Orchestre Poly-Rythmo and SMOD in Central Park

Posted by Banning Eyre, July 26, 2012

Anyone lucky enough to catch the 2010 New York debut of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou at Lincoln Center has surely been waiting for the legendary Benin Voodoo-funk band’s return. And what a day for it! This band rocked Benin, and West Africa, in the late 60s and through the 70s. Their blend of Afro-Latin sounds, afrobeat, and local roots was unique, especially for their innovative adaptations of sacred Voodoo rhythms and melodies. These guys are enthusiastic advocates of this maligned and misunderstood religion. In the notes to the band’s 2011 release Cotonou Club (Sound’Ailleurs/Strut), co-founder Vincent Ahéhéhinnou predicts, “Voodoo is the future of humanity.” That may be a bit much, but witnessing the miracle of Poly-Rythmo in full glory on a New York stage, anything seemed possible.

Poly-Rythmo has long been consigned to nostalgia shows in Benin and reissue CDs (on Luaka Bop, Analog Africa and Soundway). When French radio journalist Elodie Maillot went searching for them with her Nagra tape recorder in Contonou in 2007, many told here she was too late. Maillot found otherwise, and the encounter changed her life. This band’s reemergence owes much to her hard work and determination in arranging concerts, tours, press coverage and the recording of Cotonou Club. Maillot was on hand at Summerstage, overjoyed with the day, and still hauling that Nagra!

The band begun with their more Latin-oriented fare, featuring elegant dance moves and vocal interplay among the principle singers–Anago Cosme, Vincent Ahéhéhinnou and Mélomé Clément–lyrical guitar solos and brisk brass section passages. Poly-Rythmo paced their show beautifully, first bringing the funk, then diving into the Voodoo livened by percussion and colorful swaths of psychedelic guitar work. One high point was a breathless read of the band’s 1968 hit “Gbeti Madjro.” Fellow Beninois Angelique Kidjo guests on the new recording of this classic, though, alas, she was not on hand today. Her misfortune. This band was on fire!

Poly-Rythmo owned this crowd from the start, and by the time their set ended with a long, ecstatic, Voodoo-fused jam, the mood was Summerstage high. An encore was required, and provided.

At a time when more and more attention is turning to younger, leaner, more tech-oriented African acts like SMOD, and when the logistics of touring big bands like Poly-Rythmo grow more and more daunting, shows like this are rare fruit. This audience’s overwhelming response proves that the music still resonates. Kudos to Elodie Maillot, Summerstage, and the indefatigable musicians of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo for not letting us forget…