In the mid-90s, when I lived and studied in Bamako, Mali, with guitar icon Djelimady Tounkara, the best part of life was sitting out on the street outside his family compound at night, drinking tea, playing guitars, and listening to the maestro reminisce.Without fail, the time of his musical past that most animated him was the period in the early 70s when he worked with the singer Mory Kante in the Rail Band.At the time, Salif Keita had left the Rail Band and joined Les Ambassadeurs, and the competition between the two outfits was fierce.Djelimady seemed to feel that this was the pinnacle of creative energy within the venerable Rail Band.When I came home to my CD collection, though, I was disappointed to find that the commercially available releases of old Rail Band stuff seemed to miss this period.They were either from the brief, Salif Keita era, the band’s very first year, when Djelimady had not yet joined, or else from later, after Mory Kante had left.
Now from the archives of Senegalese producer Ibrahima Sylla, and his Syllart label, comes a welcome set of “Classic Titles” releases, including this gem.This wild and quirky set of seven, mostly very long, tracks brings Djelimady’s recollections to life.From the first song, “Walenumalömbaliya,” it is evident that Djelimady’s guitar virtuosity was already fully developed at this early point, and supercharged with youthful exuberance.The song is built around crisp, tuneful riffing, full of the sweetness of Mande music and the piquant tang of jazz rock.The fuzz tone passages play as novelty now, but this track is basically thirteen minutes of sheer bliss.Better still is “Mamadou Bitiqui,” which floats ethereally between 4/4 and 6/8 time, and features Mory Kante in fine, searing voice.Kante had been the Rail Band’s balafon player and was just emerging as a lead vocalist when these recordings were made.But that lithe, reedy voice is unmistakable and riveting, even when his backing singers are not perfectly in tune.
One of the fascinating things about this set is how far it ventures beyond adapted Made griot fare.“Jirikan” is a brooding, pentatonic 12/8 piece.“Mariba Yassa” makes an obvious nod to James Brown’s “Sex Machine,” even as it adapts a melody from Wassoulou music.And “Mamadou Bitiqui” is the Rail Band’s take on Fela’s Afrobeat sound, with Mory Kante blending griot gut cry with soul wailing, and even rapping a little, and Djelimady stretching out with a wah-wah pedal.And the final track “Karitea” blends West African rhythmic complexity with the close vocal harmonies, lyricism, and easy swagger of the era’s Congolese rumba sound.In all, this set captures one of West Africa’s greatest dance bands at a moment of downright contagious inspiration, just as Djelimady remembered.
Mamadou Bitiqui
