Yandé Codou Sène

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Yandé Codou Sène
Traditional music, Mbalax
Occupation(s)Singer, griot
Years activeActive since 1947. Big break in 1995 – 2010

Yandé Codou Sène (also Yande Codou Sene) was a

Sénégal.[1] She was the official griot of president Léopold Sédar Senghor. Most of her music is in the Serer language.[2][3]

Career

Yandé Codou sings in the old Serer tradition and have had a significant impact on

Senegambian music as well as artists including Youssou N'Dour whom she has inspired immensely.[4] Although she has been singing since she was a child and have had a profound effect on Senegambia's music scene, she did not record her first album (Night Sky in Sine Saloum) until she was aged 65.[5] Her first recording debut on an album "Gainde" was in 1995 that she shared with Youssou N'Dour in which she received rave reviews.[6]
In that same year, her vocals were showcased on the full-length album Youssou N'Dour Presents Yandé Codou Sène. RootsWorld described her as someone who:

"can move mountains with her positively poetic voice."

In

President Senghor who is famous for adopting the African griot technique of "naming" in his poems is adopted from the Serer tradition as in his poem "Aux tirailleurs Sénégalais morts pour la France." Yandé Codou who is proficient in this technique used a similar technique in the funeral of President Senghor.[8]

Albums

Gainde, Yandé Codou Sène and Youssou N'Dour, 1995

Yandé Codou Sène, Night Sky in Sine Saloum, 1997

Tracks

  • Salmon Faye (sang in a cappella)
  • Gainde
  • Keur Maang Codou
  • Bofia Tigue Waguene
  • Salmon Faye
  • Gnaikha Gniore Ndianesse
  • Natangue
  • Keur Mang Codou

Filmography

Notes

  1. ^ African Studies. Columbia University Libraries
  2. ^ "Yandé Codou Sène, célèbre griotte du Sénégal, s'est éteinte". Radio France Internationale. July 16, 2010.
  3. ^ Ali Colleen Neff. "Tassou: the Ancient Spoken Word of African Women". Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  4. ^ C. Parker, 1996. The Wire, Volumes 143–148, p43, 54
  5. ^ emusic.com
  6. ^ All music.com

External links