Oh dear. Sad news reaches us of the death of Mory Kanté, the legendary Mandinka/Guinean singer who surprised the world - and led the way for numerous African musicians such as Youssou N'Dour, Amadou & Mariam, Angélique Kidjo and Salif Keita (to varying degrees of success) into the Western pop market - with a song that became an international success in 1988, making it the first ever African single to sell over one million copies!
It was, and remains utterly irresistible, and is one of my favourites - and so, to add to the party mood that marks the start of the Bank Holiday weekend, here it is!
Love the suit. Love the dancers. Love everything about it!
RIP, Mory Kanté (29th March 1950 – 22nd May 2020)
Somehow i missed this back in '88! I only knew the kora in West African traditional music. I also had 4 kids, so I sort of missed a LOT in the 80s. xoxo
ReplyDeleteIt was one of those remarkable "World-music-meets-dance-club" choons that really stood out in that "transitional" time when Hi-NRG had handed over the baton to Stock Aitken & Waterman, and Acid House and Techno were the only alternatives. It really sparked an interest with the more progressive DJs in crossover World Music at the time, too, with such "exotic" artists as Ofrah Haza and sounds as diverse as Bhangra and Balkan music hitting the dancefloor. Nowadays, everything seems quite dull in comparison. Jx
DeleteSad news But it still is a fab track and a fab way to start the bank Holiday.
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame we don't have the sunshine to go with it.
It's not quite African weather, admittedly, but despite the gales it is still warm... Jx
DeleteIt's been cold here, so thanks for bringing some heat!
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Yesterday's hurricane force winds weren't exactly pleasant - they took down a nasty tree over the back from us - but it's really warm today! Jx
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