Daily Planet

We continue exploring Guinea’s ‘Authenticité’ era with the excellent double CD of one of the country’s premier bands, Balla et ses Balladins. Today we focus on CD 1 (1968-1972) of their album, The Syliphone Years.

Australian Graeme Counsel produced and annotated this fine collection of music. Particularly sweet are Sekou ‘Le Docteur’ Diabaté’s lead guitar and their song Sara ’70 - a longer, groundbreaking piece that well and truly begins to incorporate West African sensibilities into their music.

Playlist

1421
Innuendo Out The Other
Philip DeGruy
Degruy-Gruy Music
NYC 6013 2 (US Import)
Philip DeGruy, Innuendo Out The Other
15 seconds (excerpt)
(solo 17-string elec guitar, fingerstyle; v quirky, virtuosic & humorous, more or less a bent-boogie)

1423
CD 1, Cut 1 - 'N'na Soba'
Writer not Spec
Editions Syliphone Conakry BGDA
Sterns Music STCD 3035/3036 ( in Australia through Fuse Music Group: www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.sternsmusic.com )
Balla et ses Balladins - 'The Syliphone Years'
4:20
(Up Afro-Cuban groove featuring Fodé Ndiaye's tenor sax solo and two nice guitar solos from Sekou 'Le Docteur' Diabaté in song that salute's the group's lead vocalist, Manfila 'Soba' Kanté)

1430
CD 1, Cut 8 - 'Soumbouyaya'
Writer not Spec
Editions Syliphone Conakry BGDA
Sterns Music STCD 3035/3036 ( in Australia through Fuse Music Group: www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.sternsmusic.com )
Balla et ses Balladins - 'The Syliphone Years'
4:54
(Lively Afro-Cuban song about Soumbouyaya, a mythical figure in W.African culture who can eat huge quantities of food and is used as a symbol for Guinea's wealth, with sax and guitar and percussion)

Segue

1435
CD Cut 5 - 'Be Ni Son'
Les Amazones, arr Maitre Mamadou Aliou Barry
Pub Not Spec
Sterns Music STCD LC 15328 ( in Australia through Fuse Music Group: www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.sternsmusic.com ) (this release not currently distributed in Australia)
Les Amazones de Guinée - 'Wamato'
4:31
(High voiced female lead vocal with responding chorus, band with brass and guitar solo in song that says to 'sweep aside criticism with a graceful movement of the hand and continue to work peacefully as righteous musicians.')

1440
CD Cut 5 - 'Steel Guitar Heaven'
Ry Cooder
Hi-Lo Shag Music BMI
Nonesuch 7559-79900-5 ( if issued in Australia, through Warner Music: www.warnermusic.com.au
worldwide: www.nonesuch.com )
Ry Cooder - 'I, Flathead: The Songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns'
3:40
(Lightly swinging piece for Ry's singing and spoken word and Merle Travis-like electric guitar in piece that celebrates the steel guitarists of the past with solo guitar coda.)

Segue

1444
CD Cut 1 - 'Open That Gate'
John England
Just Write Music, BMI
Lickety Split Records www.WesternSwingers.com
John England and the Western Swingers - 'Open That Gate'
3:10
(Straight ahead Western Swing from Nashville group with solos by Tommy Hannum on steel guitar, David Spicher on bass and John England's vocals and guitar soloing)

1449
CD 1, Cut 7 - 'Sara '70'
Writer not Spec
Editions Syliphone Conakry BGDA
Sterns Music STCD 3035/3036 ( in Australia through Fuse Music Group: www.fusemusic.com.au
worldwide: www.sternsmusic.com )
Balla et ses Balladins - 'The Syliphone Years'
9:57
(Kemo Kouyaté's Manding traditional music-based electric guitar is key to this song about a young woman who pledges her love to a poor peasant even though there are wealthier suitors trying to win her heart. After Kemo's guitar solo, the song accelerates and features a clarinet)

Presenter

Lucky Oceans

Producer

Lucky Oceans