Orchestra baobab
Orchestra Baobab is a band from Senegal . It was founded in 1970.
The group was put together by the saxophonist Baro N'Diaye, founding members were the singers Balla Sidibe, Rudy Gomis and Laye Mboup; the guitarists Barthelemy Attisso and Latfi Ben Geloune; the bassist Charlie N'Diaye; the drummer Mountaga Koite; and saxophonist Issa Cissokho. Ndiouga Dieng and Medoune Diallo sometimes played in the group, the members changed regularly. Later the singer Thione Seck and his younger brother Mapenda Seck joined the band. The band is named after a club called Baobab in Dakar, where they performed together every evening in the early days. To this day, the Baobab Orchestra is very popular in large parts of Africa, but also in Europe.
The group plays a mix of Cuban rumba and harmonies and rhythms from the Casamance region in southern Senegal, with influences from the Wolof from northern Senegal including the guitar riffs of Barthélémy Attisso from Togo . Between 1970 and 1985 the band recorded 20 long-playing records. In 1987 it broke up.
The re-release of their recordings in Europe and the resulting new popularity led the band to reunite in 2001. Orchestra Baobab toured Europe and made a new recording with guest appearances by Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer and Senegalese Youssou N'Dour .
In 2002 Orchestra Baobab released the album Specialist in all styles , which was produced by Youssou N'Dour and was awarded gold in Germany in the German Jazz Award in 2003. In October 2007 the new album Made in Dakar was released .
Web links
- Orchestra Baobab at Allmusic (English)
- Orchestra Baobab at Discogs (English)
- Orchestra baobab. World Circuit
- Frank Bessem: Musiques d'Afrique: Orchester Baobab. ( Memento from June 16, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
- Lucy Duran: Orchestra Baobab. World Music Central
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gold / platinum database of the Federal Music Industry Association (accessed June 16, 2016)