BALLA ET SES BALLADINS - The Syliphone Years (Stern's)

Balla et Ses Balladins were one of the big four Guinean orchestras of the post-independence era, bringing a grandeur to President Sékou Touré's ‘authenticité’ programme of cultural realignment with their majestic recordings for the Syliphone label under the leadership of trumpeter Balla Onivogui and trombonist Pivi Moriba.
The seemingly out of tune (but extraordinarily seductive) horn sections were something of a signature sound for this era of Guinean music, and the Balladins' brass arrangements exuded a dreamy quality, bending and swaying in and out of focus over what were initially simple Latinised popular tunes which became progressively more ambitious in scope as the band looked to traditional Mandinka influences for inspiration.
This exceptional double-CD compilation (the third in what is proving to be an essential series of adroitly mastered and packaged releases) joins the band at a peak that lasted from the late '60s (as L'Orchestre du Jardin du Guinée) through to 1980 and their final, momentous Syliphone release, Objectif Perfection.
Traces of the Latin influence were still there at the start of this period, vocalists Emile "Benny" Soumah and Manfila "Soba" Kané heartily intoning over dance numbers driven by those off-centre horns, Cuban rhythms and the ringing electric guitar breaks of Sekou “Le Docteur” Diabaté.
By the early '70s, Diabaté - one of the great lyrical guitar players to come out of Africa - and rhythm guitarist Kemo Kouyaté were the key components in the move to epic, griot-inspired pieces. On the first of these, Sara 70, the guitarists pick their mellifluous way between vocals, percussion and elongated horn breaks to produce ten minutes of music as mesmerising as just about any produced by the great West African orchestras of the period. And by 1980 - with tracks like Bambo and the near-perfect harmonic interplay of Paulette from Objectif Perfection - Balla et Ses Balladins have reached an understated, instinctive sophistication that places them squarely between (and arguably right up there alongside) the brass-led dance music of compatriots Bembeya Jazz and the dry, dense sound of Mali's Super Rail Band. Yes, that good. Highly recommended.

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This review first appeared in fRoots magazine.

LES AMAZONES DE GUINEA - Wamato (Stern's)

It's been quite a while, but Africa's first-ever all-female group are back with a vengeance - retour en force! as they announce at the start of the album - with a funky, feisty collection of old-style Guinean big band grooves. This was the original girl-power group, coming together in the early '60s (whilst serving in the National Police) and by the early '70s they were blasting out a high-energy blend of vocals, interweaving electric guitar, throbbing bass lines and brass arrangements to get you off your feet and onto the dance-floor.
The line-up of the orchestra has been changed regularly over the years, but Wamato finds it retaining all the familiar elements of a sound that must surely be the loosest, most life-affirming music on the planet performed by an orchestra that includes Commandants, Captains and Lieutenants in its line-up.
Those officers get us off to a rocking start on the opener (and title-track), Yaya Kouyaté's ever-shifting guitar lines underpinning a snappy beat while the singers trade bluesy vocals with each other and with saxophonists Djenabou Ba and Mariama Cissé (the latter's alto sax is a satisfyingly beefy presence throughout the album). Guitarist Kouyaté is a revelation throughout, whether it be delivering a jaunty soukous vibe on Deni Wana (ably supported by rhythm guitarist N'Sira Tounkara) or ringing embellishments to songs such as the standout praise song Kania.
A couple of the songs don't work quite so well - particularly when the orchestra strays into less familiar territory such as the French-language cha-cha-cha, Meilleurs Voeux - and the horn arrangements start to verge on the samey over a dozen or so tracks. But with the constant presence of half a dozen seductive vocalists (M'Mah Sylla's clear, powerful tone probably the best of the lot) riding a consistently invigorating sound, it's easy to overlook the reservations and just let the celebratory atmosphere take over. Welcome back, girls!

This review first appeared in fRoots magazine.