Dec 3/04
Raw, uncut Keita
You won’t find today’s tracks on any album. Benn loxo reader Martin brings you a guest post of a couple recordings he made of Salif Keita while working on a Sissoko film in Mali a few years ago. I’ll let him explain (see my translation below):
En 1995 Salif Keita, immense chanteur malien sort l’album “Folon” (le passé), sur lequel il rend hommage à Chris Seydou, styliste malien décédé en 1994, à l’origine du renouveau du Bogolan (mud clothes) tissu traditionnel malien.
Extrait:
“Grand styliste et travailleur acharné,
il a fait connaitre au Monde les tissus
africains, notamment maliens.
Il nous a quitté, qui va nous habiller?”
En 1998 je travaille comme ingénieur du son sur le film “la genèse” de cheick oumar Sissoko, salif Keïta tient le rôle d’esaû le frère de jacob. Nous tournons à Hombori dans l’est du Mali, et je partage le quotidien de salif pendant 4 semaines extraordinaires.
Sa grossiéreté légendaire lui vaut les reproches indignés de tous les maliens, mais en même temps dés qu’il chante, les mêmes se mettent à pleurer d’émotion.
La veille de son départ, il accepte de venir enregistrer une chanson dans ma “chambre”. La voilà, brute d’enregistrement, sans aucun effet, j’ai juste remixé une 2° version avec les grillons nocturnes d’Hombori.
Bonne écoute.
martin
In 1995 the famous Malian singer, Salif Keita, released his album “Folon” (the past) on which he gives hommage to Chris Seydou, a Malian designer who died in 1994. Seydou was larely responsible for bringing traditional Malian Bogolan cloth back into style (”mud cloth”).
Extract:
“Important designer and devoted worker,
he introduced the world to african cloth
notably Malian.
He left us, who will dress us?”
In 1998 I worked as a sound engineer on Chiekh Oumar Sissoko’s film “Genesis”. Salif Keita played the role of Esau, Jacob’s brother. We shot the film in Hombori in eastern Mali, and I shared Salif’s company for four extraordinary weeks.
His legendary rudeness merits him the indignant reproaches of all Malians. At the same time when he starts singing these same pepole are brought to tears.
The night before he left he agreed to let me record one of his songs in my room. Here’s the result: a no-frills, effect-free recording. The second version is mixed with the nocturnal sounds Hombori’s crickets.
ps- thanks for sharing, Martin.
pps- as it happens there’s a Salif Keita concert in Dakar tonight. See you there?
Salif Keita - Seydou
Salif Keita - Seydou (+Grillons)
December 3rd, 2004 at 4:06 pm
Merci pour partager! Thanks for sharing this: simple drops of strings and a warm voice! Enjoy that concert!
Pieter
December 7th, 2004 at 4:59 pm
Oh, MAN. That brought tears to my eyes, that did. Some beautiful selections on this blog, which I only discovered today - many thanks for sharing.
April 8th, 2005 at 11:29 am
[...] the last re-posts. Sorry I couldn’t get to all of them, but bandwidth is precious. Raw, uncut Keita Never leave home without it Apolitical Sudan
[...]
April 9th, 2005 at 3:56 am
Thank you so much for the repost. I played the song over and over when it was first posted, and it was great to hear it again. I have three Keita albums (Folon, Moffou, and Papa). Seydou is my favorite track after Mandjou on the Folon album. I’ve placed an mp3 of Mandjou on my site… you’ve shared so much great music, I can share a little bandwidth. Thanks again.
April 10th, 2005 at 11:05 am
I just bought the reissue of Salif Keita & Kanté Manfila’s 1980 tape The Lost Album - Inédit, out on Cantos/Syllart/PIAS. This track is a wonderful addition!
Many thanks for the beautiful music on this website, my iTunes gets filled up nicely with all these classic songs!
August 18th, 2005 at 5:11 am
i am salif’s trumpet player that played with him from 1988-1996. mandjou is one of my favorite tunes but this version isn’t as cool as what we used to play in concert. it’s bit too fast here on Folon. BTW i am the trumpet player on this record and the solo used to be played on trumpet but, as i was out of the touring band at the time, Glaucous did it. He did a great job as well!!! I really dug mwhat wally badarou did with the keyboard harmonies on Mandjou. Although i wasn’t on Soro it is still my favorite album but the song Sabou on Ko-yan is my favorite tune of all. We played it live for about a year while on tour and i really missed it when we stopped playing it. Boy do i miss playing with salif!!!
i have many bootlegs from concerts that i used to record from on stage. let me know if i can post a song or two.
ron meza
ronmeza@mac.com
January 11th, 2006 at 10:29 am
[...] I’ve posted Salif Keita a bunch of times on this site but his latest album is still worth mentioning. [...]
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Hello,
it may soun irrelevant now but i am desperate:)
Will somebody email me the english translation of that wonderful song “folon” to me, please (servetyesilyurt@yahoo.com)?