Guinea, in West Africa, was among the earliest independent African nations, and its first leader, Sekou Touré, changed the political and cultural landscape of the entire region. On the plus side of Touré's mostly negative legacy was his creation of a national system of bands, aimed at uniting and reinventing Guinea's ethnic music traditions as modern pop. The National Orchestra in the capital, Conakry, quickly overflowed with talent and divided into sub-groups, Balla et ses Balladins and Keletigui et ses Tambourinis, which in turn spawned other groups. Meanwhile, regional groups like Bembeya Jazz National from Beyla in the north emerged as strong contenders for the attention of an energized public. By the early `70s, the national Syliphone label was releasing classic recordings that would shape much Afropop to come, the music of Salif Keita and Mory Kante being prominent examples. Syliphone releases have been much lauded but seldom heard in this country. But now Syllart has released seven compilations, Discotheque 70-76 (Syllart/Stern's), hitting the high points of this seminal period.

The 1970 collection emphasizes the Afro-Cuban flavor of this music. Cuban pop was the thing before Touré came along and told bands they had to adapt, not parrot, foreign sounds. So we get Latinized Guinean songs in Bembeya Jazz's "Waraba" and Balla's "Kaira." The blaring horn sections and undulating clave rhythms are plainly Cuban, but the soaring vocals and prickly electric guitar work spotlight the melodies and rhythms of African griots. A long, classical guitar duo from Les Virtuoses Diabaté plays like a fusion of European and Manding court music, a little pretentious, but fascinating. The 1971 set continues the story with Keletigui's group introducing the wooden-slatted balafon to a band lineup on "J.R.D.A." Balla's "Moi Ca Ma Fout" offers an aggressive adaptation of a rootsier, minor pentatonic sound, a precursor of today's blues-related Wassoulou and Bambara pop styles, and the guitar work on Balla's darkly elegant adaptation of the Manding standard "Sakhodouga" exemplifies one of the most riveting modern guitar styles in Africa.

The 1972 and '73 collections are notable for the Bembeya Jazz tracks. This group was a West African sensation in those days, largely due to the gale force vocals of Aboubacar Camara and sterling guitar work of Sekou "Diamond Fingers" Diabaté, both especially strong on the 1973 cut "Super Tentemba." Another gem from 1973 features South African legend Miriam Makeba---who lived in Guinea at the time---in full voice with kora and violins on the Manding-flavored "Malouyame." At the end of 1973, Bembeya's Camara would die in a car accident, discombobulating Bembeya Jazz for years and opening the way for some of the groups featured on the 1974 collection, like Camayenne Sofa with their wailing take on funk and Afrobeat, "Kononin," and Kaloum Star with an equally hot spin on the era's blues rock, "Maliba." Horoya Band's "Sasilon" (also '74) pulls all the elements together with a skanking groove, sassy horns, sweet harmonies turned edgy through the careful use of dominant 7th chords, and a blasting guitar solo that goes right over the top when the player hits the fuzz box. For guitar histrionics, the '73 and '74 editions are hard to beat. The wild optimism of that explosive time is palpable on every track.

After that, the 1975 edition doesn't quite measure up. All the same elements remain, but the Manding/Cuban numbers begin to sound a little rote, and some of the solos, like the mindless organ break on Cameyenne Sofa's "Kulumba" seem overwrought to say the least. It's as if the musicians, like the nation itself, are over reaching and coming up short. The 1976 collection is better, focussing on the revival of Bembeya Jazz. The group's vocals can't match the old glory days, but Sekou Diabaté's guitar work sounds better than ever. He shows off his Santana tone and tremolo tricks amid uproarious laughter on the feature, "Petit Sekou." By this time, the Congo guitar sound out of Zaire is predominant in Africa, and Diabaté nods to it more than once, especially on "Telephone." The freshness and intimacy heard on these recordings inspired early interest in African pop abroad, planting the seeds for the big breaks African artists got during the 1980s. Looking back, little that's come since matches the raw inspiration of the 1970s sessions, not only in Guinea, but in Zaire and South Africa as well. True Afropop aficionados will want to own this entire collection. For the merely curious, there are two 40 ème Anniversaire Syliphone volumes (Syllart/Stern's) featuring tracks from the larger series and a few others as well. Volume 2 is particularly good. The absence of liner notes on all these releases is a big minus. The stories of most of these bands have never been told in any depth in English. Once you hear this music, you'll know why they should be.
Contributed by: Banning Eyre

First published: Boston Phoenix