26 and Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park Aug. 5.
Senegal's Cheik L" has Afro-Cuban cuts on his latest, "Lamp Fall" (Nonesuch), but he also teams with Brazilian musicians, most notably on "Sénégal-Brésil," where he harnesses the deep rumble of a 40-strong Brazilian drum corps. L" has not been a megastar, but this, his third album, shows him building a powerful legacy of great music. The widened palette here seems an effortless stretch. He and his tight band swing to reggae as well as Senegalese mbalax, while giving each a bit of a twist.
On Toumani Diabate's latest, "Boulevard de l'Indépendance" (World Circuit), the Malian musician plays with what he calls the Symmetric Orchestra, which comprises African and Western instruments. Diabate plays the kora, a 21-string traditional instrument that looks a bit like a sitar, but is straddled and finger-picked.
While the kora has been matched with nontraditional instruments before, this album seems the fully realized dream of harmonizing African and Western elements. It has the excitement of an artist finally getting a chance to work on a large canvas. When the orchestra grabs hold of a slamming rhythm, as it does on "Salsa," the maelstrom it kicks up creates music that seems to populate its own genre.
Ejigayehu Shibabaw, or "Gigi," sings in a very Ethiopian style, with microtonal fluttering that evokes the flight of a butterfly. But the music on her new "Gold and Wax" (Palm), produced by Bill Laswell, is a sophisticated electro-ethno mix that sounds like the soundtrack from some sci-fi future where we actually all do get along.
Gigi and Laswell assemble musicians from various countries and create music that sounds organic despite its disparate ingredients. If a song needs an Indian sarangi to round out the sound, so be it. Gigi is one of a growing constellation of stars who doesn't break down barriers between cultures as much as soar above them.
Salif Keita, "the golden voice of Mali," has long used his elegant pop sensibility to blend Africa and the West. While many Afropop stars go for unbridled high energy, his goal has always been to create evocative music that occasionally was pop-y enough to slide onto a dance floor. His latest, "M'bemba" (Decca), leaves electronics behind, but his mid-tempo songs groove along, comfortably juxtaposing wooden balafon with a brace of acoustic guitars. Keita will perform a lunchtime show at MetroTech in Brooklyn Thursday and the Apollo Theater Friday.
Seeing African music live is still the best way to "get it" - performers juice up audiences with exuberant rhythms and explosive dancing that leap
over any cultural barriers. A great opportunity with a minimal investment is seeing the great Angélique Kidjo when she performs a tribute to South African stars Miriam Makeba and Brenda Fassi at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park next Saturday.
Sometimes, world music writing has an "eat your spinach" tone to it - You should listen to this! It's good for you! - but the fruits of these African internationalists' labor are serious fun. 06/25/06 >> go there
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