Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Bembeya Jazz National - 10 Ans De Succès

Review: This is something very special: A live recording from Bembeya Jazz National's 10 year jubilee concert in the "People's Palace" of Guinea's capitol, Conakry in 1971. The band stood at the pinnacle of its career, so this is a historical record in the best sense of the word. The recording is impressive: an audience of 2500, including the Politbureau(!) in Guinea's Democracy Party, are enthusiastically in place. The band performs with full accoutrements - the rhythm section consisting of several types of drums, a complete horn section, and not least the number one guitarist, Sekou Diabate. This is an incredible disk - top rate Cuban music, but performed by Africans who, of course, give it their own Afro-sound. This is on the one hand well-arranged, Latino big band music, but on the other hand the improvisation and Mandinka traditions are not repressed but regularly shine through. Sekou Diabate has by no means steered alone; he must have heard Jimi Hendrix, Peter Green, and Wes Montgomery. He plays the most incredible riffs on electric guitar to enormous jubilation at The People's Palace. A real classic!


Bembeya Jazz National - 10 Ans De Succès
High VBR, 92mb on sharebee
1. Introduction
2. Temtemba
3. Wouloukoro
4. Lefa
5. Camara Mousso
6. O.E.R.S.
7. Doni Doni
8. Bembeya
9. Festival National
10. Koule De Gbe
11. NDianamo
12. Ile Nyarabi

3 comments:

  1. Wonderful stuff, as usual!

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  2. Thank you for this album

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  3. This recording is fabulous; Bembeya at their imperfect best. My two favourite groups are on this blog: Bembeya and Les Freres DeJean. Both quirky, original, unspeakably wonderful, and some of the most enjoyable guitarists. Download immediatly!

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