Give Our Ears A Rest

The title is a line from the Amadou & Mariam song Wily Kataso featuring in today's selection. Usually meant as a request to shut up (as in the context of the song), I'm instead claiming it as a celebratory balm for the next 75 minutes.

 

Sixteen songs designed to relax, uplift and take you beyond the day-to-day noise before bringing you gently back down to earth. Half a dozen are lifted from the ever-dependable Sahel Sounds label, others from Real World, Nation Records and Honest Jon's Records.

Some artists - Etran De L'Aïr, Mdou Moctar, Songhoy Blues, Transglobal Underground - are regulars here. Others - Ali Farka Touré, Oumou Sangaré, Amadou & Mariam - are surprisingly (to me, at least) making their first appearance on this blog. 

 

This selection is dedicated to beautiful soul and inspiration Sheila Chandra, who provides the closing song.

1) Paisano: Nkumba System ft. Mamani Keita (2020)

2) Adounia: Etran De L'Aïr (2022)

3) Niger: Mali Music (Damon Albarn, Afel Bocoum, Toumani Diabaté & Friends) (2002)

4) Eliss Wan Anas Douban: Les Filles De Illighadad (2016)

5) Gomni (Live) (Cover of Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder): Songhoy Blues (2013)

6) Anar: Mdou Moctar (2013)

7) Wily Kataso (Radio Edit): Amadou & Mariam ft. Tunde Adebimpe & Kyp Malone (2012)

8) My Heart, My Life (Album Version): Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook (1996)

9) Tromba Marina: Transglobal Underground (1994)

10) No Waiting: Les Frères Smith ft. Seun Kuti (2020)

11) Sukunyali: Oumou Sangaré (2009)

12) Jarabi: Wau Wau Collectif (2022)

13) Moribiyassa: Kaba Blon (2011)

14) Penda Yoro: Ali Farka Touré (2006)

15) Kayraba: Amadou Binta Konté & Tidiane Thiam (2014)

16) Om Namaha Shiva: Sheila Chandra (1992)

1992: Weaving My Ancestors' Voices: 16

1994: International Times: 9

1996: Night Song: 8

2002: Mali Music: 3

2006: Savane: 14

2009: Seya: 11 

2011: Music From Saharan Cellphones: 13

2012: Wily Kataso EP: 7

2013: Music From Saharan Cellphones: Volume 2: 6

2013: Songhoy Blues Live (bootleg): 5 

2014: Anar: 6

2016: Les Filles De Illighadad: 4

2017: Waande Kadde: 15

2020: Bailalo Duro: 1

2020: Mutation: 10

2022: Agadez: 2

2022: Mariage: 12

Give Our Ears A Rest (1:14:41) (KF) (Mega)

Sahel Sounds Sunday

On 27th November 2022, I proclaimed "Yes, it's Sahel Sounds Sunday. No, it's not the start of a series."

Unless you're going to hold me to a 148 day gap between posts then I think this is still true, though yes, it is Sunday and yes, it's a long overdue return to a Sahel Sounds selection.

 

Ten songs and just under three quarters of an hour of music culled from the increasing number of compilations and albums that I've been picking up most Bandcamp Fridays. 

 

As ever, an eclectic selection of sounds. According to Iffypedia, "Takamba is a music and dance native to the Songhai and Tuareg peoples of Niger and Mali. It is both a musical composition and a dance [...] The Takamba dance includes graceful and rhythmic movements performed both seated and standing where the shoulders and arms sway with the flow of the music." What more could you want?

 

Well, how about an individual take on Hey Joe, first recorded by The Leaves in 1965 then covered and completely owned by The Jimi Hendrix Experience when released as their debut the following year? You get the impression that Azna De L'Ader's frontperson Mona doesn't know the words but frankly who cares? This is an archival undated live performance from the band, who had been around for over four decades before their first recordings were released in 2016.

2015's compilation Uchronia: Field Recordings From Alternate Realities is another winner. Sadly, none of the musical performances are credited to the artists as there are some intriguing pieces, a couple of which I've featured here. Takamba With Modular Synth, immediately follows on from Mdou Moctar's more 'rock'-based interpretation and then flows into Torodi by Hama, whose opening moments could almost be Brian Auger. 

Whatever you're doing today can only be enhanced by time in the company of these artists and their music.

 

1) Aicha: Bayta Ag Bay (2011)

2) Hey Joe (Cover of The Leaves): Azna De L'Ader (2017)

3) Zinezju Meghdem: Abba Gargando (2010)

4) Agrim Agadez: Etran De L'Aïr (2017)

5) Takamba: Mdou Moctar (2019)

6) Takamba With Modular Synth: unknown artist (2015)

7) Torodi: Hama (2019)

8) Balani Compositions, Rhythm Box: unknown artist (2015)

9) Tinariwen: Group Anmataff (2011)

10) Toumast: Ahmoudou Madassane (2021)

 

2010: Ishilan n-Tenere: 3

2011: Music From Saharan Cellphones: 1, 9

2015: Uchronia: Field Recordings From Alternate Realities: 6, 8

2017: Agrim Agadez: 2, 4

2019: Ilana: The Creator: 5

2019: Sahel Sounds Label Sampler: 7

2021: Sahel Sounds Label Sampler 3: 10

 

Sahel Sounds Sunday (44:32) (Box) (Mega)

Africa Needs Africa

Today's Sahel Sounds selection would not exist but for three things:

 

1) the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown in 2020;

2) the introduction of Bandcamp Friday; and

3) the rather wonderful 27 Leggies music blog.

Actually, there's a fourth: Sahel Sounds itself would not exist had Christopher Kirkley not been inspired to start a blog in 2009, then a record label before evolving and expanding further to encompass an artist collective, film production house and arts organisation.

 

But, for me, it all kicked off in 2020 with being at home, trying to work (a story in itself) and not annoy Clan K (another story in itself), whilst attempting to preserve my sanity. The blogosphere was incredibly important to the latter. I began to expand my reading and start to engage a bit more with comments and contributions before going full on with this blog by the end of the year.

Along the way, I was - and continue to be - introduced to music from all over the world that I would never have discovered otherwise. Case in point, the Sahel Sounds label, based in Portland, Oregon and promoting music and artists from (deep breath for Wikipedia quote) "northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African Republic, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia".

 

Of course Ernie, the creator of 27 Leggies, was onto Sahel Sounds several years before, but this Johnny Come Lately picked up on it in the early weeks of the UK lockdown in March 2020 when Ernie highlighted the Bandcamp Friday promotion. 

Since then, I've been getting one of the Sahel Sounds 'name your price' compilations pretty much every other Bandcamp Friday. After taking a break earlier year, the promotion started again last Friday (2nd Sep) and I bought Music From Saharan WhatsApp, released in June. I've a few more to get - Field Recordings From The Sahel and Gao Rap: Hip Hop From Northern Mali, to name two - but with nearly a hundred songs amassed so far, I figured a Dubhed selection was (over)due. 

 

Before I started following Ernie's recommendations on 27 Leggies and then buying the compilations, I'd only heard of one artist on the Sahel Sounds roster, Mdou Moctar. I'm very glad that I've had the opportunity to delve more into his catalogue and also open my mind and ears to the diverse and exciting sounds coming from the Sahel. 

 

Bandcamp Friday will continue for at least the rest of 2022 and I'll be moving onto buying individual artist albums. My bank balance will hate me, my musical brain will love me. Love always wins.

 

Today's title is the name of a 2017 song by King Ayisoba featuring Wanlov The Kubolor & Big Gad. It's not featured on the Sahel Sounds compilations I own, but I've included the video for your viewing and listening pleasure.

 

This one's for Ernie, with heartfelt thanks for the continuing education and entertainment at 27 Leggies.

 

1) Bahouche: Amaria Hamadalher

2) N'Dianguene Demngal Men: Tidiane Thiam

3) Elyn: Jeich Ould Badu

4) Inigradan: Les Filles De Illighadad

5) Waihidjo: Pheno S.

6) Akokass: Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou

7) Girma Girma: Fati Niger

8) Inizgam: Mdou Moctar

9) Taliat: Intriya Ag Babo

10) Iban Mano D'Ikhya: Etran De L'Aïr

11) Africa: King Ayisoba

12) Abandé: Yeli Fuzzo

2010: Ishilan n-Tenere: 9 

2011: Music From Saharan Cellphones: 12

2013: Music From Saharan Cellphones: Volume II: 5 

2016: This is Kologo Power!: 11

2017: Agrim Agadez: 1, 10

2019: Sahel Sounds Label Sampler: 4, 8

2020: Sahel Sounds Label Sampler II: 7

2021: Sahel Sounds Label Sampler III: 2, 6

2022: Music From Saharan WhatsApp: 3

 

Africa Needs Africa (46:08) (Box) (Mega)