Actually to hear their/his music we had to jump over the big pond into New York, as this is where they are living and recorded this balafonique session.
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| Famoro Dioibate with balafon |
Info from WFMU - Transpacific Sound Paradise:
Kakande is a big West African / American band that combines African and European instruments, rhythms and melodies. The centerpiece is the brilliant balafon (xylophone) player from Guinea, Famoro Dioubate. Kora (harp-lute) player Yacouba Cissoko extends the traditional vibe - but there are also guitars, drum kit, woodwind instruments - even cello.
Kakande warms up tonight (2008.Feb.16) for the Dununya CD release party at SOBs in NYC on Sunday 2008.Feb.24.
from PR-info by Jumbie Records:
Not many musicians can claim an 800-year musical legacy as balafon master Famoro Dioubate can. From one of the most prestigious families of griots in Guinea, Dioubate is a guardian of traditions dating back to the 13th century in the ancient Mandé Empire. Named for his ancestral village, Dioubate’s ensemble Kakande is an extension of the lineage that he knew back home, bridging this near millennial tradition to modern audiences.
As legend holds, the balafon appeared magically in the forest almost a thousand years ago where it was discovered and guarded jealously by mighty sorcerer-king Sumanguru Kante. Eventually it was re-conquered by the founder of the Mandé Empire, Sundiata Keita, who bequeathed it to his griot to play and protect.
Today, Dioubate is a unique artist in the Mandé musical world; keenly aware of the tradition he was born into, yet eager to reshape it. He carefully crafted this ensemble to serve his aesthetic curiosity. His inclusion of non-traditional elements is a nod to the dynamic and fluid nature of tradition. In a blindfold test, even the most educated listener of traditional music would have trouble discerning that many in the band are not African, and may be surprised to learn that the least traditional elements, the inclusion of the cello for example, were part of Dioubate’s own artistic design.
Eight hundred years of tradition is a heavy, daunting legacy. But for Famoro Dioubate and Kakande, tradition is picked up, dusted off, and fashioned anew. “We are musicians,” says Dioubate. “We have something together, and good musicians know no boundaries.”
Listen to Kakande
KAKANDE-20080216_Radio Session WFMU
setlist: 1.Kakande / 2.Bani / 3.Souaresi / 4.Dununya / 5.So Si Sa* / 6.Balafon Solo by Famoro Dioubate
*cover from Super Boiro Band song "So Ississa" (1975, 7", Syliphone)
Kakande: Famoro Dioubate - balafon, vocals / Yacouba Sissoko - kora / Raul Rothblatt - cello / Sylvain Leroux - flutes / Kolipe Camara - djembe / Sean Dixon - bass / Andy Algire - drums / Dave Ellenbogen - guitar / Missia Saran Dioubate - vocals
More Info about Kakande
- Kakande info - Jumbie Records (record label)
- Kakande on MySpace (still listenable)
- Album review 2008 by Afropop Worldwide
- Interview with Famoro Dioubate - brooklynrail
- Biography on mandebala.net (very good site!!)
Discography
2002: Famoro Dioubate on VA-Badenya: Manden Jaliyaa in NY City (Smithsonian)2008: Kakande - Dununya (CD, Jumbie Records #JMB.0008) - jumbierecords
2008: Famoro Dioubaté - Douyoré (on VA-African Dreamland, CD, Putumayo Kids) - putumayo
2014: Famoro Dioubate - Kontendemi (digital only) - bandcamp and wuladrum
After all this travelling really need one |
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RAW!!!! |
ps2: Famoro if Trump's travel-ban in the future will have impact on you, you're always welcome in 'Pays de Mangues', and of course this statement is valid for all people who show respect to other people (which can not be said about the greatest grabbing DJ at the moment)
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