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4. Landscape: “Matadjem Yinmixan”
The Malian group Tinariwen is part of modern Tuareg history; the group’s founder, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, fled the country as a child because he ‘s rebellious father was killed by government forces during an uprising. Tinariwen has set the standard for Tuareg bands for decades, with tightly coordinated rhythms led by Ag Alhabib, whose electric guitar sometimes seems to humbly pray. “Matadjem Yinmixan” is about Tuareg unity and its rhythm is so locked in that it could almost be a dance hit – when I saw the band at Coachella 15 years ago , every hip under the tent is moving.
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5. Bombino: “Talhani”
Bombino is a Nigerian musician roughly the same generation as Mdou Moctar, who also branched out into the American rock scene, recording with members of the Black Keys and Dirty Projectors. Of course, while Bombino is a more subtle stylist than Mokhtar, he does shred, here reminiscent of lyricists like Ray Cooder.
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6. Baobab Band: “Coumba”
In the 1970s and 1980s, this Senegalese band represented a fascinating cultural shift across the Atlantic: musicians in Africa absorbed and refracted Afro-Cuban dance styles originally derived from enslaved Africans in the New World. Led by guitarist Barthélémy Attisso, the Baobab Orchestra plays complex arpeggios as simple and joyful as a mambo, with a seemingly endless repertoire of sweet, haunting melodies. Upbeat tracks like “Coumba” that people can’t resist. Watching them play in Central Park on a perfect summer day in 2002 is a cherished memory for me.
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7. Sir Victor Uwayifo: “Igboroho (Ekassa 5)”
Uwaifo was a Nigerian polymath who, although he traveled to Western countries, arriving at the Village Vanguard in New York in 1970, was never a Fela Kuti or an Oliver Mutuku A star like Oliver Mtukudzi. The song is one of a series based on the traditional coronation dance “ekassa,” although in notes for the reissue, Uwaifo describes it as a construction workers’ song “intended to warn clients if they don’t pay them , then the house will collapse.
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8. Djelimady Tounkara: Findabrama’s Best Picks
One of Africa’s most respected guitarists, the highly skilled Tunkara is the long-time frontman of The Railways (aka Super Railways), a popular Malian band that, like Baobab, was born in Africa The mid-century craze for Latin music. In this shimmering acoustic track, Tounkara takes on the romantic flamenco-flavored lead role, showcasing his talent for a full minute and a half before the vocals enter; he could have gone on forever.
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9. Fela Kuti and Africa 70: “Zombies”
A giant of 20th-century African culture, Kuti was a musical and political revolutionary who used the unbridled power of his massive funk band to challenge Nigeria’s military government in the 1970s. Thick horns take melodic center stage in much of Fela’s music, though he utilizes the guitar as effectively as a percussive element like James Brown. Led by Oghene Kologbo, Fela’s guitarist plays a series of interlocking riffs like a never-ending wheel on “Zombie,” a mocking denunciation of soldiers who blindly follow orders. .
