Album Review: Orchestra Baobab's Made in Dakar
One of the great things about living in a city as diverse as ours is the variety of ethnic music that one hears while just walking down the street, whether it be coming out of a club, a car rolling with its top down, or out of an open apartment window. Those looking to open their windows and contribute to the city's ambient soundtrack should give a listen to Made in Dakar, by celebrated Senegalese collective Orchestra Baobab. Released last week on World Circuit/Nonesuch Records, the recording provides the perfect aural complement to the sunshine filled (and often steamy) days that make up spring and summer in the District.
Orchestra Baobab traces its roots back to Dakar in 1970. Because of its role as a major African port, Dakar became a melting pot of musicians from around the world, and especially influential was the music of Cuba. That is when saxophonist Baro N'Diaye and bassist Sidathe Ly assembled a group of like-minded musicians who were interested in fusing the sounds of of Latin America with more indigenous West African sounds, which had been largely absent from Dakar's music scene. The resulting mixture combines Afro-Cuban rhythms, Portuguese Creole melodies, Congolese rhumba, Nigerian high life, and local griot styles. While the group's lineup has changed several times, it suffered a split beginning in 1985, due to unrest in Senegal and within the group itself, it reconvened in 2001 and has spent this decade touring the world and reclaiming its mantle as one of the top purveyors of West African music.
Made in Dakar is the ensemble's first collection of all new recordings since 2002's internationally recognized Specialist in All Styles. With songs chosen by record producer Nick Gold, the album is a collection of new songs interspersed with re-recordings of songs from Orchestra Baobab's 20-album catalog. Consistent with the band's decades old sound, the rhythms on the record are largely Latin American and Carribean, incorporating elements of salsa, reggae, and soca. However, the vocal stylings, guitar melodies, and horn lines are distinctly West African. They all share a characteristic buoyant quality about them in their tonality and phrasing.
The lyrics are sung mainly in the West African tongues of Wolof and Malinke, but there are also songs written in French and Portuguese Creole. A mark of a great vocalist is that the audience can appreciate the sentiment of a song irrespective of the language in which it is sung. This album features that type of passionate and emotive singing which makes the source language almost irrelevant. A perfect example of this is "Nijaay," a beautiful and plaintive melody whose Wolof verses celebrate women, and in particular the wives of various band members.
The highlights on the disc are many, and include the opener "Pape Ddiaye," a traditional griot song that the band updated and has been performing since its infancy. "Ami Kita Bay" is a track that infuses the Senegalese mbalax style with a hot salsa rhythm and horn arrangement. The most traditionally African track on the album is "Ndeleng Ndeleng," a traditional griot melody and rhythm that features some beautiful axe-work by lead guitarist and musical director Barthelemy Attisso. While these tracks standout, the simple fact is that there are no weak numbers on the album. Any one of them is sure to put a smile on your face and makes you want to dance.
Orchestra Baobab will appear at the Birchmere on June 19 for a 7:30 p.m. dance set on the venue's bandstand. Tickets are $37.50 + Ticketmaster fees.