Les Têtes Brulées - Hot Heads (1990)

«Les Têtes Brulées (the name means the hot heads or the burnt heads, but implies, more pointedly, the mind-blown) are truly hard to miss in a crowd. The five-man lineup sport neatly torn t-shirts, elaborate dots-and-bars body paint over most of their skin, retro mirror shades, Afro mohawks, huge sneakers, and trademark day-glo book bags that they wear through their electrifying stage shows.

The brain child of journalist turned musician Jean-Marie Ahanda, the well-named band blew the minds of many in hard-to-shock Cameroon. When the singer, who was serving as arts critic at the Cameroon Tribune, founded Les Têtes Brulées in 1986, he wanted to present an alternative to the zouk and makossa music that was dominating the country at the time. Combining the Bituksi rhythm of the Beti tribe with electric instruments, Ahanda’s band brought something very fresh to Cameroon’s music scene. The band’s image was as surprising as its music – while many zouk and makossa artists went for costumes and a very Western look, Les Têtes Brulées sported tribal body paint.

Les Têtes garnered international attention to match their local fame after members appeared in two documentaries: Man No Run, which recorded their first tour of France, and Bikutsi Water Blues, which featured band guitarist Zanzibar discussing the politics of water in Cameroon. […]

Consistently inspired, Hot Heads underscores the band’s resilient nature. Les Têtes Brulées had suffered a major loss in 1988, when guitarist Zanzibar committed suicide. But in 1990, this solid effort proved that the outfit still had a lot to offer. What truly sets Les Tetes apart is their pioneering attempts to bring a punk mentality to a highly traditional art form.» (AMG)

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Sally Nyolo - Multiculti (1998)

«Sally Nyolo is one of the most successful vocalists to emerge from the jungles of Cameroun. Although she's lived in Paris since the age of 13, Nyolo remains tied to the tribal rhythms and musical traditions of her birthplace. As she explained during a 1998 interview, "I try to be as rootsy as the (Eton) language would like me to be because it's a language we speak with images… I try to be like old singers used to do traditionally in Eton. I try to do like them, speak with image, give my best feeling to the audience." Known for her strong and throaty vocals, Nyolo built her initial reputation as a background vocalist for such Afro-French artists as Toure Kunda and Princesse Erika. Meeting members of Belgium-based women a cappella ensemble Zap Mama at a festival of world music, Nyolo was invited to join the group in 1995. She remained with Zap Mama for a year before resuming her career as a soloist. Nyolo's strengths as a songwriter have been reflected by her solo albums. Her debut recording, Tribu, released in 1996, featured twelve original songs written in the Eton language. The album received a prestigious Decouverte RFI award from Radio France Internationale in 1997. With her second solo album, Multiculti, released in 1998, Nyolo took a more-acoustic approach, forsaking electronic instrumentation for complex, vocal multi-layering.» (AMG)

Full album review inside the zip file. Much more info (in English & French) here.

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Cuarteto Patria & Manu Dibango - Cubafrica (1998)

«Founded by vocalist and maracas player Maria Emilia Garcia, guitarist Pancho Cobas and the group's first director, Francisco Coba La in 1939, Cuarteto Patria achieved international success after guitarist/tres player and lead vocalist Eliades Ochoa assumed leadership in 1978. Under the guidance of Santiago, Chile-born Eliades Ochoa, the group expanded its early bolero and criolla repertoire to include a dance-inspiring mix of son montuno, guaracha and guajira.

Although they released no albums prior to Ochoa's arrival, Cuarteto Patria has released four memorable albums since – A Una Coquesta in 1993, Se Salto Un Leon in 1995 and Cubafrica, recorded with Cameroon-born saxophonist Manu Dibango, in 1998. Released in September 2000, Tribute To The Cuarteto Patria celebrated the band's 60th anniversary.

Cuarteto Patria was featured on Ochoa's solo albums, including his masterpiece, Sublime Illusion, a Grammy nominee in the category of "Best traditional tropical and Latin performance of 1999."» (Craig Harris, AMG)

«This CD opens with a veritable chestnut, the Mexican "Cielito Lindo," played by an African saxophonist and a Cuban son ensemble. The vocals are a bit hokey, yet it works. The idea to get together and record disparate material was born at a gig in France in 1996, and the studio was arranged tout de suite. Dibango plays with restraint, sinuously weaving his warm tones in, under, around and over the by-now telepathically tuned-in-to-each-other players of Cuarteto Patria. On a few tracks, he mostly lays out; on others, his guitarist, Jerry Malekani, joins the proceedings, and the two of them bring in a more African feeling. A very enjoyable session, though not as essential or as ultimately satisfying as separate releases by the participants.» (Janet Rosen, AMG)

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Francis Bebey - Dibiye (1997)

A small tribute to a giant of African music (and not only)

«Un album sensible, mariné de douceurs multiples. Un album cuit à point... pourrait-on dire. Le meilleur -probablement- de la part de ce pionnier des sentiers modernes de la musique. En compagnie du quartet Amaya (African Music Yet Authentic), dans lequel on retrouve ses deux surdoués de fils, Toups et Patrick (saxophone,percus, sanza et flûtes pygmées), ainsi qu’un autre complice du son, l’excellent bassiste Noël Ekwabi. Onze titres sur lesquels on ne ressent aucune trace de cet humour qui contribua beaucoup à ses premiers succès (Agatha, Si les gaulois avaient su, la condition masculine...).

Onze titres d’une gravité mesurée, qui, d’une certaine manière, nous résument -avec la maturité en plus- toute la démarche créative d’un personnage qui n’a cessé de surprendre depuis ses débuts officiels dans les années cinquante, même s’il est vrai que certaines de ses oeuvres durant ses dernières années paraissaient inachevées. Une voix toujours expressive, qui sait nous causer du bonheur intérieur, sans omettre de nous rappeler que l’humanité reste ce qu’elle a toujours été, c’est-à-dire un idéal qui doit être honoré sans cesse. Chaque titre reprend à sa manière ce credo, sans jamais avoir besoin de forcer le trait. Dibiyé, Stabat Mater Dolorosa, Essok’am... le propos -en anglais, en français et en douala- est simple mais émouvant et vrai. Pureté des sons qui se mélangent, sensuelles mélodies qui voyagent... le maître dévoile tout son classicisme sur cet album et libère toutes ses pulsions empreintes de modernité à la fois.

Conteur, poète, musicologue... ce fils de pasteur baptiste, élevé au son de Bach et de Haendel, devenu virtuose à la guitare classique, à la sanza (lamellophone à pouces) et au n’dehou (la flûte pygmée à une note), démontre avec cet album acoustique qu’une culture plurielle n’est pas forcément une perte d’identité. Auteur d’un ouvrage sur la musique africaine, devenue référence dans le monde anglo-saxon (il est introuvable en francophonie), il nous montre, à près de 70 ans, comment épouser le monde (l’Europe, les Amériques...), sans renier un seul instant ses ancrages (l’Afrique, bantu, pygmée...) au nom d’un quelconque métissage à la mode. Sa musique ressemble totalement à l’esprit qui guide son quartet. C’est avant tout une question d’authenticité. Autant dans son dialogue avec le sacré que dans ses interrogations multiples par rapport à l’univers profane. Quel qu’il soit... » (ChronicArt)

Some Biographies: RFI Musique (English, French); Afropop (English)

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Putumayo Presents: Women of Africa (2004)

«While the African music scene is currently dominated largely by men, there has never been any stigma to speak of against women performing (with the possible exception of some of the North African Islamic nations). The catch is that women tended historically to spend less time playing instruments in favor of other portions of the rituals and work, and stayed primarily within the vocal field as a result. Putumayo is taking advantage of this to combine three of their favourite forms of compilation: African music, women's music, and vocal music. The range here covers essentially the whole of Africa, with representatives from each of the major areas. South African Judith Sephuma opens the album with a contemporary piece, followed by Benin's great Angélique Kidjo with something based on Brazilian idioms. Following the Portuguese influence a step further (or closer, as the case may be), Maria de Barros performs a bit of morna from Cape Verde before the album makes a return to South Africa with Sibongile Khumalo. A quick run to the east allows for a nice Malagasy work from Tarika, and a jump north to Cameroon precedes the third South African piece, this time a bit of classic jazz from Dorothy Masuka. Firmly moving away from the South African sphere of influence, a wonderful piece from the often-excluded Comoros is included, preceding Ivorian Dobet Gnahore with a chipper work. A beautiful ballad from Souad Massi's Island release takes up the North African end, followed by an acoustic guitar-based rhythm from Burundi's Khadja Nin. Closing the album is a bit of female isicathamiya, courtesy of the Women of Mambazo, led by Joseph Shabalala's wife prior to her murder. Overall, it's quite a good album, with nice coverage of the various regions and the use of some underexposed but noteworthy artists. The only possible complaint would be that it's a bit heavy on South African music.» (AMG)

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Putumayo Presents Carnival (2001)

«Carnival, the ecstatic release of carnal desire in the days leading up to Lent, has a long history. With its roots firmly buried in the Dionysian festivities of ancient Greece, the celebration was appropriated by the Romans for their Bacchanalian homage and then adapted by Roman Catholics to fit pre-Ash Wednesday festivities. Celebrated by Catholics and Bacchanalians alike, contemporary carnival celebrations are especially fervent among the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas. And from the parading samba schools in Rio to the calypso tents on Trinidad, the art form most identified with carnival is that of music. On Putumayo's Carnival, ten festive tunes, performed in the spirit of carnival, are presented. Among the featured artists are New Orleans' own Eddie Bo building slide trombone riffs on top of shuffling beats, Colombian salsa group Fruko y sus Tesos singing about a particular kind of foppish carnival reveler, and Rio's distinguished sambistsa Martinho da Vila beautifully performing the carnival classic "Canta Canta, Minha Gente." Though some of the CD's cuts have more to do with festivals in general than with carnival in particular — such as Big Davy's Crop Over celebration song — all the songs contribute to the ebullient atmosphere of the compilation. If you're looking for field recordings of actual carnival celebrations then this CD is not for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for contemporary studio recorded songs that reference carnival either directly or indirectly, then Putumayo's Carnival should probably find its way onto your stereo.» (AMG)

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Isnebo & Faadah Kawtal - Divine (2002)

«Deliciously different music from Cameroon which takes simultaneously sure aim at head, heart and feet! Only Manu Dibango (with his slinky makossa) & Les Têtes Brulées (with their much more aggressive Bikutsi rock'n roll) have enjoyed a high international profile, but Africa's most ethnically diverse nation has other musical treasures. Our featured CD is "Divine" by title and nigh-irresistible in fact. Isnebo – its bandleader & songster – is "huge" at home. He's surely about to conquer the rest of the world.

Reportedly, no other Cameroonian musician has earned so much in one year from royalties. Isnebo comes from Cameroon's dry & dusty north & is of the same ethnic-cultural group (the Foulbé/ Fulani/ Peul) as Senegal's Baaba Maal. Isnebo's voice quality is similar. Like Baaba's, his songs always have a message, but Isnebo's music is mostly more "party time". It involves a happy marriage of guitars, basses & drumkit with Peul flute & lute (garaya) and "talking" drum (kalangou). Isnebo himself is a wonderful singer, who gets some great vocal as well as instrumental support from other members of his band Faadah Kawtal. The name means "the union's messengers", & notions of fraternity, fair play & fellowship are central: as one of their songs spells out, both genders should qualify.» (The Planet)

«Baba Maal n’est plus seul dans le créneau de la musique peuhl. Faadah Kawtal, l’Union en fulfuldé (dialecte peuhl du Nord-Cameroun), est dans son sillage. Avec Divine, leur premier CD, ce groupe musical vulgarise une musique injustement rangée dans le registre des folklores : le Goumba Galewa. Une musique avant tout d’expression peuhl, plongeant ses racines à la lisière du Sahel et des savanes de l’Afrique centrale. Etonnant mélange d’instruments traditionnels, de guitare et de synthés, le goumba galewa est une musique qui, sous sa forme rurale, a fait l’objet d’innombrables mutations, un peu à l’image de la vie et de la culture peuhl. […]

Divine est une quête d’authenticité autant dans sa partie instrumentale et vocale, que dans les textes. A l’exception de la 6ème chanson, Alioum, composée par Tom Yoms et dont l’instrumentalisation est très contemporaine, les autres titres de l’album sont une visite du Sahel musical. On y retrouve pêle-mêle, le luth, le garaya et le tchidal, une flûte sur laquelle on peut souffler éperdument tout en chantant sur une autre gamme. Le must de la dernière livraison des Faadah Kawtal est incontestablement l’introduction pour la première fois du kalagou. Petit tambour d’aisselle, le kalagou est un véritable tambour parlant entre les mains d’Isnebo.» (Afrik)

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Manu Dibango - Countdown at Kusini OST (1975)

A fantastic and ultra-unknown (to me, at least) Manu Dibango soundtrack to the equally obscure independent mid-70s movie «Countdown at Kusini» (a drama financed by DST Communications, a subsidiary of Delta Sigma Theta, the world's largest black sorority, and centered around the revolutionary leader of a fictionalized African nation, Fahari, who is being hunted by a mercenary hired by a big corporation disgruntled by the rebel's policies because they are cutting into the company's profits) that I discovered recently at Matsuli Music. Thank you, Matt, for letting me re-post this long-forgotten gem!

«Manu Dibango is one of the original fathers of the Afro-funk scene. His huge worldwide hit 'Soul Makossa' paved the way for artists such as Fela Kuti and Hugh Masekela. This rare soundtrack was produced in tiny quantities for the premiere of the obscure Ossie Davis movie in Seattle in August 1975. Each album is individually numbered, and signed by the cast. It's a superb blend of African rhythms, jazz, and a heavy dose of space jazz and funk. There are too many good tracks to mention, from uptempo dancefloor cuts to slower mellow numbers, all featuring Manu's superb sax playing.» (Blaxploitation.com)

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