Soul D'Ivoire

To help get you fired up for the weekend, here are a couple of selections from an excellent compilation album called "Ivory Coast Soul". As the name suggests, it is a collection of soulful tunes from Cote d'Ivoire, mostly from the 1970s. Great stuff it is too.

"Zadie Bobo" - Ernesto Djedje

"Adoue Pla Moussoue" - K. Assale

And here's something else for the weekend.

Opening The Vaults

This will be my last post for a couple of weeks. I am heading off to South Africa this afternoon for a major Goggins family event and a bit of a holiday. Obviously I hope to dig out some more Tsonga Disco while I am there.

To tide you over, we are opening the vaults (there was a sort of clue in the title, I suppose). The link below takes you through to all 100+ Tsonga tracks that we have posted here since the blog started a couple of years ago. So for all you fans of Peta Teanet, Paul Ndlovu, Penny Penny, Joe Shirimani, General Muzka and the rest of the gang - fill your boots!

Hours and hours of Tsonga Disco fun

And as if that wasn't generous enough, here is a small selection of assorted other groovy African sounds.

"Vimado Wingnan" - El Rego & Ses Commandos (Benin)

"Tiyi Hobvu" - Zexie Manatsa & The Green Arrows (Zimbabwe)

"N'Kanou" - Sonia Carre d'As (Burkina Faso)

"Emonsou" - Alice Dekessa (Cote d'Ivoire)

"Nadina" - M'bilia Bel with Tabu Ley & Afrisa International (D.R. Congo)

"Gumba Gumba" - Cannonball Adderley

I realise Cannonball Adderley himself is not an African, but the song is by the great South African composer, singer, jazzman and all round top dude, Caiphus Semenya. I will have to do a special on him when I get back but in the meantime, here he is in concert with his missus, Letta Mbulu.



And we finish off with the traditional "Ernie's off on his hols" clip. Have fun, see you in a couple of weeks.

French Fancies

I've come back from Paris loaded down with all sorts of goodies for you, including a job lot of Americana and blues promo CDs going for €1 each at Crocodisc, and some stuff from Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire plucked out of the €3 a pop bin at Camara Productions in Rue Marcadet.

But before we get to that, here is a little something I picked up when I was over there last month - a compilation of 1960s French pop and (mild) garage called "Gentlemen de Paris", with the self-explanatory sub-title "Groovy Sounds from the 60s".

Today's three selections feature Eric Charden, who is still going strong and still married to the woman he first met around the time of this recording when he was judging a Miss Beatnik beauty contest in which she was a contestant; a cover version of a Four Seasons' album track, "Comin' Up In The World" - there are certain stylistic clues in the performance; and a tribute to Donovan and the man known for a while as the American Donovan, one Bob Dylan.

"Pas Question" - Eric Charden (1966)

"Une Fille Mais Gu'est Ce Que C'est" - Les Anges (1968)

"Dis-nous Dylan" - 5 Gentlemen (1966)

The album also includes a French language rendition of "All Day And All Of The Night" that was produced by the cousin of the French Elvis, Johnny Hallyday. Here is the man himself (Johnny, not his cousin - that would be stupid), duetting with Emmylou Harris on a very nice version of "If I Were A Carpenter".

Mazhar and Moussa

A couple of slices of sunny, funky pop for you today. One from Turkey, one from Cote d'Ivoire, because that's how we do things round here.

"Bis Istersek" - Mazhar Fuat Özkan

"Black & White" - Moussa Doumbia

Which leads us inevitably to Greyhound. Those are some enormous microphones.

He Did It His Way

As we eagerly await what hopefully will be a resounding victory for Bafana Bafana over Uruguay tonight, let us first pay tribute to the Indomitable Lions of Cote d'Ivoire, who yesterday achieved a thrilling bore draw with Portugal.

Meiway is an eminent Ivorian musician, the creator and leading exponent of a musical style known as "zoblazo", which is described on the RFI Musique website as follows:

"A mix of different folklore from the southern Ivory Coast, Zoblazo has a dance rhythm with a percussion base. Meiway was influenced by his own ethnic group the N'Zema (also called Appolo), but also by numerous other styles from the Ivory Coast or neighbouring countries such as Ghana. This original musical synthesis is made up of modern sounds and is danced to with a white handkerchief as a sign of joy and purity."

Today's selections come from his fourth album, 1995's "Appolo 95 (400% Zoblazo)". We have the title track, which I assume is a tribute to his ethnic group, and "Astrid", a tribute to his daughter. All in all, an album chock a block with tributes.

"Appolo 95" - Meiway (1995)

"Astrid" - Meiway (1995)

I scoured YouTube for clips of people dancing with white handkerchieves, and you will be delighted to know I found one. Let the joy and purity begin!

Bako

As a suitably mellow treat for Sunday evening, here is the latest in the line of West African female singers I have been getting into over the last twelve months or so. Following the likes of Mariem Hassan from the Western Sahara and Nahawa Doumbia from Cote d'Ivoire, here is Mali's very own Bako Dagnon.

Bako has been a stalwart of the Malian music scene for many years, but did not come to the attention of an international audience until her album "Titati" was released in 2007. Here are a couple of tracks from that album.

"Donsoke" - Bako Dagnon (with Kerfala Kante)

"Telemba" - Bako Dagnon

And here she is live.

Call Me Ismaêl

Three men, one first name. Mr. Lô is from Senegal and Mr. Isaac is from Cote d'Ivoire; as is Mr. Wonder, despite the obvious Geordie influence in the song title.

"Raciste" - Ismaêl Lô

"Joe Bleck" - Ismaêl Isaac

"Hawayo" - Ismaêl Wonder

Here's another Mr. Wonder for you.

Generation Wow!

I am slowly working my way through a huge backlog of CDs I picked up on assorted travels over the last six months or so. I am regularly coming across things I had completely forgotten buying, which is nice because I get the pleasure of the purchase all over again.

One example is "Generation Gaou", a 2003 pop compilation from Cote d'Ivoire which I acquired in Paris last September. Magic System are probably the best known act on there, but there is a lot of good stuff and it is all pretty jolly. These three examples should help shake the snow from your boots.

"Zuitte Dans Ca" - Cheela

"Clokpa" - Didier Bile

"Sounkraya" - Pacific

For today's clip, here's a little something that came on in the pub last night. We'll dedicate this to Lesley, the finest landlady in this part of the world, on the occasion of her 21st birthday.

Ernie's African Odyssey Pt 38 - Niger

The bandwagon rolls on and we reach Niger, a country that has had its ups and downs since gaining its independence from France in 1960. In February 2021 it saw its first peaceful transition of power. Those hoping this would prove a defining moment were quickly disappointed when there was an attempted military coup a month later. That was thwarted but another one in July 2023 was not. The country is currently under its fifth period of military rule. 

There is happier news on the cultural front though, as the wider world has started to wake up to the rich musical scene in Niger. This is partly down to the recent success of Mdou Moctar - who featured in our side trip to Length Land earlier in the week - and to the pioneering efforts of labels such as Sahel Sounds.

If you like Mr Moctar and today's selection then I can recommend many other Nigerien artists you may want to check out - Atri N'Assouf, Etran Finatawa, Bombino, Tal National and Toumast to mention just some.

We are going to kick things off with the man who has been described as the godfather of modern Tuareg music in Niger and been cited by Mdou Moctar as his primary influence, Abdallah Oumbadougou. Hailing from the Tuareg capital of Agadez, he was one of the many musicians in Niger and Mali who went into exile because of their involvement in the fight for self-determination. 

Today's selection comes from his first studio album "Anou Malane", which was recorded in Benin in 1995 and reissued by Sahel Sounds in 2019. It is a great starting point from which to explore Tuareg guitar music. Sadly Mr Oumbadougou passed in 2020 but he has left a huge legacy.

From "Tenere" to Dag Tenere, who are old friends of the blog. Formed by ex Etran Finatawa guitarist Goumar Abdoul Jamil, they released their first record under the name Timasniwen in 2018. When we featured the album here they got in touch, and then did so again in 2021 to let me know that the were releasing a new album under the new name. This track comes from the second album "Iswat" but both albums are great and available at their Bandcamp site.

Another personal favourite of mine are Kel Assouf. Very much from the heavier end of the Tuareg guitar scene, some parts of their 2019 album "Black Tenere" could pass for Black Sabbath. I was lucky enough to see them live in Brussels in 2016 and they blew me and everyone else away. Their front man Anana Ag Haroun - that's him in my photo below -  is a very charismatic dude.

Aroudaini Ismaguil is yet another experienced Tuareg musician who has performed with many artists over the last thirty years or so including Koudade and Etran Finatawa (but hasn't everyone?). He finally released his first solo record in 2020. It is called "Amidinin" and you can find it on Bandcamp. Today's track is "Kayyu Teglegh" which is dedicated to the memory of Ghala Addaba, his best friend and first musical partner.  

We'll take a trip over to the distaff side now, which is where we find the mighty Les Filles de Illighadad, another band for whom we must give thanks to Sahel Sounds. Hailing from the remote village from which they take their name, Les Filles take the Tuareg guitar sound and apply it to their local traditional music known as 'tende'. The result is something rather wonderful.

You can find all their albums on their Bandcamp site. Today's selection comes from their 2021 live album "At Pioneer Works". Listen to them winning over Brooklyn's beard-stroking hard-bitten hipsters and you will be won over too.

And finally, some MAR. In the early 1990s Salim Jah Peter moved from Niger to Cote d'Ivoire where he sang with a group called Mystic Vibration which gave him an opportunity to hang out with MAR giants like Alpha Blondy and Tiken Jah Fakoly. 

A solo artist since 2003, he has not always been appreciated at home by the powers that be. 2008 single "La Paix Au Niger" (see below) and the subsequent album "Hold-Up De Pouvoir" led to him being banned from entering Niger until the fourth period of military rule ended a year later.

"Tenere" - Abdallah Oumbadougou

"Koud Edhaz Emin" - Dag Tenere

"Tikounen" - Kel Assouf

"Kayyu Teglegh" - Aroudaini

"Surbajo" - Les Filles de Illighadad

"La Paix Au Niger" - Salim Jah Peter

Apologies for the pretty ropy quality of most of these vintage videos, but I hope you'll agree that they are worth squinting for.

Ismael Vibration

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh, soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie? No, you're not going to fall for that again, are you. So best if I am straight with you - today we've got a bit of Ismael Isaac.

Being an educated and musically literate bunch most of you will know exactly who I am talking about, but for those few who don't Ismael is a reggae singer from Cote D'Ivoire. He is very much in the style of his fellow countryman Alpha Blondy, but that is no bad thing. Here are a couple of tracks from his 1997 album, "Treich Feeling" - named for Treichville, the district in Abidjan that he comes from.

"Tche Fari" - Ismael Isaac

"Joe Bleck" - Ismael Isaac

Speaking of Alpha Blondy, here is a clip of him achieving what I used to think was impossible - making Pink Floyd palatable. Even with bagpipes it is infinitely preferable to the original. Wish you were there?

Tiken All The Boxes

You are all very tolerant of my inane ramblings, and I would not want to push that tolerance to the limits. But in the unlikely event you can stomach any more, my blethering can now be found in a one-off feature over at Pop Goes The Radio, an excellent blog that whizzes between London and Galway with alarming speed.

Josh, who masterminds Pop Goes The Radio, has very kindly - if rather misleadingly - described 27 Leggies as "a wonderful education in, for want of a better description, World Music". When I read that this morning I immediately shelved the in-depth comparison of the songwriting skills of Gilbert O'Sullivan and Neil Sedaka that I had originally planned for today, and desperately looked around for something more in keeping with Josh's hyperbole.

Which is why you are getting some top-notch reggae from Cote d'Ivoire, courtesy of Tiken Jah Fakoly. Here are a couple of tracks each from his albums Coup De Gueule (2004) and African Revolution (2010).

"Kuma" - Tiken Jah Fakoly (2004)

"Ou Veux-Tu Que J'Aille" - Tiken Jah Fakoly (2004)

"Laisse-Moi M'Exprimer" - Tiken Jah Fakoly (2010)

"Je Ne Veux Pas Ton Pouvoir" - Tiken Jah Fakoly (2010)

Mr Fakoly is apparently banned from Senegal after criticising the President while performing there in 2007. Of course, he is by no means the only reggae singer to have spoken out against injustice. Here is another example.



By the way, for those of you who are interested, I favour Gilbert lyrically but Neil for his mastery of melody. Controversial views, I know, but - like Pluto Shervington and Tiken Jah Fakoly - sometimes you just have to speak out.

Port Harcourt Happenings

I was in Paris last week and took my usual stroll up to the district around Chateau Rouge metro to visit the African record shops, Most of the stock is understandably from Francophone Africa - and I have goodies from places like Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire to share with you - but one shop had the "Nigeria Gold" series prominently on display.

And quite right too, if Volume 7 is anything to go by. It is the most recent volume - I could claim that this was further evidence of my zeitgeist-surfing tendencies but as these compilations are the Nigerian equivalent of the "Now!" albums that might be pushing it. The album is jam-packed with things that my good friend DJ Frizzie could turn to when needing a guaranteed floor-filler. "Jacuzzi" has barely left my own turntable since I bought the album.

"Jacuzzi" - Wizboyy featuring Ice Prince

"Nek-Unek" - Davido featuring MC Galaxy

Ernie's African Odyssey Pt 28 - Liberia

We've over halfway, folks - 28 countries into our 55 country tour. At some point between Lesotho and Liberia we crossed a metaphorical Equator as well as the literal one. 

To mark the occasion I'm messing with the format a little. All the videos are from the same band, and that is the band that is probably Liberia's most successful musical export.

Soulful Dynamics relocated from Monrovia to Hamburg in 1969, and the very next year they topped the charts in many European countries with "Mademoiselle Ninette". You could not possibly tell from their hits that the band were from Africa - mostly they sound like a schlager version of The Equals - but they have some fantastically cheesy clips on YouTube.

Our audio selection starts with the woman rightly known as "the Golden Voice of Liberia", Princess Fatu Gayflor. Ms Gayflor (she's not a real Princess) has been recording since the mid 1980s. This track is on her 2014 album "The Princess Diaries", and my guess is that is is a tribute to Liberia's national arts ensemble, the Kendeja National Cultural Troupe, where she started her career.

Like many other Liberians she fled the country during the civil war that dragged on for nearly fifteen years (1989-2003). Having spent some time in refugee camps in Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, she eventually ended up in Philadelphia where she is still based.

In 2013 the Princess was joined in Philadelphia by Marie Nyenabo, another fine female singer who had released three albums in Liberia before deciding to emigrate. Together they were founder members of the Liberian Women's Chorus for Change, who use traditional songs and dances to call attention to issues impacting the Liberian community in the US.

"Joya" can be found on the 2011 compilation album "Lone Stars Vol 1: Hipco & Gbema" (hipco being Liberian hip hop and gbema modernised traditional music). Also to be found on the album is the track from Junior Freeman which was apparently impossible to avoid in Liberia that year, even being adopted by the victorious Presidential candidate as her campaign song for national elections. 

2011 was evidently a good year for Liberian music because that was when the exotically named Kojato & The Afro Latin Cougaritas released their excellent "All That Jazz" album. Main man Kojo Samuels hails from Monrovia but the band were based in Germany. Who knows, maybe they included some descendants of the Soulful Dynamics. 

The influence of Fela Kuti is pretty obvious on "All That Jazz", which is perhaps not surprising when you learn that Mr Samuels played with the Great Man for a while after his previous group Kapingbdi broke up in 1985. A few years back Sonorama Records compiled some of Kapingbdi's previously unreleased recordings from 1979 to 1981 on an album titled "Born In The Night". Very good they are too.

We end as always with some Mandatory African Reggae (there is a limit to how much messing with the format I'm willing to do). A very warm welcome please to Nasseman, former winner of Best Reggae/Dancehall Artist of the Year at the prestigious Liberia Music Awards - where Kojo Samuels was deservedly given a Lifetime Achievement Award last year.

"Kendeja" - Princess Fatu Gayflor

"Joya" - Marie Nyenabo

"Dumyarea" - Junior Freeman & African Soldier

"Funky Man" - Kojato & The Afro Latin Cougaritas 

"Deadea" - Kapingbdi

"Justice" - Nasseman

It's Spooky O'Clock!

I was on the Eurostar coming back from Paris earlier this evening, laden down with newly acquired CDs from Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Benin, which you will no doubt be subjected to soon enough. It was about 8.50pm local time and this came up on the iPod shuffle (no it did, it really did). Spooky!

"Nine O'Clock In France" - Elk City

Here are some more "o'clock" songs, in numerical order.

"It's Five O'Clock" - Aphrodite's Child

"Six O'Clock News (Daytrotter Session)" - Lambchop

"Ten O'Clock" - Question Mark & The Mysterians

"12 O'Clock Whistle" - James McMurtry

"Thirteen O'Clock Flight to Psychedelphia" - Plato & The Philosophers

Shortly after that we went into the tunnel. Emerging on the other side I had to follow the example of Mr Tyrone Davis.

Handy Andy

To celebrate the unexpected sunshine here in London today, here is some sunshine music from Andy Aby. He's from Cote D'Ivoire. These tracks are from an album called "Mami-Wata". That's about all I can tell you.

"Mamie" - Andy Aby

"Cherie-Bami" - Andy Aby

Here are a few extra Andys (or possibly Andies - I am not sure what the correct plural form of Andy is).

"Pop A Top" - Andy Capp

"All Those Lives" - Andy Goldner

"The One-Armed Boatman And The Giant Squid" - Andy Roberts

That Was The Year That Was

It is time to do the top album/gig of the year stuff. Let's all get it over and done with.

My top album without a doubt is Sarabeth Tucek's "Get Well Soon". Inspired (if that is the right word) by the death of her father, it is magnificent from start to finish.

Convention demands that I select a top ten. That is a lot more difficult, as whatever I say today I will have changed my mind about by tomorrow. But here are four more albums that are sure to be somewhere in the top ten:

"Borrow A Horse" - Old Calf
"I Love You, Go Easy" - Devon Sproule
"Long Player, Late Bloomer" - Ron Sexsmith
"Album Vakansi" - White Shoes & The Couples Company

And the rest of the top ten will probably be made up of five of these:

"The Constant Pageant" - Trembling Bells
"Poor Moon" - Hiss Golden Messenger
"Get Out Of Sin City" - Boca Chica
"Nothing Is Wrong" - Dawes
"Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes
"Blessed" - Lucinda Williams
"I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" - Steve Earle
"The Head And The Heart" - The Head And The Heart
"Last Of The Country Gentlemen" - Josh T. Pearson
"Wona Baba Maraire" - Baba Maraire

Choosing the top gig is just impossible. It has been a bit of a bumper year. In the Festival Hall alone I saw Roy Harper (his 70th birthday bash), Pentangle (Bert Jansch's last gig), Rickie Lee Jones recreating her first two albums and The Sonics, all of whom were excellent. Around the corner in the Purcell Rooms Dobet Gnahore put on a blinding show.

At the smaller end of the scale, at least in terms of venue size, the Scritti Politti birthday bash and the This Is The Kit/ Sarabeth Tucek double bill, both in Dalston, were fantastic nights. And you can never see Mike Heron too often.

Here is a selection of tracks from some of the artists mentioned in those lists.

"The Fireman" - Sarabeth Tucek

"There Are Men In The Village Of Erith" - Old Calf

 "Selangkah Keseberang" - White Shoes & The Couples Company (Featuring Fariz RM)

"Now's The Time" - Devon Sproule

"Luchea" - Baba Maraire

"Cote D'Ivoire" - Dobet Gnahore

"Sometimes The Sea" - This Is The Kit

"Don't Believe In Christmas" - The Sonics

And here are a few more, kicking off with the late, great Bert Jansch and Pentangle.

Taxi Time

Any of you who have spent any length of time in a big city in Africa will know that the group of people who do more than anyone else to keep the place running are the drivers of the minibuses and collective taxis, without whom large chunks of the population would never get to work.

Here are some tributes to those undervalued African heroes. I was going to call them unsung heroes but as they are getting sung about that would not strictly be accurate. The songs come from Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, and the last two from South Africa.

"Taxi Driver (I Don't Care)" - Bobby Benson & His Combo

 

"Jo Le Taxi" - Les Garagistes

 

"Take Me Home Taximan" - The Soul Brothers

 

"Taximan" - eVoid

 

 I was at school in Boksburg with Erik Windrich, the lead singer with eVoid, many centuries ago. We were in the school production of HMS Pinafore together. Gilbert & Sullivan don't appear to have been a major influence on his subsequent musical direction. Understandable I suppose, but also a bit of a shame in a way.

 

Glorious Gnahore

The South Bank in London hosted a festival of African music last week, and on Sunday night we went along to see Dobet Gnahore perform in the smallest venue, the Purcell Rooms. It was a fantastic show and I am sure she will be playing somewhere bigger next time she is in London. She certainly deserves to, and if you get the chance to see her - go.

Born in Cote d'Ivoire but based in France since 1999, Dobet's music has a traditional African base with a few jazzy flourishes - fortunately just enough to make it interesting without tipping over into noodling. Visually very striking, her dancing is almost as entertaining as her singing. She was backed by a fine three piece band. I was particularly taken with Willy, the smiling drummer from Cameroon.

We were lucky enough to be in the front row so had an excellent view of proceedings. I took some photos, some of which came out reasonably well. If you are interested you can find them all over at Flickr.

There are hazards of being that close to the stage, however. During the encore I had a brief moment of panic when she appeared to be instructing us to join her on stage. Fortunately just as we were about to get up, four people next to us leapt up and launched into a clearly rehearsed and extremely energetic dance routine. I am not sure Mister F and I would have enhanced the experience with our random dad-dancing.

Enough rambling. Here are a couple of her songs. Hopefully after listening to them you will go off and buy some more.

"Palea" - Dobet Gnahore [from "Na Afriki", 2007]

"Evigne" - Dobet Gnahore (featuring Soum Bill) [from "Djekpa La You", 2010]

And here she is live in Dakar in 2008.

Holding Up Half The Sky

A few years ago Shanachie Records released a series of compilation albums each called "Holding Up Half The Sky", which featured female vocalists from different continents, cultures and styles - Asian, Latin, reggae and so on. The only album I have heard is the one featuring African singers, but if the others are half as good they will be well worth a listen. Here are four fine selections from the African album.

"Kanawa" - Aicha Kone (Cote d'Ivoire)

"Hapo Zamani" - Dorothy Masuka (South Africa)

"Yelew Wekesa" - Netsamet Mellessee (Ethiopia)

"Ya Habibi" - Malouma Mint Miadeh (Mauritania)

There are two volumes of Celtic women in the "Holding Up Half The Sky" series. Inexplicably neither of them feature this woman. She's from Skewin, you know.

El Rego Like He Used To Be

You lot are in for a treat. While in Paris at the weekend I strolled from Marcadet Poissoniers Metro to Boulevard Saint Martin, visiting about ten shops selling CDs from Francophone Africa along the way. I have come back with a bumper bag of goodies.

I try to stock up on Congolese music when I go to Brussels, so this trip I mainly concentrated on West Africa. I have picked up stuff from Senegal, Guinea, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia and Guinea Bissau, along with a few random selections. Artists include some old friends like Nahawa Doumbia and Fode Baro, but most of the names are new to me.

It is going to take me a while to sort through everything but I am sure we have some lovely surprises in store. To tide you over, here is something else from the same neck of the woods - a couple of tracks from an excellent compilation called "Legends of Benin", released last year on Analog Africa.

"Vimado Wingnan" - El Rego et Ses Commandos

"Feeling You Got" - El Rego et Ses Commandos

In the absence of any El Rego clips on YouTube, let's go for something about as different as it is possible to get - a German Schlager version of Sir Douglas Quintet's "Mendocino" performed by a man in a dreadful checked jacket: