From its birthplace in the Caribbean islands, salsa reached the shores of Africa in the 40s and 50s. While salsa was a new genre to Africa, it drew its roots and rhythm from Africans brought to the New World as slaves 500 years ago. Africando is thus a collaboration hundreds of years in the making, and, when you listen to one of their albums, this history's power is clear. New York's best session musicians, including Hector Zarzuela, Chino and Pablo Nunezon and Pape Pepin provide the sizzling salsa backbone beneath the plethora of West African stars that lend their voices to Africando.

its early years, Africando was led by Senegalese singers Pape Seck, Medoune Diallo and Nicolas Manheim. Soon after the release of their debut album, Trovodor, in 1993, however, Seck passed away. Since then, Guinea's golden voice Sekouba "Bambino" Diabate, Benin's Gnonnas Pedro and Mali's Salif Keita, among others, have lent their internationally- acclaimed voices to Africando's characteristic blend of Cuban son, mambo and West African styles. The ensemble remained prolific throughout the 1990s (releasing seven albums, including their latest, Martina) and continues to produce some of the finest Afro-Cuban music in West Africa, the Caribbean and New York.

Contributed by: Miller Nuttle