Orchestra Baobab - Specialist In All Styles
2002

Brought to you by TQMP
The Quality Music Project

Critics' Choice Awards, Best African Artist.
BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2003. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2003/profile_baobab.shtml

All About Jazz review
Hot on the heels of the recently reissued 1982 classic Pirate's Choice, the Orchestra Baobab recently re-formed to deliver an update to its signature Afro-Cuban sound. Unlike music of the same name which comes from the diaspora traditions of Cuba, Baobab goes at it the other way around. Whereas traditional Afro-Cuban music reflects the West African roots of the Cuban people, this version arose from a direct reflection across the Atlantic. During the '50s, Caribbean music hit hard in countries like Senegal and Ghana. Claves, timbales, and maracas became standard fare during the birth of Highlife music. Musical forms changed; new harmonies and vocals reflected this cross-cultural pollination. 

In the '80s, Orchestra Baobab was the most popular band in Senegal. Its music was fundamentally affable. 

Those Senegalese roots refuse to die, and that's what gives this music its characteristic color. West African guitar styles, born from highlife, criss-cross and intersect in a decidedly rhythmic fashion. The vocals, which quite frequently veer into Buena Vista Social Club territory, still retain a folk element. Senegalese singing has a certain level of intensity, a certain minimalist searing energy, which can never be sublimated. You can't listen to "Ndongoy Daara" without feeling you've come close to vocalist Assane Mboup's heart. No way. 

That said, Specialist In All Styles has an unswerving sense of raw celebration. Each tune, whether salsa or son or another flavor, begs the listener to get up on his feet and dance. Even the protest tune "Ndongoy Daara" has a fresh, lilting feel. Ten minutes later, the massive "El Son Te Llama" brings guajira into a direct collision with mbalax, and in the process comes right down to roots. Pure groove. With "Gnawoe," you find yourself somewhere between the island and Veracruz, easy guitar solos connecting the dots. But don't look here for extended improvisation; the spirit of thie music is pure dance. 

For a band that's been dormant so long, this awakening is a welcome event. Great music often comes from a collision of styles, and more than four decades after Cuban music hit Senegal, the mixture remains at a boil. 
-- Nils Jacobson 
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=11292


Musicians
Balla Sidibe - vocals, timbales
Rudy Gomis - vocals, maracas, clave
Ndiouga Dieng, Assane Mboup, Medoune Diallo - vocals
Bartholemy Attisso - vocals, solo & rhythm guitars
Issa Cissokho - tenor saxophone
Thierno Koite - soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones
Latfi Ben Geloune - rhythm guitar
Charlie Ndiaye - bass guitar
Mountaga Koite - drums & congas

Guests
Buena Vista Social Club's Ibrahim Ferrer - vocals
Youssou N'Dour - vocals
Thio M'Baye - sabar drums


Tracks
01- Bul Ma Miin
02- Sutu Kun
03- Dee Moo Weer
04- Jiin Ma Jiin Ma
05- Ndongoy Daara
06- On Verra Ca
07- Hommage a Tonton Ferrer
08- El Son Te Llama
09- Gnawoe

Artwork included.

Format: FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) 
http://flac.sourceforge.net/index.html 

Enjoy and seed!

Pastafari 
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