Legendary Orchestra Baobab release new single + video - UK/Europe tour starts today in London
Senegal's legendary band Orchestra Baobab is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new album scheduled for release in the Autumn. Some of the band's original members have sadly left us, but their sons and daughters have taken up the torch to continue to pay tribute to the elders.
Having recently released first single '50 Ans', they have now shared 'Jambar Yi', a new track taken from the long-awaited new album. "Jamabar Yi' means "our heroes" in Senegal's national language wolof, and it celebrates this heritage, the elders, the continuity... As the saying goes, the Baobab never dies.
“The decades pass, but we are still here” say the band's oldest musicians Thierno Koité (saxophone), Moussa Sissokho (congas), Taga Koité (drums) and Yahya Fall (rhythm guitar). “Our group is united”, adds the youngest: "We are united in all our diversity, old and young. Yes, this band is an institution, but we continue our journey with the same legendary enthusiasm and more joy than ever!'.
LISTEN TO 'JAMBAR YI' HERE
WATCH 'JAMBAR YI' HERE
Today Orchestra Baobab begin a UK/European tour with a sold-out show at London's Koko. Full dates below.
02 May - Koko - London, UK - SOLD OUT
03 May - Cheltenham Jazz Festival - Cheltenham, UK - SOLD OUT
04 May - Bray Jazz Festival - Co. Wicklow, Ireland - SOLD OUT
05 May - The Lantern - Bristol, UK
06 May - Princess Pavillion - Falmouth, UK
07 May - Brighton Festival - Brighton, UK
08 May - Lighthouse - Poole, UK
09 May - Brewery Arts - Kendal, UK
10 May - Howard Assembly Rooms - Leeds, UK
11 May - XJazz Festival - Berlin, Germany
12 May - PTR - Geneva, Switzerland
13 May - Palace - St Gallen, Switzerland
19 May - Philarmonie - Haarlem, Netherlands
21 May - Paard - The Hague, Netherlands
ABOUT ORCHESTRA BAOBAB
The story starts in the heart of the Medina of Dakar at the end of the 1960s, in a nightclub built around a baobab tree where the group developed a diversity of styles reflecting the cultural mix and strong musical personalities of its founding members.
From 1977, Orchestra Baobab continued its residency at Jandeer Night Club. In 1978, the group released two albums: 'Baobab in Paris Volume 1 & 2'. Two other albums followed: 'Gouygui Dou Daanou' (1979) and 'Sibou Odja' (1980), refining the group's style. The seminal 'Ken Dou Werente' (1982) with tracks like Utrus Horas, Coumba, Werente Werigne features some of the most beautiful African songs ever recorded.
However, by the end of 1983 Baobab had unofficially disbanded, and it wasn’t until Nick Gold and Youssou N’Dour encouraged the group to reform 15 long years later that Orchestra Baobab rose again at their now-famous London Barbican gig in 2001 and received a standing ovation that seemed to go on forever.
As the new century advanced, Baobab’s distinctive heartbeat could be heard once again on 2002’s seductive 'Specialist In All Styles', and the even more fully realized, 2007’s 'Made In Dakar'
Under the late great Balla Sidibé’s leadership, their critically acclaimed 2017 LP Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng revisited old territories and broke new ground for these beloved West African veterans, and since its release, they have continued to tour worldwide, bringing their rich and much-loved sound to new and longtime fans alike.
Landmark 2002 reunion album 'Specialist In All Styles' (2002) is a definitive illustration of Baobab’s Afro-Latin magic, introducing new material and reinventing some of the old tunes that made them famous.
www.facebook.com/OrchestraBaobab
