Africando
Encyclopedia
Africando is a musical project formed in 1990 to unite New York
-based salsa
musicians with Senegal
ese vocalists. Musicians from other African countries were later included under the name Africando All Stars.
Salsa has been a hugely popular style in Central
and West Africa
since the 1940s-1950s, and the goal of Africando was to merge salsa rhythms from both sides of the Atlantic, mainly based on the African salsa tradition.
Africando was initiated by producer Ibrahim Sylla
from Côte d'Ivoire
and Mali
an arranger Boncana Maiga of Fania All Stars. Some of the musicians initially involved were: Ronnie Baro (of Orquesta Broadway) Pape Seck (ex member of Star Band
), Nicholas Menheim (associate of Youssou N'Dour
), and Medoune Diallo (formerly with Orchestre Baobab
).
The first two albums were a big success both in Africa and in the rest of the world. Singer Pape Seck died in 1995, and was replaced by Gnonnas Pedro
from Benin (who died August 2005) and Ronnie Baró of Orquestra Broadway.
For the album Mandali, well known African musicians, such as Tabu Ley Rochereau
, Koffi Olomide
, Salif Keita
, Sekouba Bambino
, Amadou Balaké and Thione Seck
were invited. This new constallation led to the new name Africando All Stars. Whilst in the beginning, the songs were Latin American classics sung in wolof language
or a mix of wolof and Spanish
, newer songs were African popular music
classics, redone with Latin rhythms and instrumentation. With both approaches, Africando has been equally successful.
For the album Martina (2003) the group name reverted to the name Africando. The singers on this tribute to mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends include Ismaël Lô
from Senegal, and Nyboma
and King Kester Emeneya
performing Papa Wemba
's song "La Référence".
Gnonnas Pedro's last recording is the title track of Ketukuba (2006) – he died before the CD was released. The same fate befell Alfredo Rodriguez
who arranged 3 tracks on the album. With the emphasis on the links between Cuba and Africa, Ketukuba includes a Latinized version of Franco
's "Mario", sung by Madilu System
, and Joe King
singing "Nina Nina", previously made famous by the Fania All Stars.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
musicians with Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese vocalists. Musicians from other African countries were later included under the name Africando All Stars.
Salsa has been a hugely popular style in Central
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
since the 1940s-1950s, and the goal of Africando was to merge salsa rhythms from both sides of the Atlantic, mainly based on the African salsa tradition.
Africando was initiated by producer Ibrahim Sylla
Ibrahim Sylla
Ibrahim Sylla is the grand Maestro of modern African Music. He is an internationally acclaimed musician whose production and music direction has defined popular African music. From West African dance, to Congolese Soukous , to melodic griot-led songs, Sylla's signature as a music producer is...
from Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an arranger Boncana Maiga of Fania All Stars. Some of the musicians initially involved were: Ronnie Baro (of Orquesta Broadway) Pape Seck (ex member of Star Band
Star Band
Star Band is a music group from Senegal that were the resident band of Dakar's Miami Club.Formed to celebrate Senegal's independence in 1960 the band has been host to some influential musicians, Youssou N'Dour being the most notable, and gave birth to Etoile de Dakar...
), Nicholas Menheim (associate of Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
), and Medoune Diallo (formerly with Orchestre Baobab
Orchestre Baobab
Orchestra Baobab is a Senegalese Afro-Cuban, Son, Wolof and Pachanga band. Organized in 1970, as a multi-ethnic, multi-national club band, Orchestre Baobab adapted the then current craze for Cuban Music in West Africa to Wolof Griot culture and the Mandinga musical traditions of the Casamance...
).
The first two albums were a big success both in Africa and in the rest of the world. Singer Pape Seck died in 1995, and was replaced by Gnonnas Pedro
Gnonnas Pedro
Gnonnan Sossou Pierre Kouassivi, known by the stage name Gnonnas Pedro was a singer and musician from Benin. He is perhaps best known as the lead singer of Africando between 1995 and his death in 2004, but had been well known in his home country of Benin since the 1960s.Pedro produced the song Feso...
from Benin (who died August 2005) and Ronnie Baró of Orquestra Broadway.
For the album Mandali, well known African musicians, such as Tabu Ley Rochereau
Tabu Ley Rochereau
Tabu Ley Rochereau is a musician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is the leader of Orchestre Afrisa International and one of Africa's most influential vocalists and prolific songwriters...
, Koffi Olomide
Koffi Olomide
Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, also known as Koffi Olomide , is a DR Congolese soukous singer, dancer, producer, and composer. He is also known by a multitude of other names and aliases.-Background:...
, Salif Keita
Salif Keita
Salif Keïta is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita...
, Sekouba Bambino
Sekouba Bambino
Sekouba "Bambino" Diabaté is the stage name of Sekouba Diabaté, a singer and musician born in Guinea, West Africa in 1964.Bambino was born and raised in the village of Kintinya, some 25 kilometers from the town of Siguiri, close to the border with Mali...
, Amadou Balaké and Thione Seck
Thione Seck
Thione Ballago Seck is one of Senegal's greatest singers and musicians in the mbalax genre, on par with Baaba Maal and Youssou N'dour although he hasn't achieved the same level of fame outside his country. Seck comes from a family of "griot" singers from the Wolof people of Senegal...
were invited. This new constallation led to the new name Africando All Stars. Whilst in the beginning, the songs were Latin American classics sung in wolof language
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
or a mix of wolof and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, newer songs were African popular music
African popular music
African popular music, like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of popular music like blues, jazz, salsa zouk, and rumba derive to varying degrees on musical traditions...
classics, redone with Latin rhythms and instrumentation. With both approaches, Africando has been equally successful.
For the album Martina (2003) the group name reverted to the name Africando. The singers on this tribute to mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends include Ismaël Lô
Ismaël Lô
Ismaël Lô is a Senegalese musician. He was born in Dogondoutchi, Niger on 30 August 1956, to a Senegalese father and a Nigerien mother. Shortly after Lo's birth the family returned to Senegal where they settled in the town of Rufisque, near the capital Dakar. He also plays the guitar and the...
from Senegal, and Nyboma
Nyboma
Nyboma is one of the most celebrated Soukous musicians in the world. Nyboma Mwan'dido was born in Zaire ....
and King Kester Emeneya
King Kester Emeneya
Emeneya Mubiala Jean , also known as King Kester Emeneya, is a Congolese musician.He was born in Kikwit within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While a student of political science at the University of Lubumbashi in 1977, King Kester joined the band Viva La Musica...
performing Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba
Papa Wemba was born Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba in 1949 in Lubefu . He is a Congolese rumba musician, one of Africa's most popular musicians, and prominent in World music.-Zaiko Langa Langa:...
's song "La Référence".
Gnonnas Pedro's last recording is the title track of Ketukuba (2006) – he died before the CD was released. The same fate befell Alfredo Rodriguez
Alfredo Rodriguez
Alfredo Rodríguez was a Cuban Jazz piano player.He moved to Manhattan in 1960, and later to Paris in 1985...
who arranged 3 tracks on the album. With the emphasis on the links between Cuba and Africa, Ketukuba includes a Latinized version of Franco
Francois Luambo Makiadi
François Luambo Luanzo Makiadi was a major figure in twentieth century Congolese music, and African music in general. He is widely referred to as Franco Luambo or, simply, Franco. Known for his mastery of rumba, he was nicknamed the "Sorcerer of the Guitar" for his seemingly effortlessly fluid...
's "Mario", sung by Madilu System
Madilu System
Jean de Dieu Makiese , popularly known as Madilu System, was a soukous singer and songwriter, born in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo - what is today known as Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, and Joe King
Joe King
Joe King was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. It first appeared in The Beano in issue 2783, dated 18 November 1995. His name was a pun on "Joking."...
singing "Nina Nina", previously made famous by the Fania All Stars.
Discography
- Volume 1: Trovador (Stern's Africa STCD1045, 1993)
- Volume 2: Tierra Tradicional (Stern's Africa STCD1054, 1994) Released in France as Sabador
- Gombo Salsa (Stern's Africa STCD1071, 1996)
- Baloba (Stern's Africa STCD1082, 1998)
- Mandali (Stern's Africa STCD1092, 2000) Credited to Africando All Stars. Released in France as Betece
- Live! (Sono CDS8907, double CD, 2001) Out of print
- Martina (Stern's Africa STCD1096, 2003)
- Ketukuba (Stern's Africa STCD1103, 2006)