300 Senegalese songs that nobody had ever heard before were discovered - five of them were selected for this compilation.
Thanks to its history of outside influences, Senegal - the western point of Africa - had become a musical melting pot. Cuban and American sailors had brought Son Montuno from Cuba, Jazz from New Orleans and American soul tunes: sounds that were swiftly embraced and adopted by urban dance bands and intuitively merged with local music styles.
One band in particular excelled at this fusion. 1960 marks the formation of Star Band de Dakar, a milestone that left an indelible imprint on Dakar’s musical landscape. Indeed, the whole country was soon grooving to their intoxicating mixture of Afro Cuban rhythms and Wolof-language lyrics.
The 1970s brought a new generation of stellar bands; Le Sahel, Orchestre Laye Thiam, Number One de Dakar, Orchestra Baobab, Dieuf Dieul de Thies and Xalam1 who fused traditional Senegalese percussion instruments such Sabra, Tama and Bougarabou with organs and keyboards, giving birth to new hybrids. Merging the folkloric and the experimental, these sounds, embraced by the youth, took centre stage and gave the previously dominant Cuban music a run for its money.
With this burst of musical and artistic creativity, driven predominantly by the modern vision of President Senghor, Dakar began attracting international stars. The Jackson Five, James Brown, Tabou Combo (Haiti), Celia Cruz (Cuba) and an array of African stars like Tabu Ley Rochereau (Congo), Manu Dibango (Cameroon) and Bembeya Jazz (Guinée) joined in with the local scene, improvising jam sessions and bringing new flavours to a music scene that was always open to new inspirations and influences. Johnny Pacheco immortalised his passion for the city with a song called Dakar, Punto Final.
Tracklisting
- Fangool - Mariama
- Orchestre G.M.I. - Africa
- Orchestre Bawobab - Thiely
- Le Sourouba de Louga - Bour Sine
- King N'gom - Viva Marvillas
- Orchestre Laye Thiam - Massani Cissé
- Amara Touré - El Carretero
- Le Tropical Jazz - Kiko Medina
- Orchestre Laye Thiam - Kokorico
- Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès - Ariyo
- Orchestre Bawobab - Ma Penda
- Orchestre Laye Thiam - Sanga Té