I’m especially interested in things like Shosholoza. Are there particular African songs, singers, or albums that you especially like?
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is one of the best-known African groups internationally, and deservedly so. I’m especially fond of Nansi Imali (if you use the iTunes Music Store, look it up)
Incidentally, the song you linked to is one with a boatload of European/North American influence. While that’s true to some extent of most “African” music (the traditional stuff is pretty unpalatable to Western ears), it’s not all that enormously far from gospel music.
ETA: the drum is… actually, kind of Westernized African. But the song’s still loading, so I haven’t heard all that much of it yet.
Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi has an amazing voice; he is from Zimbabwe. He has several albums; I have Paivepo and another one I can’t recall. You can hear samples on Amazon. Sometimes he comes up under Mtukudzi and sometimes under Tuku.
Thanks. I checked out some YouTubes and they look very good. Just for the record, though, Shosholoza is supposed to be a traditional Zulu song, at least according to Wiki. But I think Mambazo does it as well. Maybe that version is better. I first heard it actually in the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy, when the village sang a welcome song to the teacher (although it is really more of a good-bye song.)
I imagine the version on Google Video has been modernized (which isn’t uncommon.) The basic tune adheres a bit to strictly to a beat and the melodies, though we think of them as “African”, really aren’t. But the call-and-response format and lots of repetition are hallmarks of traditional African music, and those are still present. (Incidentally, iTunes has a version of Shosholoza by the Soweto Gospel Choir, but it has female voices too.)
My favorites are:
From the 80’s, King Sunny Ade’:
I like his song Ja Funmi, among others.
More recently, Henri Dikongue:
My favorite song of his is entitled “Africa.”
And Baba Maal:
Also, Richard Bona is one of the most gifted African musicians I’ve ever heard:
Ali Farka Toure - “Amandrai”
I’m a fan of Manu Dibango - a clarinet/sax player from Cameroon. I was gutted to find he was playing in London the evening of the day my holiday finished back in Spring…
Anyway, this is a neat set of youtube clips. His music might be a bit too jazzy for what you’re after, though…
Yeah, I’m really more interested in the primitive call-and-response chorals. But I’m willing to have a look at all of it. And I have no problem with there being female voices. In fact, the original Shosholoza I heard had female callers and male responders. It was very beautiful.
I am a fan of Ismael Lo, a Senegalese singer. You may have heard his duet with Marianne Faithful “Without Blame” it’s on his disc Jammu Africa.
Tinariwen’s latest album, Aman Iman, is stunningly good traditional Malian music played with electric guitars.
I’m on slow dialup so I can’t view the link. Anyway, some ones I’m listening to these days:
Tama - Nostalgie
Wasis Diop - No Sant
Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Toure (Ali’s son)
Shiyani Ngcobo - Introducing Shiyani Ngcobo (really cool guitar stuff)
Salif Keita - Soro
Mory Kante - Tatebolo
Khaled - Khaled
Angelique Kidjo - Various albums
A more rootsy female vocal collection is The Wassoulou Sound: Women of Mali
If you want a collection of sometimes astonishing guitar music check out The Moon And The Banana Tree. It’s compilation from Madagascar.
I would recommend Vieux Farka Toure and Boubakar Traore, may not be what you are looking for.
Calabash music is a good site for exploring these artists. You can listen to a 1 minute sample of any song.
Habib Koite
Amadou & Mariam
Youssou N’dour
I’ll chime in as well for Ali Farka Toure. His “Talking Timbuktu” album with Ry Cooder won a Grammy. Also: Niafunke. It was a sad day when he died.
Salif Keita: The Mansa of Mali; Moffou
I also like Habib Koite and Bamada: Muso Ko; Ma Ya
Toumani Diabate: Djelika
There’s also the old standby of Miriam Makeba.
Well, if this thread has begun to mention artists like Manu Dibango, I figure it’s not limited to artists that sound like Shosholoza. In that case, there is a universe of African music that is mindblowing, has been reissued, and is awaiting your attention:
Blo/Chapter One: One of the finest rock-inflected African bands to emerge in the early '70s. Their first two albums are essential.
**
Mulatu Astatke**: Mulatu of Ethiopia is a collector’s favorite, but anything by this Ethiopian jazz guru is worth getting. His music got a lot more exposure after it was used in the soundtrack to Broken Flowers.
**
Francis Bebey: A master of the thumb piano. Hypnotic stuff.
Ofege/Try and Love: Afrobeat blended with rock and soul, and
Of course it’s obvious, but not mentioning Fela Anikulapo Kuti in this thread would be an utter crime. Overall, was there an African musician who had a greater impact on worldwide popular music in the '60s and '70s? Fela was one of the top echelon of true musical greats, and really that’s all there is to it.
**Mack Sigis Porter **moved to Italy and cut an album called Peace On You that is one of the heaviest, most lysergic slices of Hendrix-meets-Sabbath-inspired psychedelic prog rock ever. This album used to be a $1,000 proposition, until it was recently (and thankfully) reissued. Really, I just had to make sure it was mentioned at least once on the SDMB.
A few others that deserve mention:
**Freedom’s Children **(South African psychsters)
Monomono
Asiko
Geraldo Pino
There’s a fantastic CD published by the National Geographic Society, Voices of South Africa. Not only the music is great and varied, but it takes you a little into the musical history of South Africa.
Rachid Taha is fairly awesome.
My favourite female voices making African sounds are Zap Mama.