In recent years a few of the best pioneering bands of Afro-pop have made impressive comebacks.  Bembeya Jazz was formed in 1961, and nine years later the Orchestra Baobab was founded in Senegal, to be followed a year later by the Super Rail Band in Mali.  The purpose of these bands was initially to spread a new post-colonial African identity, and they did it by performing traditional music with modern instrumentation.  In recent years the Orchestra Baobab and the Super Rail Band have come out with impressive new albums and toured North America in support of them.  Now Bembeya Jazz, which was certified as Guinea’s national band in the mid-60s, has now re-formed and released its first new album in 14 years.

The group had undergone a few changes.  Singer Sekouba Diabate has gone on to a solo career – Sinikan, his most recent album, is a gem – but the 12 member group still includes four members from its early years.  The group’s enchanting trademark sound centers on four guitars, three vocalists, and a horn section.  Sekou “Diamond Fingers” Diabate, the lead guitarist who relocated to Paris for a while, still has the power to dazzle.  He occasionally brings a Hawaiian flavor to the sound, while at other times he and the group flirt with Afro-Cuban jazz.  Most of the material is adapted from popular folklore, and the tracks are just long enough to allow the band to stretch out without becoming boring.