To understand contemporary African music, one must understand modern African history. There is no musical group more intertwined within that history than the 12-piece band of Bembaya Jazz. Guinea, on the West Coast of the African continent and led by Sekou Toure, won independence from France in 1958. Once the site of the great Songhay and Mali empires, which were noted for artistic and intellectual advancement, Guinea was faced with the task of reconnecting with its culture after 60 years of colonialization.

"Before independence, we would sing in French, dance in French, and dress according to French culture. Everything was French for about 60 years," says Mohammed Achken Kaba, band leader and trumpet player for the group. Toure promoted a return to African culture and music. He organized competitions where bands played indigenous music with modern interpretations. Combining a signature four-guitar section that echoes the melodies of the traditional kora and balafon, with sizzling Afro-Cuban rhythms, Bembaya Jazz won every contest.

In 1965, Bembaya was nationalized and moved to Guinea's capitol of Conakry. They were named the National Orchestra Of Guinea, playing as many as six nights a week across West Africa. Challenging themselves to create the best African music, they spearheaded a cultural renaissance that included Senegal's Orchestra Baobab and Mali's Super Rail Band. "We were bringing back African originality and figuring out how to advance the culture," says Kaba. "Bembaya is the expression of traditional Manding culture, which goes back to the great West African empires of Mali and Songhay. We went back to our roots. "

After suffering the death of their charismatic lead singer, Aboubacar Camara, in 1973, Bembaya regrouped and was de-nationalized by Toure (enabling them to tour internationally) right before Toure's death in 1984. Bembaya (World Village) ends a 15-year wait for a new recording. Anchored by legendary guitarist Sekou "Diamond Fingers" Diabate, Bembaya continues to represent originality in African music. The eight-song disc reworks Bembaya classics such as "Yelema Yelemaso" and "Sanfaran," showcasing the band's potent cocktail of a masterful rhythm section mixed with a dash of West African style. The sound captures a Cuban big band brought back to its African foundation with djembe drums, griot song styling, and African dance steps for good measure.

"Our music is a direct translation of our culture," explains Kaba. "It's a synthesis of all the rhythms of Western culture. All the beats that you find in West Africa have gotten together in Guinea. We have restored the connection between Cuba, Africa, and the rest of the diaspora."

The connection between Cuba and Africa is a significant one when it comes to music. Enslaved Africans brought rhythms to the island and passed them down to their descendants, who incorporated the new sounds they heard to create son, rumba, mambo, and salsa. Along with their music, the Africans also brought their religion, which also got reinterpreted in their new land, becoming Lucumi or Santeria, which features traditional Yoruba deities mingled with Catholic saints. The music that accompanies the rituals, ocha, filters through much of Cuban life and culture.

Bobi Cespedes, a singer-songwriter, percussionist, folklorist, and Lucumi priestess, heads her own noteworthy movement to promote African culture. As singer of the family band, Conjunto Cespedes, she helped create a contagious blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms mixed with traditional Cuban poetry and accented with modern horn arrangements.

On her solo debut, Rezos (Six Degrees), she continues her mission, subtly merging African musical forms such as hip-hop and jazz, with traditional Afro Cuban sensibilities. From the Latin jazz of "California" to the traditional lucumi chant of "Ogun," the CD manages to bridge the gap between old world and new with Cespedes' distinctive vocal skill. "I am a sonera," says the singer of her basic style. Interpreters of son music, or soneros, mold a song into their own by offering up individual flourishes and phrasing, much the way jazz singers do. Cespedes draws from every aspect of her culture to create a sound that's all her own.

"I'm trying to teach my African people all around the world about my culture," she says. "Everything is song in Cuban culture." Hailing from a musical family, Cespedes' mother first put her on stage at seven years of age and she has been on it ever since. Boasting a richly commanding voice that recalls the late Celia Cruz, the singer only performs in Spanish, despite the fact that she has lived in the U.S. for decades.

Still, Cespedes defines her music and culture as African, despite the fact that it was developed in Cuba. "The traditions of the Africans in Cuba were consciously preserved by their descendents. I bring together the music of my elders as it travels to today. The folklore of the Africans brings people together, whether we're given credit or not, we're a crucial part of this world."

-- Rosalind Cummings-Yeates