Music of Senegal

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A 19th century junjung of Sine.

Senegal's music is best known abroad due to the popularity of mbalax, a development of conservative music from different ethnic groups and sabar drumming popularized internationally by Youssou N'Dour.

Senegalese Musical Instruments

List

  • Bomvola
  • Ilulam
  • Tuga Carat
  • ooga
  • Gahtim
  • Kghvawasi
  • Ghata
  • Sirom
  • Xylophone (Around Senegal Brazil China Sudan Ecuador)
  • Zazoli
  • bolbia
  • Tam Tam

National music

During the colonial ages Senegal was colonized by

classical music. The first President of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor
(also a poet) was one of the primary exponents of this. The national anthem of Senegal, "Pincez tous vos koras, frappez les balafons" ("Pluck all your koras, strike the balafons"), was adopted in 1960. Its lyrics, by president Senghor, refer to Senegalese music tradition, while its music was composed by Herbert Pepper (fr).

Traditional music

Ethnically the population of Senegal is 41.3%

Tama (talking drum) percussion section traces some of its technique to the ritual music of Njuup.[3][4][5] The Serer people infuse their everyday language with complex overlapping cadences and their ritual with intense collaborative layerings of voice and rhythm."[6]

The Njuup was also the progenitor of Tassu, used when chanting ancient religious verses. The griots of Senegambia still use it at marriages, naming ceremonies or when singing the praises of patrons. Most Senegalese and Gambian artists use it in their songs.

history and genealogy
of a particular family and are used during weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals etc.

Popular music after independence

1950s and 1960s

Prior to independence, Senegalese popular music consisted of nightclub dance bands (orchestres) that played European music, namely American and French songs. As independence approached and the country sought to move away from its colonial past, the popular music of Senegal began to be influenced by the Cuban music that was becoming popular throughout Africa. Ibra Kasse's Star Band was the most famous orchestra of the 1960s and 1970s and was a leader in the modernization of Senegalese music. Super Star de Dakar, led by Nigerian saxophonist, Dexter Johnson, spun off from the Star Band and was the other leading band in Dakar in the 1960s. Both played a style that was heavily influenced by Cuban music but had elements of traditional African music.[7]

The south of Senegal, called Casamance, has a strong Mandinka minority, and began producing masters of the kora in the late 1950s. The band Touré Kunda was the most popular group to arise from this scene, and they soon began playing large concerts across the world.

1970s and 1980s

The 1970s saw the increased influence of traditional Senegalese music. Traditional drums like the

tama were introduced by leading orchestras and the music progressed over the decade from predominately Latin-influenced to the Senegalese style known as Mbalax. The Star Band and three of its off-shoots from the 1970s were important in the evolution of the music. In 1970, Orchestra Baobab broke away from the Star Band followed by No. One de Dakar in 1976. All three bands were notable for their integration of traditional musical styles into the common Latin dance styles of the Senegalese nightclub bands of the time. In the town of Thiès, Royal Band de Thiès and Dieuf Dieul de Thiès are also considered influential in the evolution of Senegalese popular music.[8]

In 1977, the entire rhythm section and many other performers in the Star Band left to form Étoile de Dakar, who are often considered the first band to play Mbalax. They quickly eclipsed their compatriots, launching the careers of El Hadji Faye and Youssou N'Dour. Faye and N'Dour were Senegal's first pop stars, but the stress of fame soon drove the band apart. Faye and guitarist Badou N'diaye formed Étoile 2000, releasing a hit with "Boubou N'Gary", but soon disappearing after three similar-sounding albums.

N'Dour and other members of Étoile de Dakar became known as Super Étoile de Dakar and released four albums within a few months. Super Étoile de Dakar evolved into N'Dour's backing band. He was soon by far the most popular performer in the country, and perhaps in all of West Africa. He introduced more traditional elements to his Senegalized Cuban music, including traditional rapping (tassou), njuup, bakou music (a kind of trilling that accompanies Serer wrestling) and instruments like the sabar.

While N'Dour and others Africanized Cuban music, another influential band,

Rolling Stones and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, finally achieving success in Senegal with 1988's Xarit
.

In the latter part of the 1970s, the band Super Diamono formed, fusing mbalax rhythms and militant populism with jazz and reggae influences. Their 1982 Jigenu Ndakaru was especially popular. By the middle of the 1980s, Super Diamono was one of the top bands in Senegal, in close and fierce competition with Super Étoile de Dakar. The band's popularity declined, however, slowed somewhat by Omar Pene's reformation in 1991.

1990s to the present

Into the 1990s,

Ismael Lô
, a member of Super Diamono, who had major hits, including "Attaya", "Ceddo" and "Jele bi".

Nomad Soul, which featured Brian Eno as one of seven producers
.

Though female performers were achieving popular breakthroughs elsewhere in West Africa, Senegalese women had few opportunities before the 1990s. The first international release by a woman was "Cheikh Anta Mbacke" (1989) by Kiné Lam. The song's success led to a string of female performers, including Fatou Guewel, Madiodio Gning, Daro Mbaye and Khar Mbaye Madiaga. Lam, however, remained perhaps the most influential female musician of the 1990s, creating a modernized version of sabar ak xalam ensembles by adding bass guitar and synthesizer with 1993's Sunu Thiossane. The release of Fatou Guewel's CD entitled 'Fatou' in 1998 was significantly influential for Mbalax; this is also the case with her band 'Groupe Sope Noreyni'.

The new century has seen the rise of Viviane Ndour, who got her first break as a backing vocalist to Youssou Ndour with Super Etoile. She is well known in Senegal and the diaspora, collaborating with French rap star Mokobe and Zouk artist Philip Montiero and incorporating RnB, Hip-Hop and other elements into her own style of Mbalax.

Acoustic folk music has also left its mark on Senegal's music culture. Artists that have contributed to this genre include TAMA from Rufisque, Pape Armand Boye, les Freres Guisse, Pape et Cheikh, and Cheikh Lo.

The biggest trend in 1990s Senegal, however, was

Wageble too. Senegalese-French rapper MC Solaar is a very well known musician. Senegalese born Akon
has risen to world fame.

In 2008 English musician Ramon Goose travelled to Dakar and collaborated with Senegalese griot Diabel Cissokho to record the album Mansana Blues which explores African blues & traditional West African styles, this led on to the formation of The West African Blues Project.

References

  1. ^ https://USA Archived 2013-07-18 at the Wayback Machine CIA World Fact Book [www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sg.html]
  2. ISBN 1-59213-420-3
  3. ^ (in French) Ferloo
  4. ^ Mangin, Timothy R. "Notes on Jazz in Senegal." Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies. Eds. O'Meally, Robert G., Brent Hayes Edwards and Farah Jasmine Griffin. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. 224-49. Print.
  5. ^ For the Njuup tradition, see: The Culture Trip
  6. ^ a b Ali Colleen Neff. Tassou: the Ancient Spoken Word of African Women. 2010.
  7. ISBN 9780819577092
    .
  8. ISBN 9780819577092
    .

Sources

External links
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