Cheikh Lô: Senegal’s Mystic Troubadour: Apr 25, 2012
| “In Baye Fall, we have something called a jarasse…. the multicoloured clothes that I wear most of the time… the music on this album is a kind of jarasse….” Cheikh Lô, liner notes to “Jamm“… “The dreadlocked singer’s signature blend of semi-acoustic flavours – West and Central African, funk, Cuban, flamenco – has been distilled into his most mature, focused, yet diverse statement to date.” |
|
| “a globe-hopping aural adventure.” | |
|
Wednesday, APRIL 25, 2012 |
The Great Hall 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto |
| opening: Donné Roberts Juno Award Winner with African Guitar Summit | |
also on sale at these locations:
African Drums & Art Crafts 618 Dundas St W
New Bilan Restaurant 183 Dundas St. E
Nharo! Direct Trade 543 Danforth Ave.
Soundscapes 572 College St.
Cheikh Lô is one of the great mavericks of African music. A singer and songwriter as well as a distinctive guitarist, percussionist, and drummer, he has personalized and distilled a variety of influences from West and Central Africa, to create a style that is uniquely his own.
title track: Jamm, which means “peace” in Wolof.
Growing up with Senegalese parents in Burkina Faso near the border of Mali during the 1950s, Cheikh Lô played the musical genres of the time, including Cuban and Congolese styles. He gave his first performances as a young man in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina’s creative capital and hotbed of musical activity, and later moved to Dakar. But it was not until he made his way to Paris in 1985 that he began to build the relationships that would make up his unique musical community.
Since his first internationally distributed record, the Youssou N’Dour–produced Né La Thiass (1996), Cheikh Lô has received increasing acclaim worldwide. His last album, Lamp Fall (2005), was highly praised; on NPR’s All Things Considered, African music expert Banning Eyre said Lô “proves himself one of the most dynamic creators in today’s African music” and the Associated Press called the record “a globe-hopping aural adventure.”
For the next few years Lô withdrew from the international stage and immersed himself in the Dakar scene playing regularly with his own band and this return home is reflected in his new album, Jamm (2010).
Cheikh Lô is an artist unlike any other in music. It’s not just his unique appearance – with long dreadlocks and his colourful patchwork clothes – that sets him apart; his career is constantly evolving, incorporating influences from around the world. Wherever his musical journey takes him you can be sure he’ll remain rooted to his Baye Fall beliefs, and no matter what, will always sound like Cheikh Lô.
Montréal: April 21, 2012 (video by Jacqueline Mallette, ServicesMontreal.com)
“And though his music feels global in scope and influence, Lô’s heart beats close to home.”
{ more from this in-depth interview at eMusic Q&A }
{ more about Cheikh Lô }
{ more about Jamm }
“In order to make this album reach far beyond his home in Senegal, the singer, drummer and guitarist construes beautiful pieces of music from rhythms of all corners of Africa and the Americas.” { more from this Afropop Worldwide review }
trailer for ‘Jamm’, featuring Cheikh on location & live onstage in Dakar.
Batuki Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council
with the promotional assistance of Small World Music.
