Bako Dagnon - 2008.Nov.01 at Womex [R6]

Bako Dagnon - live at Womex 2008 [source: Radio 6]

Bako Dagnon (also written as Backo or Baco Dagnon), born 1948 in N'Golobladji [near Kita in Mali], started singing as a child, accompanying her mother at ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages. Being a griot, she was teached in genealogy and the history of Mali, in order to sing about Mali's great past, going back to the Mali empire of the thirteenth century. After having participated at local shows in Kita, she was selected for the Biennale of Bamako in 1972 to represent her region.
At the Biennale, she was very successful with he song "Yiri Kolo". In 1974, she was recruted to join the Ensemble Instrumental National du Mali, where she stayed for 10 years. Along with great female singers such as Mokontafe Sacko, Sarafing Kouyaté, Wandé Kouyaté and Nantenedié Kamissoko, she helped developing and promoting traditional Malian music with the Ensemble Instrumental. Moreover, the dean of Mali music, the late Bazoumana Sissoko, invited her several times to sing at his house.
After a serious road accident in the 1980s Bako decided to leave the Ensemble Instrumental, which at the time was suffering from a lack of funding. In 1990, she was offered a record deal by an Indian music producer from Liberia and registered her first cassette record [Super Sound #SS.81]. After the recording of a second cassette [title unknown], the production company disappeared in the midst of the Liberian Civil War.
In the 1990s, Bako Dagnon continued giving public and private concerts, however she didn't do recordings until the beginning of the 2000s when she managed to gain some popularity outside of Mali. She participated on the albums Mandekalou (2004), Mandekalou II (2006) and Electro Bamako (2006). In 2007, under the production of Ibrahima Sylla, her first international solo album, Titati, was recorded and released on Syllart Records. At the end of 2008 she did a showcase at Womex in Sevilla. On 2009 January 14 Bako Dagnon was made a knight of the National Order of Mali. Later in that year she recorded with the same team as two years earlier, her next, 7th, album titled Sidiba.
Some years later Bako became seriously ill, she died 2015 July 07 in the Hospital of Point-G in Bamako. Her funeral was organised the following day in the neighbourhood where she had been living, it took place in the presence of numerous public figures and political leaders.
sources used: musiques-afrique and wikipedia


Listen to a track of Bako's showcase at Womex



DAGNON-BAKO-20081101_Womex - R6


setlist: 5 tracks [titles not given]
broadcasted 2008.November live at Dutch Radio 6
line up: Arnold Moueza - percussions / Bako Dagnon - vocals / Hadja Kouyaté - backing vocals / Lassana Aliou Diabaté - guitar / Mama Sissoko - guitar / Pascal Mikaelian - harmonica

Bonus in download:

• 2010.Sep.09, RFI Musique du Monde - Live au studio 136 avec Bako Dagnon [et Mouss et Hakim]
  setlist: interview / 1.Sidiba / interview // others // 2.Badjigui / interview // others
• live video of Bako Dagnon - as promotion for Sidiba [2009]

More from and about Bako Dagnon

• 2007-09: album tracks at soundcloud - Toubaka [from Titati] and Fadeen To [from Sidiba]
• 2009-12: The Voice of Tradition - Bako Dagnon and her Family - at growingintomusic and vimeo
  this is an extract of the film 'Da Kali - the pledge to the art of the griots' by Lucy Duran
  note: Trio Da Kali was brought together during the above filming by Lucy Duran
• 2010.July: article in Le Monde - in French
• 2010.Aug.12: article in Liberation - in French
• 2010.Sep.22: live performance at Ina Music Live - watch Sidiba / Titati
• 2013 [?]: Sumu Kura Bako Dagnon - starting with performances by others - followed by a talk with Bako - final with Bako performing
• 2015.Dec.22: Remembering Bako Dagnon [and Venâncio Mbande] by Banning Eyre - afropop [note: page layout is chaotic, corrected version is included in download]

Discography

ca.1990: Bako Dagnon [local K7, Super Sound Inc #SS.81, Liberia] - posted at freedomspear *
other local K7s: Nnah vol.1 / Kedo / and 2 more, titles unknown
2004: VA - Mandekalou - The Art And Soul Of The Mande Griots - vocals on 2 tracks
2006: VA - Mandekalou II - he Art And Soul Of The Mande Griots II - vocals on 2 tracks
2006: Marc Minelli - Electro Bamako [CD, All Other ‎#AOM.007] - vocals on Donso Ke
2007: Titati [CD, Syllart /Discograph 613301-2] - press release [in French]
2009: Sidiba [CD, Syllart /Discograph] - press release [in French] [seems liner notes of CD] / liner notes by Lucy Duran [in French]
2011: Live [digital release only] - listenable at bandcamp

* have missed that K7 posted at freedomspear and now the download is not available anymore, can a kind soul reading this post and having the audio of this K7 contact me by mail or through this post's comments [thanks in advance!]

NEVER EVER FORGET:

"il faut me pardonner - you must forgive me"

Pap Djah's last words before left on his own in the Sahara desert (in Niger)