Today we break from our Original Music series while I’m away with a guest post from first time Benn loxo contributor, Gerben:

“Some time ago i saw the movie Va, Vis Et Deviens which features the Mahmoud Ahmed song Yaselame Lalo. I had actually forgotten i have it on his album Live In Paris. But i did remember i have a very nice 20 minute live recording from him playing in Amsterdam that i recorded years ago from Dutch radio.

I later digitized the tape, the quality is not very good but the music is great. Apparently the Dutch radio station that broadcast it received the tape from someone who went to this concert.

There are two songs there, the first one is Yaselame. This version is more traditional than on Live in Paris (no saxophone but flutes) and very dynamic. No idea what the other song is but I am curious to find it out and I am also very curious if more if these live recordings of him exist, it tastes like so much more.

The other recording is also a tape transfer from a Dutch radio broadcast and features Super Biton de Segou with I.R.I. and Tere, equally great. Both recordings are somewhere between 15-20 years old, don’t remember exactly when i recorded them.”

This Mahmoud Ahmed track is truly amazing. I would’ve loved to be at that show. I can just see his shoulders rocking out to the rhythms. Thanks for the music, Gerben. If someone can help him out with identifying the music I’m sure he’d appreciate it. -Matt

Mahmoud Ahmed – Yaselame (Live)
Super Biton (Live)

I’m a total sucker for West African music that starts with a heavily accented, spoken introduction. Maitre Gazonga’s classic of classics, Les Jaloux Saboteurs, springs immediately to mind. (As does dancing our faces off to that track in Brittany last weekend, rocking sunglasses, punch, flip-flops and a whole lotta mustache.) Franco and Sam Mangwana’s Cooperation is another example of a classic spoken intro.

With this in mind we continue with our Original Music series with a little Godwin Opara and his Oriental Brothers from the Do It If You Can/Onye Ikekwere Mekeya compilation.

“Oriental Brothers” actually refers to quite a few related bands. Frontmen came and went over the years and the band took many forms. Opara’s Oriental Brothers were the true originals, followed by Dr. Sir Warrior’s and several others. We’ll hear from the latter later.

The opening line sounds a bit like he’s yelling, “Hello, France!” I can just picture him waving out to the crowd at Place Ste. Marthe during Fête de la musique..

Listening to the Oriental Brothers always reminds me of Dulue, who introduced them to me many years ago in Lagos. Tip of the hat your way, Mr. Mbachu.

Do any of you have copies of the original Afrodisia Oriental Brothers releases?

See you in a couple weeks. Hopefully I’ll have much Bolivian folkloric funk to share.

Oriental Brothers – Oh Dear Jesus

Great time in and around the Place Ste Marthe last night at Paris’ Fête de la Musique. From North African jams and South American dance sessions to aggressive street drummers and some damn fine Andean chicken.

Too many nights out lately. I need something simple to counter the weeks of wine in my system: old-school Kenyan sounds from Original Music’s first volume of Before Benga.

The first track reminds me a lot of that classic of classics, Swamp Thing by The Grid.

The second one is just, well, special.

Finally, Wiliamu Osale’s great tune rocks us gently into Friday morning. Only 10 hours until the weekend…

ps- couldn’t find a good shot of the Kenya Dry cover so instead to our left you’ll find Paul Nabor and Andy Palacio at their show in Paris last night.

Unknown – Thum Nyatiti Solo
Unknown – Chemirocha
Wiliamu Osale – Usimalize Mali

These past few posts have generated a heavier than normal volume of e-mail from Benn loxo readers. Thanks- I always appreciate hearing from you. One note this morning from Johnathan really stuck-out. He runs a site devoted to his 78 collection (that’s right, 78s, not 45s) that includes some real gems, a lot of them African. Check it out over at excavated shellac.

Benn loxo behind the scenes contributor, Andrew, also wrote to point out that that Amazon UK have a lot of the Nonesuch Explorer series on offer at the moment for only £5.00 or £6.00. Worth checking out.

Saw a great Andy Palacio show last night. Two encores really got the place moving and Paul Nabor was amazing.. how old is that guy anyway? He rocked the mic like no other 90-something that I’ve seen live.

Fête de la musique is tonight. I’ve never actually been in town for this French tradition before, but I have to say I’d rather be at any one of its offshoots happening tonight in Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Senegal.. and loads more. Even Djibouti and the Comoros are joining the fray. Shows you how much important the French cultural centers in sub-Saharan African are in terms of promoting local music, dance and art.

Finally, I’m heading to Buenos Aires and La Paz this weekend. Any tips?

I guess we need some music, too.

Marie Louise Congo told me how Rwandans tend to be a quiet, polite bunch with prix fixes in the markets. So if you’re living in Rwanda, Uganda is the place you go when you miss hard bargaining and need some West African-style colour. Their music is definitely full of colour, and though I own very little Ugandan albums the few tracks I’ve heard have got me dancing.

Keeping with the Original Music theme I’ll post a couple tracks off John Storm Robert’s Ugandan mix, Kampala Sound: 1960s Ugandan Dance Music. A great compilation of pre-Amin gems.

Charles & Frida Sonko with Orchestra Melo Success – Nawuliranga
Kawaliwa & Mary with the AGS Boys – Fumbria Abaana

Another Benn loxo reader, Rob, came through huge this week with no less than six Original Music releases that I don’t already have. That puts my mini-collection at twelve. Nothing compared to this guy, but one day I’ll have all 39. If that ever happens maybe I’ll see what I can do about getting them re-released. I wonder who now holds the rights..

Africa Dances is an Original Music compilation from way back in 1973. It features music from 13 African countries, from Mozambique to Ethiopia to Sierra Leone. I already own about half of the music featured on the album, but there were still a few gems in there that I’d never heard.

Easily my favourite on the compilation is Miss Smodern by a South African group named, surprisingly, Smodern. This great track is begging for a clean-up and a remake. And I’ve never posted any music from Zambia on Benn loxo so we’ll hear some interesting sounds by John Lushi.

There’s a good interview with Original Music’s founder, John Storm Roberts, here. I also just found an aging blog of his on Blogger. Does anyone know him? From what I can tell he’s 71 and lives in NY.. I think I’ll try to get in touch.

ps- just realized that I already posted some Broadway Dance Band off Africa Dances way back in November 2004. Apparently I lost the album in the Dakar-Paris move.. glad it’s back in the collection!

Smodern – Miss Smodern
John Lushi – Bamgufya Ba Kwoti