Mamar Kassey - 2013.Dec.11 KIT Dusseldorf FHE

Mamar Kassey in 2013 [picture from innacor.com.com]

Biography

The name Mamar Kassey belongs to the history of the Songhay people whose empire was extended from Walata (Moroco) to Dendi (Dahomey-nowadays called Benin). Mamar Kassey is the most famous of those people's ancestors who decided, to avoid fratricidal conflicts, to exile all along the Niger river and establish themselves in the areas of Kolmane, Yatakala, Wanzarbé, Tillabéry, Gotheye, Téra, Gaya and as far as Kandi in Benin.
Original band Mamar Kassey was created 1995 November 22 by two men: Yacouba Moumouni and Abdallah Al Hassane who are musicians trained by the "Centre de Formation et de Promotion Musicale de Niamey (CFPN Elhadj Taya)".
Yacouba Moumouni, more known under the nickname of "Denke Denke", nowadays is considered to be the most popular artist in Niger. Mamar Kassey is widely appreciated in all Western Africa. Tradition is not a limitation for Mamar Kassey's music but the dynamic element giving it all a sense and taste.
The essence of tradition flows into the band's compositions, free from any rigid codes, thanks to its open minded view of the music and respect of oral traditional singing. It propagates at the speed of light through the calabash's tempo and the "kalangou" drum. It unites in a subtle game of contrasts, the melodic lines of the rhythm guitar and of the little luth "Komsa". It talks through the singing and the "Seysé" flute which bounces as a tightrope on the lines of a bass under high voltage.
Mamar Kassey plays brilliantly and with professionalism well-executed arrangements supporting Yacouba's beautiful and powerful voice, full of sensuality and warmth with an authentic Nigerian identity strongly affirmed by a subtle play, performed by the traditional lutes "Komsa" and "Molo" and an armpit drum (Kalangou).
The beauty of dancers gestures is in perfect harmony with the rhythmic and melodic nuances of well-executed music. Mamar Kassey's music is a lot more than an addition of talents. It is the expression of a mutating culture, the link between the secret words of an art reserved to the "hogon" masters, God, fetishes and the universal language of the new millennium.
The band is not a mere coincidence but the accomplishment of combined efforts of men and women convinced by the necessity to give Nigeria its voice into the concert of world's music.
source: innacor.com/INNACOR2013/spip.php?rubrique46 [disappeared, not archived]

Listen to the 1.Lelly Yoro [live]

MAMAR KASSEY - 20131211 Dusseldorf FHE

Mamar Kassey - rec.2013.Dec.11 Dusseldorf - bc.2013.12.13 Funkhaus Europa 23h "World Live" 

setlist unknown, recording split-up in:
1.concert pt.1 / interview / 2.concert pt.2 / 3.encore

update - found the setlist through web.archive.org/web:
1.Lelly Yoro / --interview-- / 2.Mali (Djinnaarou) / 3.Daneedjo / 4.Taboussizé / 5.Mansaarou / 6.Hadoré / 7.Yeti - Yeta / 8.Habdè / 9.La Famille / 10.Dinké-Dinké / --encore-- / 11.Maidé e Gonga / 12.Mossi-Gueidou

probable line-up: Yacouba Moumouni - vocals, Peul flute, dance / Harouna "Harou" Abdou - bass, choir / Boubacar "Barry" Souleymane - calebas, vocals, choir / Abdramane Albarka - electric guitar / Adamou Daouda - kalangou (talking drums) / Seyni Halidou - molo, komsa (2/3 stringed lutes) / Fatoumata Amadou - vocals, choir, dance / Catherine Onadja - choir, dance

Related MultiMedia:

• Mamar Kassey in 2014.Jan at VPRO Vrije Geluiden: Daneedjo / Mali [on youtube]
• Mamar Kassey 2013 promo video by Studio le Rocher - vimeo

as Mamar Kassey are from Niger, they may be aware of:

"il faut me pardonner - you must forgive me"

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

NAJMA - Qareeb - Closeness (1987, LP)

Najma - Qareeb [1987]

This post is related to the one of the day before yesterday, yes really to Christy Moore [!]. How's that, you might think now, well let me explain.
After the Christy Moore's concert I enjoyed, I wanted to hear much more from him. Didn't have any albums or any other form of recordings by him. So when shortly afterwards I was at a record fair, helping out a friend who had a stall there, I searched between the folk music bins for albums by Christy. To my disappointment couldn't find any, but came across a very interesting looking album by Najma. Who I had never heard about, nor was I especially interested in music from India, but it lookied so good that I bought it. Played it when arriving at home, and really really liked what I heard. It remains upto today a very special record for me.

This time no live nor session recordings, simply because I haven't got any from Najma, so decided to present to you the vinyl through which I discovered her beautiful music many years ago.

Introducing Najma

Najma Akhtar, a British born, singer, songwriter, composer and actor has achieved a place in world music history as one of the true pioneers of uniquely fusing Western and Eastern musical styles. She has recorded many solo albums and is credited in crafting a new musical genre, in which Jazz nuances are blended with the Ghazal (Urdu ballad) and Sufi (Devotional poetry) repertoires.
Her ground-breaking and innovative debut album, ‘Qareeb' (Closeness), remains one of the most important world music albums ever recorded catapulting Najma into the World Music arena.
Even though her music has remained rooted in the Ghazal and other traditional music of her ancestral home, her versatility as a writer and composer can be seen through a vast diverse body of work and artistic collaborations with some of the world’s most influential and credible musicians.
Interested to know more, go to najmaakhtar.com

Listen to the bonustrack [rec.1988.Feb.03 for Charlie Gillett]

NAJMA - Qareeb - Closeness (1987, LP)

a1.Neend Kohyi (6:42) / a2.Jaane Kis Tarhan (6:17) / a3.Dil Laga Ya Yha (5:48) //
b1.Zikar Hai Apna Mehfil (6:29) / b2.Karoon Na Yaad Magar (8:57) / b3.Har Sitam Aap Ka (9:11) //
bonus.Apne Hathon (5:26) recorded 1988.Feb.03 at Capital Radio for Charlie Gillett's 'World of Difference'.

Discography

1986: Ghazals [LP, Last Minute Productions]
1987: Qareeb [LP/CD, Triple Earth Records]
1989: Atish [LP/CD, Triple Earth Records]
1992: Pukar [CD, Ark 21 Records]
1996: Forbidden Kiss - the Songs of S.D.Burman [CD, Last Minute Productions]
2002: Vivid [CD, Last Minute Productions]
2008: Fariyaad - A Plea to the Creator [CD, Choicemusic.nl]
2009: with Gary Lucas - Rishte [2009, World Village]
2020: Five Rivers [CD/LP, Last Minute Productions]

PS: If I remember well Najma has performed at one [or more?] of the Festival au Desert in Mali, dont know exactly when and can't find information now preparing this post. Anyway, may be there are some recordings from, if I find will include links in this post.

by the way NEVER 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)

Nahawa Doumbia - 2020.Feb.04 KIT Dusseldorf

Nahawa Doumbia live in 2019

Early this year, before the virus hit our lives, there was live music to be enjoyed. One of those highlights I could catch from the German COSMO radio station [former FunkHaus Europa], Nahawa Doumbia at KIT in Dusseldorf.

Biography

Nahawa Doumbia was born in 1960 in Mafélé (Mali), a little village located near the border between Mali and Ivory Coast. A few days after she gave birth to Nahawa, her dying mother predicted her daughter a great career as a singer, though she did not belong to the griot caste.
"Nobody was allowed to sing in my family. That is why it has been so hard for me to come to music. One day, agents of the malian Ministry of Culture came to see my father and told him that I should take part in the "Youth Week" local event. He refused but I eventually was able to take part in it. Then I came to Bamako to compete at the "Youth Biennial", an event showing young artistic talents from Mali. I have been prized in 1980 with one of my songs. It was the very beginning of my career..."
Nahawa is now a star in Mali. The charm of her thin, childish voice made her one of the vocal references from western Africa. The queen of Didadi - a rhythm from Wassoulou region danced by young people at ceremonies and celebrations - decided to return to Wassoulou instrumental tradition with balafon, djembe, kamélé n'goni and guitars.
In 2011 the critically acclaimed blogger and ethnomusicologist Brian Shimkovitz chose Nahawa's early tape La Grande Cantatrice Malienne, Vol.3 to become the first official release on his new Awesome Tapes From Africa label. It received rave reviews worldwide. In 2015 Nahawa Doumbia played at the Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht to great acclaim. This year, 2020, she was back with her band, still singing and swinging as ever before, untill the Corona-virus struck us all... Meanwhile she recorded her new album Kanawa, to be realeased early next year [2021]!
source: Mali K7 [from 2004] with recent additions from EarthBeat

NAHAWA DOUMBIA - 2020.Feb04 KIT Dusseldorf COSMO

setlist: 1.Mbalima Nyuma / 2.Nkaranka Tji / 3.Djon Konian / 4.Ntana / 5.Dunukan / 6.Sogo Duno / 7.Korodia / 8.Yan Kadi / 9.Sokono Wuluni

line-up: Nahawa Doumbia - vocals / N'Gou Bagayoko - guitar / Drissa Sidibe - n'goni

When downloading enjoy a 2015 Malian videoclip from Nahawa

For your full information an extensive discography and collected articles about Nahawa are all included in the download.

For who has enough time now between Christmas and New Year and is interested to see a very good film, I highly recommend to watch a beautiful film directed by Idrissa Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso. Have seen it several times at various locations, even once on Guinean TV in the court-yard of the compound I was staying then. I think it's very fitting in this Corona-virus year, which has hit our elderly the hardest.
You can watch Yaaba [1989] at youtube [with subtitles, if needed!]

By The Way NEVER 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)

Christy Moore - 1969-2009 Selection

Ireland's greatest living musician
Christy Moore

Some of you might think: Who's that, what's he doing on Mangue Music? Well I decide who fits in the Mangue Music Box, and for me Christy Moore surely is in.

Early 1990s [again] a friend of me, who had seen Christy perform at a festival in Ireland, told me that it was one of the best concerts she had ever been. To be honest I think I had never heard of the man before, but when I heard he came on tour in the neighbourhood, I asked my friend if she was interested to go. Well of course she had tickets already and thought the concert was sold out, but lucky for me I could get my hands on one of the last tickets.
The concert was a blast, one man solo on a for him alone way too big theatre podium, but capturing the attention of each and everybody present. Of course there were also quite some Irish women and men in the audience, singing along with most songs, but most importantly reacting to specific details which truly made the concert even better!

I have got several of his albums, incl.live recordings, but none of those I don't want to post because widely available. Unfortunately I haven't got live radio recordings, nor special K7s or LPs, so decided to present to you a selection of tracks I once catched from the ConcertZender [still including some lives and included one bonustrack!]. So here for you all Christy after Christmas!

Biography

Christy Moore was born 1945 May 07 in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. He was originally a bank employee who wanted to express himself using traditional music. During a bank strike in 1966, which lasted twelve weeks, he went to England, as many striking officials did, but didn't return when the strike was settled. Doing general labouring work, he frequented the folk clubs and the Irish music pubs where he met Seamus Ennis, Margaret Barry, Luke Kelly, Martin Byrnes and many other traditional musicians.
In 1969 he recorded his first album, Paddy on the Road, with Dominic Behan. 1972 brought his first major release, Prosperous, in 1972 brought together the four musicians who shortly thereafter formed a band: Liam O'Flynn, Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny. For a time they called themselves "CLAD", an acronym of their names, but soon decided on Planxty. After leaving Planxty in 1975, Moore continued on his solo career, reforming his old band on occasion. In 1980 together with Lunny and five other musicians he formed the band Moving Hearts. In 1987 he appeared on Gay Byrne's The Late Late Show performing with The Dubliners for their 25th Anniversary.
Moore's earlier years of heavy drinking, sleeping dysfunctional hours, continual travelling and often eating takeaway foods resulted in a decline in health and several operations. Moore's battle with alcohol, and subsequent heart operations, have taken their toll. At the end of the 1990s, Moore reduced his workload for medical reasons.
Some of Moore's songs are heavily influenced by drink and the effects of drink, his song "Delirium Tremens" being a good example. Listening to Johnny Mulhern's song "Hard Cases" caused Moore to recall the Galway drinking scene with local musicians Mickey Finn, Pete Galligan, Corky and Terry Smith.
In 2007 Christy Moore was named Ireland's greatest living musician in RTÉ's People of the Year Awards.

quote from christymoore.com:
"I played to 50,000 over 12 nights. Me and my guitar. Weird. I'd be totally fucked after it. The cigar smoke was getting to me a bit. Some of the backroom boys were startin' to lose the plot and believe their own publicity. I was believin' in False Gods and that is bothersome and dangerous.
A fellow told me once that I was the greatest Irish writer since Sean O'Casey. I didn't believe him. Then I discovered he'd never read either me or O'Casey!"

CHRISTY MOORE - Selection 1969-2009

 The selection:

• 1969: Christy Moore - Paddy on the Road (written by Dominic Behan) - The Box set 1964-2004
• 1973: Planxty - The Raggle Taggle Gypsy [live] (traditional) - The Box set 1964-2004
• 1975: Christy Moore - The Moving-On-Song - Go! Move! Shift! (written by Ewan McColl) - What Ever Tickles Your Fancy 
• 1978: Christy Moore - 90 Miles to Dublin (written by Moore) - VA - H-Block
• 1978: Christy Moore - The Sun Is Burning (written by Ian Campbell) - VA - High kings of Tara 
• 1981: Moving Hearts - No Time for Love (written by Jack Warshaw) - Moving Hearts 
• 1994: Christy Moore - Go, Move, Shift [live] (written by Ewan MacColl) - Live at the Point
• 2002: Christy Moore - McIlhatton [live] (written by Bobby Sands) - Live at Vicar Street
• 2006: Christy Moore - Beeswing (written by Richard Thompson) - Burning Times
• 2009: Christy Moore & Declan Sinnott - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd cover)
• bonus 1994: Christy Moore & Shane MacGowan - Spancil Hill [live RTE The Late Late Show] (traditional) 
  mainly based upon Christy Moore special bc.2011.Nov.10, ConcertZender NL, Folk It! 

While you're downloading watch Christy play a song about the Irish Football team at the 1988 European Championship

MultiMedia [some more]

• 1994: Live with Shane MacGowan - Spancil Hill - RTE The Late Late Show [bonus in selection]
• 2006: Live... Come All You Dreamers - live at Barrowland, Glasgow - youtube [nevermind the wrong title!] -  note especially the audience! 
• 2007.Jun.17: Desert Island Discs Revisited - BBC Radio4 
• 2020: series of Lockdown Sessions - episode 1 at youtube 

and I'm sure Christy agrees:

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)

Oumou Sangare - 1993 Kershaw Session

Oumou Sangare 1991.Oct.09 Amsterdam
picture by Frans Schellekens [gettyimages] 

As promised and guaranteed yesterday, now something I have been searching for, for a very long time. Early 1990s sessions by Oumou Sangare, the Songbird of Wassoulou.

I first discovered Oumou Sangare, when preparing for my first travel to West-Africa in the early 1990s, before checked music which I didn't now, and well Oumou was my greatest discovery [followed by Senegal's Orchestre Baobab].

Her first album Moussoulou remains one of my alltime favourites, is one of my max.10 "Desert Island Albums". It's not music which makes you dance at once, but when you start moving to it you'll not be able to stop. I call that subtle swinging, which in my opinion goes therefore much deeper and is much longer lasting than most wild swinging music, which is over when the music finishes. Oumou's early music is never really over after it's last sounds, it keeps going on inside!

Have Oumou with her band seen many times live in the 1990s. Later on, she didn't cross my path for more than 10 years, because I had moved to Eastern Europe. Just before the end of my period there I saw her during her 2009 tour at a free festival. Which didn't really exceed my expectations, to put it mildly, though that was not only because of the music. But also because of the audience, which was absolutely unfamiliar with Oumou's music. At hindsight that wasn't strange, a free festival, way out east, in an area where few foreigners travel. Well anyway, finally I had seen Oumou again after many years hoping she would come there one time.

So since the late 1990s I was after live and special session recordings of Oumou with her band, but found very few till the moment when I started this blog. Since then some kind followers send me some, the best one from AfroPfingsten I posted here for you all. I knew that there had to be early BBC recordings, but never came across even one, till fully unexpectedly a BBC 6music DJ, while announcing a 1999 Toumani Diabate & Taj Mahal session in reality played some Oumou Sangare session tracks! Mailed the DJ, didn't get any reply, of course. But my quest for early BBC sessions by Oumou and her band was triggered again.

Now finally last week I received something I was after, incomplete recordings, but anyway I'm happy to be able to present those to you, today, during Corona Christmas times in 2020.

OUMOU SANGARE - 1993.Sep.04 Kershaw Session BBC

BBC 1993 Kershaw Session  - bc.1993.Sep.04 BBC Radio 1 [rec.date unknown]

tracklist: 1.MISSING / 2.Ko Sira [*only last 30 sec] / 3.N'Diya Ni title unknown** / 4.Woula Bara Diagna*

source: digitized radio taping

**see comments by Ngoni: track is not N'Diya Ni but also not Dya Gneba, so if anybody cancome up with the correct title, please comment it to this post [thanks in advance]

Also included are the 2 tracks of the unknown wrongly announced BBC Session, mentioned above, probably also a Kershaw Session, but which, when, no clue, anyway here are:

bonus: Kayini Wura* / Woula Bara Diagna* [again, but different, later? version]

source: captured stream 2018.Feb.07, BBC 6music Gideon Coe 

update: 6music could be repeat of by Andy Kershaw on 1998.Mar.09 broadcasted session [only tracklist, no audio available], which itself seems a repeat of Oumou's first session from 1991 [because of tracks from 1st alum/K7 only]

PS: if anybody has more songs from above sessions, or better recordings of those presented here, I'm very very interested of course! So please leave your info in the comments to this post!

And before I forget:

Merry Christmas to You All!!

and even in these Corona-virus times

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)

Mechanic Manyeruke - 1993.Oct.02 Kershaw Session

Mechanic Manyeruke [picture found at herald.co.zw]

Hello, Hello, long time no listen/reading/posting. Just couldn't find the time, hadn't got the spirit, etc, etc.

And what a year was [OK almost, still not finished!]. And for today because of Christmas and hopefully also the sounds will do some healing for you all, Gospel music from Zimbabwe by Mechanic Manyeruke.

Short Biography

Mechanic [sometimes Machanic] Manyeruke, born on 1942 August 16 in Gweru Zimbabwe, lived an oblique life in his early years, starting off as gardener and later becoming a waiter. In 1956/7, when still a student at St Patrick’s Mission in Gweru, he started playing banjo. In 1967 he moved to Harare, where he borrowed a guitar from a fiend and started to learn how to play it. He soon joined the Salvation Army band, later was was drafted into the Peace Makers band and joined the Gospel Singers.
When the last group collapsed, Manyeruke embarked in 1984 on a solo career with his debut album "Zakewu", the first real gospel album in Zimbabwe which was enormously successful. Manyeruke became the most popular gospel musician in Zimbabwe, and has produced more than 25 albums.

source: sumarized from pindula.co.zw/wiki/Mechanic_Manyeruke [web.archive.org, full text included in download] 

listen to Jesu Wamuka [from his 2012 album Muchandiziva Here?]

selected because of Jesu in the title, which fits with being Christmas today

MECHANIC MANYERUKE - 1993.Oct.02 Kershaw Session

bc.1993.Oct.02 - BBC Radio 1 Andy Kershaw [recording date unknown]
setlist: 1.unknown [MISSING] / 2.Lord We Cry For Rain* / 3.God's Mercy on Disaster* / 4.I Travel the World for Peace*

bonus: Sunduza - Isitemela Sangitshiya [a real trainsong from Zimbabwe, from their album Injabulo '2000']

Discography [incomplete]

1989: Machanic Manyeruke and the Puritans [LP/CD/K7, Cooking Vinyl]
1989: with the Puritans - Ndeyeiko Nyaya Iyo [LP/K7, Ndiza]
1993: with the Puritans - Gospel Of Africa [K7, Gramma Records]
2012: Muchandiziva Here? [local album; his 25th!] - listen at soundcloud

Note: Was originally planning to start posting again with a recording I [and may be some of you also] was looking for for a very very long time. Found it last week, not complete but almost [!]. And you'll all be able to hear that very soon through Mangue Music!!
Guaranteed!! For Sure!! SO stay tuned!!

and even in these Corona-virus times

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)