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Africando
Ketukuba, a tribute to Gnonnas Pedro
Paris
20/11/2006 -
Ibrahima Sylla: It’s a song by Gnonnas Pedro who died in 2004. This was our way of paying tribute to him. Gnonnas Pedro was one of the pioneers of Africando. He joined us in 1996 to record Gombo salsa and brought his own contribution to the group, injecting a touch of voodoo spirit. We recorded the vocals for Ketukuba in Abidjan, but the final mix was done in New York. Sadly, Gnonnas Pedro never got to hear the finished version.
Boncana Maïga seems to be increasingly absent from your arrangements. Why's that?
Boncana's played a lesser role since our album Martina which came out in 2003. He's got an extremely busy schedule. These days he's tied up with presenting a TV show, too. But we also felt it was time to have a breath of fresh air. We're now working with three new arrangers, but Boncana was involved on three tracks on the new album and he's still responsible for all the programming.
Most of the compositions and arrangements on your new album were done by Latino composers and arrangers. Did that add anything special to the overall sound?
The pianist Alfredo Rodriguez added a special Cuban touch via son. Sadly, he also died before he could listen to the final mix of his work. Then there was Nelson Hernandez, a Venezuelan based in New York. He tapped into new music trends on the New York salsa scene which revolve around a fusion of Puerto Rican sounds, Colombian music and Miami salsa. Then, last but not least, there's Miguel Gomez, a Spanish guy who's worked with salseros based in Paris. The idea behind this album was to revive the spirit of descargas, the famous jam sessions that took place in the 1940s between jazz and salsa musicians.
Given that the album was recorded in different places - Africa, Paris and New York - wasn't there a risk that you'd end up losing the "live" feel of the descargas?
No, there wasn't any risk of that because my role was to act as a link between the musicians and the arrangers. I supervised everything down to the finest detail. Once we were in New York, I made sure that everybody's individual contributions weren't denatured or deformed in any way. Take Fatalikou, for instance, it's a guajira where the vocals and guitar were recorded in Dakar. There's a real feeling of sadness in the song which makes it very different from the rest of the album. But I was absolutely insistent that we should leave it just as it was and not touch anything.
For a long time now in Africa, salsa's been seen as the music of the older generation. Where does it stand on the current African scene?
Well, I'd say since the success of Africando, salsa's back at the forefront of the African music scene. I have to say that salsa's evolved enormously on a technical level – and now it's integrating new sounds from New York.
Unlike other musical styles like rap and m'balax, salsa portrays this rather upbeat image of Africa, tapping into the optimistic vibe of the independence years. But is this a true reflection of Africa today?
In the '50s and '60s, people were a lot less politically and socially aware than they are today and they didn't talk about topical issues. We did feel it was necessary to adapt certain songs like Bembeya Jazz's Doni Doni (1994) and bring up topical themes like democracy. Actually, on our next album, we're planning to include a song called Djiguen which deals with women's issues such as female excision and domestic violence.
Ketukuba marks the arrival of a new generation of singers such as Bass Sarr, Pascal Dieng and Medoune Diallo's son, Ledia Mansur. Why did you decide to get new singers like this on board?
Because they bring new influences with them. Bass Sarr and Pascal Dieng are part of Senegal's thriving new salsa scene (with groups such as Afro Salsa and Super Cayor). As for Ledia Mansur, he's an R&B singer. He did a duet for us with his father on Këer, a song he wrote himself and he was the one who told his father how he wanted the track to sound. When we did the final mix of the album in New York, Këer was the song the Americans liked most.
In Africando's take on Africa meets Latin America, Wolof and Mandinké seem to dominate. How did you set about creating an atmosphere of exchange between the musicians?
Things worked out really well. When I went out to New York, for instance, I got the musicians to listen to Sagoo, a track released on cassette in Dakar three years ago. Over there everyone referred to the sound as "m'balax salsa". But the guys from New York took one listen and said, "Hey, that's cumbia!" There was a natural link.
On your new album you’ve included a cover of Mario by the Congolese star Franco. Is this a reverential nod towards Central Africa?
On every album we've made, we've included a tribute to an artist who has made a significant contribution to African music history. On Doni Doni, we paid tribute to Bembeya Jazz. On Gombo Salsa, we paid tribute to Rochereau. And now its Franco's turn. We chose Madilu to do vocals on the song because he'd already covered it in 1986/1987. It was a really moving experience for him when he listened to the finished version.
Since 1993, with the dollar becoming legal and salsa - the music of exiles - being rehabilitated, Cuba has been accused of selling off its artists on the cheap (charging 10 dollars per artist per concert) and thus undercutting other salseros? What do you think about that?
It's true. In New York, a lot of artists have been complaining that they can't earn a proper living any more. And when you see legendary stars like Aragon being paid 1000 $, there's a real problem. Africando always demand decent performance fees, but we sometimes have a bit of trouble getting what we ask for. I don’t want to talk politics here, though.
Will you be promoting the new album on tour?
We're about to play a series of concerts in Holland and we'll be performing in France in February 2007. We'll be doing a world tour that will last about six weeks all in all playing dates across Europe and America.
Sylvie Clerfeuille
Translation : Julie Street
25/06/2003 -
02/02/2001 -
