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Trans-Atlantic fusion

From Senegal, African masters of salsa and pachanga
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By Tony Ozuna
For The Prague Post
May 28th, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Just another day at the beach: The band soaks up inspiration for its unique blend of African and Cuban rhythms.
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Orchestra Baobab


When: Monday, June 2, at 9
Where: Lucerna Music Bar
Tickets: 500 Kč, available through Ticketpro, Ticketstream and at the venue

For two generations, the legendary Orchestra Baobab from Dakar, Senegal, has been carving out a unique niche that merges the sounds of Cuba —salsa and pachanga — with a mix of native styles from West Africa.
Founded in 1970 by a group of great local musicians, Orchestra Baobab soon created an unmatched fusion of Afro-Cuban sounds (jazz, mambo and salsa) with Congolese rumba, high life and Portuguese Creole melodies. The first incarnation of the Orchestra disbanded in 1985; however, international interest in the group led to its reformation in 2001. Since then, Orchestra Baobob has regained its status as perhaps Senegal’s best group ever.
On a recent DVD documentary, vocalist Assane Mboup recalls his initial fascination with the group, which performed at a club on a street where he played as a child. “As we passed by we would hear music, and out of curiosity we would go up to the door,” he says. “We would hang out in front of the Ngalam Club. We weren’t allowed to go in. But we could hear the music of Orchestra Baobab!”
Mboup was intrigued enough to buy the Orchestra’s albums from a local music stand (which is still around), and especially treasured records and tapes that featured singer Laye Mboup.  Years later, Assane was invited to join the group. “It was Youssou N’Dour who called me up one day,” he recalls. “He said, ‘Assane, we want you to join Baobab…so you can sing Laye Mboup’s songs.’ Now I am a member of Baobab — it really makes me happy!”
According to Rudy Gomis, an elder original vocalist of the group, “Orchestra Baobab left their mark because we wanted to bring together Cuban music with Senegalese and African music. That’s why we included griots [traditional African storytellers] in the orchestra, to give salsa a different sound.” But then he corrects himself, insisting, “We didn’t play salsa, we played pachanga!”
And more: “We play tangos and blues, a variety of styles,” says Gomis, who is originally from Guinea Bissau. His heritage reflects the overall makeup of the group.
“We are all Senegalese, but of different origins,” he explains. “I am a mixture: my mother is Jola and father is Manjak. [Group member] Balla comes from Casamance, Charlie as well. The others, Ndiouga Dieng is from Cape Verde; Ben Geloune, the guitarist, from St. Louis. The other guitarist, Barthelemy, is from Togo. Mountaga is of Malian orgin. That’s why Baobab’s music is so special: It reflects us all. The Malian, the Togolese, the Guinean — we all identify with the music.”
When asked why the band regrouped after a 15-year hiatus, Gomis explains, “The fatalists in the group say it’s destiny. … We took a break and now we’re back, because you can’t escape your destiny. The realists say that we had a good product that shouldn’t be wasted, and someone has picked it up again.”
Since their return, the group has been more open to inviting guest musicians, including Youssou N’Dour and the Cuban maestro Ibrahim Ferrer, playing music both from their earlier times and integrating newer sounds of the region, like mbalax (Wolof rhythms of Dakar, with sabar and tama talking drums) — and, of course, salsa.
According to one of the original vocalists, Ndiouga Dieng, the time is finally ripe for the group to perform internationally. “We always played universal music,” he says. “Now we feel ready to go all over the world, because what we do is universal.”
On their most recent album, Made in Dakar (2007), the band fuses the easygoing, lo-fi sound of Dakar’s dance clubs with their unique injections of Cuban rhythms, playing with both ease and authority.  
Thirty years since its founding, Orchestra Baobab is still growing, like a well-rooted tree of its namesake. Ready to break out on the global stage, this orchestra is one of Africa’s most steadfast and unique contributions to the world of music.

Tony Ozuna can be reached at features@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (28/05/2008):

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