African Storytelling, old and new

 . . .      Sekou “Diamond Fingers” Diabate, lead guitarist of the Guinean group Bembeya Jazz, which captured the hearts and minds of an entire generation with their high-energy combination of multiple guitars, a horn section that could have held its own in James Brown’s band, and plenty of driving percussion.  In a society that long ago adopted the Western six-string as the lead instrument of choice, you could count Diabaté’s rivals on the fingers of one hand.  Now, four decades later, Bembeya jazz is touring the world.  High time, then, for Diabaté’s first album as a leader.

            Guitar Fo is mostly a reprise of Diabaté’s greatest hits, but it’s not an exercise in nostalgia.  His five-piece combo (small by West African standards) gives him plenty of time to shine.  There’s an appropriately relaxed feel all of the cuts, as the long, stretched-out solo lines float over a Cuban-inflected groove.  The all-instrumental tracks are the best, as Diabaté’s vocals are earnest but strained.  Standouts include “Biduman,” where his single-note work dazzles, along with the title cut and “Diamond Fingers” (the piece that gave Diabaté his nickname).  The last two are bravura pieces of the best kind:  Diabaté never showboats, and he’s always willing to let band members cut loose.  In, all a highly satisfying album.