Album review

African classics

Nine of the best

Paris 

18/01/2007 - 

Those wishing to delve into African music history and relive its best moments may often be confused as where exactly to start. Ismaël Lo, Koffi Olomide or the legendary Rail Band? Fortunately, a new collection called Classic Titles has just appeared on the market, pointing the way. This collection of nine CDs, devoted to some of Africa's most seminal groups and solo artists, is an absolutely indispensable guide.

Striking out into unknown territory, be it geographical or musical, requires expert orientation skills if you do not wish to lose your way and miss the essential. Think of Classic Titles then as the 'nec plus ultra' of navigation systems – and one which comes with a stamp of approval from the Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sylla, a man with almost unrivalled knowledge when it comes to African sounds.

The nine CDs in this series are packaged in a sober, low-key way, with the notes in the accompanying booklets kept to a strict minimum, although it must be said these texts serve perfectly well as an introduction to what you are about to hear. The interest of Classic Titles lies not in its form but in its content, in the spot-on selection of tracks which shine through quality rather than quantity. Let's face it, there may only be seven songs on Les Ambassadeurs feat. Salif Keita, but the stand-out song Kibaru lasts over twenty minutes alone. On the original LP which launched the Malian supergroup's recording career in 1976, Kibaru took up the entire B-side.

Classic Titles plunges listeners into the heart of a special era, an age when African music was undergoing a period of unprecedented change, and the collection is shot through with traditional Mande melodies and rhythms. These feature strongly on Le Rail Band feat. Mory Kante (an album by the Ambassadeurs' direct rivals in Bamako) and Bembeya Jazz National featuring the guitar wizardry of "Petit Sekou" - aka the Guinean guitarist Sekou Diabate (who caused such a stir at the International Festival of Negro Arts in Lagos in 1977 that journalists dubbed him "Diamond Fingers").

A host of other musical styles feature on Classic Titles, billed as a non-exhaustive panorama of African sounds. These include the soft Senegalese folk ballads of Ismaël Lo, the stirring Congolese rumba of Tabu Ley Rochereau, one of rumba's most talented musical ambassadors for almost half a century now, and the lilting n’dombolo of his compatriot Koffi Olomide (in what many may find to be a more accessible version than his current repertoire). In short, Classic Titles is not only a brilliant way to brush up on your African music basics. It makes for hours of thoroughly enjoyable listening too!

Classic Titles (9 CDs) : Bembeya Jazz National / Tabu Ley Rochereau / Koffi Olomide / Boubacar Traore / Ami Koita / Orchestra Baobab / Ismaël Lo / Les Ambassadeurs feat. Salif Keita / Le Rail Band feat. Mory Kante (Syllart/Pias) 2006

Bertrand  Lavaine

Translation : Julie  Street