If you’re in Paris and feel like seeing some music you can catch me at these shows in the near future:

• Tonight: Les Espoirs de Coronthie at the Satellit Café
• June 13th: Rajery at the Satellit Café
• June 20th: Andy Palacio at the New Morning

Find me and I’ll buy you a beer on Benn loxo. I look a bit like this, or just listen for a guy speaking French with a confused Parisian/Dakarois/Quebecois/Anglo accent.

Anyway, it’s Friday. Relax. Let’s hear some good music.

I was reading this article in the BBC the other day and ended up on an Internet quest to learn everything there is to know about Bob Denard. What a fascinating (and frightening) guy. He’s best known for landing 30 men on the shores of Grande Comore and kidnapping the Comorian president, however that was just one of his four coup attempts on the islands. You have to admit that’s pretty gutsy.

Following his last coup attempt the French intervened and all was well again. Needless to say, les français didn’t want trouble so close to one of their neo-colonial outposts, Mayotte.

Abou Chihabi had a booming career in the Comoros until that same Bob and some other mercenaries shook-up the islands in 1978, assassinating the president and reaffirming French economic dominance.

Chihabi fled to Kenya and then France where he slowly developed a successful music career. His 1997 album, Folkomor Ocean, is great.

Abou Chihabi – Upwa Nvubwe Uhoza

I opened my mailbox this morning to find another solid offering from the good people at Rock Paper Scissors: Nawal‘s Aman.

You might have already heard Nawal here, on Benn loxo.

Long-time Benn loxo readers will know I have a thing for tiny African islands in the Indian Ocean and the amazing vocalists to be found there. Nawal is no exception. She’s a sufi Muslim female vocalist originally from the Comoros islands with a great voice and a mean gambusi, a yemeni instrument that’s sort of like an oud.

Comorians are quite a conservative bunch, so Nawal had to break with tradition to become the first Comorian woman to perform publicly on stage with an instrument. Women often play at weddings and other private ceremonies but rocking-out on a gambusi in plain site of the masses is definitely a no-no in most circles.

Lucky for us Nawal pursued a career in music in France where she’s lived since the age of 11. Her latest album, Aman, is really good. You can grab it at your local bac starting June 12th, or on Amazon right away.

ps- yes, that’s a little mbira in the mix. Nawal first heard the mbira in the States, but we know Stella does it best.

Nawal – Salama

My new colleague, Muinaté, was more than a bit surprised when I told her that I was a big fan of Comorian music. Her face lit-up when I name-dropped Zainaba and a few others. “T’aimes la voix d’or! C’est incroyable.” I guess not everyone is into music from the island of Grande Comore. But they should be.

Thanks to Muinaté we’ll hear some more music from the relatively obscure “country” of Comoros. I surround country by quotes since it’s hard to call somewhere with multiple independence movements, partial French neocolonial control and a total lack of authority over its whole territory a country. I guess the Comoros are more a collection of islands with common cultural threads.. and beautiful music.

There’s something about the way Comorians sing that catches my ear. Listen to the vocal melody of the contemporary Comorian musician, Salim Ali Amir. It wavers, rises and falls like the style of more traditional Comorian singers such as Zainaba and Mohamed Hassan. There’s definitely a distinctly Comorian sound.. once again, a nice fusion of multiple Arabic and African influences.

Don’t Thursdays and the oud go great together?

And hey, sorry for the sporadic posts lately. When I’ve not been outside enjoying the hear I’ve been traveling all over the place. I finally got a few posts lined-up so check back this week and next for more music.

Salim Ali Amir
Mohamed Hassan – Mri Uwalao

I’ve been gushing lately about Zainaba, the beautiful voice from Grande Comoros island. Today we’ll hear another talented female vocalist from the Comoros, Nawal.

Nawal, like Zainaba and most of the inhabitants of the Comoros islands, is a devout Muslim. Nawal in particular is a direct descendant of an influencial marabout, or spiritual leader, of the sufi Islam community in Comoros. This comes out in her lyrics and singing style, and in fact today’s pick translates into “The All Powerful” – I think you know who she’s referring to.

Rich rhythms, nice guitar and bass and an overall cool sound (including a nice Jacques Brel cover – that’s for you, Ben) make this album stand-out. That and the fact that, yet again, we’re hearing music by a woman who normally, at least according to strict local customs, wouldn’t be allowed to perform music in public.

Today’s track comes off her 2004 release, Kweli. Apparently she’s coming out with a new album this year or next so keep an ear out.

Nawal – Al Djalilu

I don’t know about you, but I was really taken by the voice of Zainaba, the female vocalist featured in my post a few days ago. I’ve had that track, Yowa, on near-repeat on my stereo for over a week. The last time I was so affected by a female African singer was when I first listened to Rasha’s Sundaniyat.

Zainaba’s voice reminds me of the pure tones I used to generate in acoustics class back in university. The microtonal changes of pitch between notes give her singing a lovely near-East Islamic feel, while the southern African influence adds some soul. Whatever Zainaba is up to it really pleases my ear.

I went out to find some more of her music and was pleased to see that the folks at Buda Musique were equally intrigued by females vocalists from the Comoros. In 2004 they released a second Comoros compilation, Comores: Chants de Femmes, this time devoted entirely to Zainaba.

I can’t recommend this and the first Comoros compilation enough. Beautiful singing, interesting rhythms and for me, a great introduction to a previously undiscovered part of Africa.

Zainaba – Yowa Moina
Zainaba – Miandi

When I used to live in Dakar and travelled abroad I often heard, “Senegal? Where the hell is that?” or, “Senegal? Oh yeah, man, that’s in South America, right?” Yeah, right. Well, you think Senegal’s got the bad-geography bug, you should try the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros. When I think of a really well-known African country…

I admit to only having a rough idea where the Comoros are on a map until today. I knew they were somewhere off the south-east coast of Africa, but that’s about it. Well, hey. Let’s educate. The Comoros are a series of islands squished between the island of Madagascar on one side and Mozambique on the other. This is appropriate given this week’s posts.

Interestingly, Comoros is comprised of four islands but the fourth island, Mayotte, has repeatedly voted to not declare independence from France. So wait, do they use the Euro there? Can you get a good macaron? More importantly, has anyone been to Mayotte who can enlighten us? Better yet, does anyone have any music from Mayotte? Suddenly the ambiguous fourth island of the Comoros has skyrocketed to the top of my travel list!

Politically, the place is a bit of a mess. You have one island whose residents claim to be still part of France and another two, Anjouan and Mohéli, that declared their own independence in 1997. This essentially leaves one island, Grade Comoros (Ngazija) that is ruled by military strongman, Azali Assoumani, who secured authoritarian rule in the confusion following the mysterious death of elected president Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim.

When it comes to music I’m once again amazed that a country such as Comoros, with it’s political structure and economy in tatters, can produce such amazingly cool music. The other day I picked-up Sambe-Comoros, Modern Traditions from Grande Comoros, and have been nothing short of blown-away by the music. Interesting rhythms, wonderful Arab-African fusion vocals and creative composition.

You’ll hear two tracks from Grande Comoros today. The first track, Sambe, is a twarab tune named after a popular dance in Grande Comoros. The sambe is danced on the night of a wedding, always on a Friday. The men dance in a circle, following the rhythm as it increases and decreases in speed. The women then choose their favourite dancers and give them their kanga – shawls that the men then wear on their necks as trophies. The second track is by Grande Comoros’ most successful female vocalist, Zainaba Ahmed. What a voice. Just beautiful.

Sambeco – Sambe
Zainaba – Yowa