Post-Colonial African Groove of the Week #6 – Boibini
Posted on | October 2, 2009 | No Comments
Today we move northward, to Timbuktu, Mali, to hear the “Nightengale of the Desert,” Khaira Arby. She is a very popular singer in Mali, though relatively unknown elsewhere in the world, as her recordings haven’t been released in Europe or the U.S.
She was born in Agouni, in the desert north of Timbuktu and is of mixed ethnic heritage, which is reflected in her music, blending various styles of northern Malian music. She sings in many languages, including Sonrai and Tamashek, 2 main languages of the region, as well as Arabic.
The track I have selected was originally introduced to me by my friend and frequent collaborater Kevin Van Geem, who plays drums in my sextet and, as I was and as I hope you will be, was floored by the deep desert “swing” of the hi-hat groove in this tune. This comes courtesy of a great blog, Awesome Tapes from Africa, where it was posted in two parts [both are here], so be sure to check out the rest of that album. Meanwhile, you can click below to hear this great tune “Boibini”, which features a typical Malian female chorus, a 1-string fiddle of some sort, which I assume is an Njarka (correct me if I’m wrong there), some great desert guitar, and Khaira soaring above it all:
The 5-note scale is quite different from the 7-note ones used by the Mandinka people in more southern parts of Mali (and for that matter is different from the 5-note scale used in the Wasulu region as well), and is probably the most immediately noticeable “desert” element, aside from that ridiculous hi-hat swing!! We’ve been trying to “cover” this song in my Kora Band for quite some time, and finally have gotten it sounding pretty good, though the true spirit of it is nearly impossible to capture, of course. Still, it’s fun to try and hopefully enjoyable to our audiences!
And, as if the whole album link enough wasn’t enough bonus material for this post, here is a link to a great video of Khaira Arby at Festival In the Desert, in Essakane, Mali, courtesy of the Guardian newspaper:
Have a great weekend – next up is my James P. Johnson/Fats Waller post, which is nearly complete!
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