Kassa

Sekouba Bambino Diabate, Sekouba Bambino | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Stern's
• ASIN: B00000B6AQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,500 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #44 in Music > World Music > Africa > Guinea

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is African music anyway?, January 11, 2001

By 

rudiger (Hoople, ND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kassa (Audio CD)

I lived in West Africa for a few years and I used to hear this fellow's recordings all the time. He is without doubt one of the most popular musicians in the Mande region (Guinea, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire) and gets tons of airplay over there--at least as much as Salif Keita, and lots more than Ali Farka Toure. You can't ride a bus or walk through a crowded market without hearing one of his tunes eventually.

I really like Sekouba "Bambino" Diabate's songs. The slow, cool ones like "Na Soumbou" and "An Nya Deme" are a smooth blend of Bambino's Malinke vocals with modern instrumentation. For sheer griot intensity, on the other hand, listen to "Diommaya," his duet with Malian diva Kandia Kouyate. The arrangement on that track is 100 percent African instruments--ngoni, kora, balafon, and bolon, without so much as an acoustic guitar in the mix; yet I can only describe the song as absolutely electrifying. Bambino's got quite a voice.

Some American listeners find his sound too "western," since he often uses drum machines and horn sections. This is ironic given that his popularity in West Africa is greater than that of many of the more "authentic" regional artists. So what is African music? Traditional or modern? Acoustic or electric? Bambino shows that it can be all of the above.

(By the way: this guy should NOT be confused with guitarist Sekouba "Bembeya" Diabate, an older and somewhat less popular figure; both used to be members of Bembeya Jazz, hence the nicknames used to distinguish them.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mande Majesty, July 21, 2000

By 

otserick (Bordentown, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kassa (Audio CD)

Modern Guinean music from West Africa is one of the treasures of world music. It's not as well known outside Africa as Congolese music but it's just as danceable and melodically even richer. Diabate started out as a vocalist with the legendary Guinean state sponsored orchestra Bembeya Jazz. When government funding for Bembeya Jazz dried up in the 1980s, Diabate went solo. Since then he has become one of the most popular and influential singers in West Africa. "Kassa" represents one of his greatest achievements to date. A singer of great range, depth and vocal purity, Diabate is one of the most gifted "electronic griots" of the present age. Give him a listen and let one of the great vocal instruments in all music today take you on a jouney through the glories of Mande music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD by one of the most talented African singers of his generation., March 14, 2006

By 

worldtunes.net "robert@worldtunes" (San Rafael, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kassa (Audio CD)

It's a shame "Bambino" doesn't get the recognition he deserves in the USA. I know he has some real fans here, but he is largely underappreciated.

As far as this CD is concerned, the reviewers "otserick" and "rudiger" are right on. As Graeme Ewens says in the liner notes, "His mélange of musical styles ranges from crisp, bright, pan African pop to solid, funky interpretations of classical folklore pieces, with some mellow acoustic moments"

I'll add that the other musicians on this CD are also extremely talented, many also Griot musicians who have released CDs of their own....(Sekou Bembeya, Kandia Kouyate, Djanka Diabate, Mama Keita, Constance "Coco" Mbassi, Abdoulaye Diabate, Moriba Koita, Lansana Kouyate, Djeli Moussa Kouyate, Ibrahima Soumano...and more!)

Did I mention "Bambino's" vocals are just awesome?

I can also tell you I've had this CD since it was released in the US about 9 years ago...Loved it then, and I'm still finding things to love about it.

Finally, I love what Sekouba "Bambino" says in his acknowledgements...."To all, sincere thanks. May peace triumph in our hearts!"

Thank you "Bambino".