Minuit / Guantanamera-seyni. [1968]. SYL 510 Bembeya Jazz National. N'wato ... [1971]. SYL 534 Myriam Makeba. L'Enfant et la Gazelle / Amampondo. [1971].
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Music in Guinea’s First Republic
Published in Mande-Manding. Background Reading for Ethnographic Research in the Region South of Bamako. Edited by Jan Jansen. Leiden: Leiden University, 2004, pp. 284-301.
Guinea, along with its northern neighbour, Mali, has long been a centre for producing some of the finest music in all of Africa. A roll call of Guinean bands and musicians reads like a who’s who of African greats - Bembeya Jazz National, Kouyaté Sory Kandia, Sékou “Diamond Fingers” Diabaté, Demba Camara, Kanté Manfila, Mory Kanté, and Les Amazones de Guinée are just a few of the artists who dominated the West African music scene for over 20 years. In the early 1970s Guinean music was in full bloom, yet the nation was an isolated régime which regularly headed Amnesty International’s list of pariah states. The environment in which these stars of African music produced some of their greatest work is therefore worth investigating, for in Guinea, music and politics were inextricably linked. The story of the development of Guinean pop music parallels the rise and fall of Ahmed Sékou Touré, the nation’s first President. Sékou Touré, as he is usually referred to, was born in Farannah, a town in central Guinea close to the Malinké heartlands of the north-west. He rose through the ranks of the trade union movement in the 1940s to emerge as a labour leader and, in 1951, he assumed the position of General Secretary of the Parti Démocratique de Guinée (PDG). The PDG was the main opposition political party in the pre-independence era, and under Sékou Touré it was to totally dominate the political landscape for a generation. By 1958 the independence movement was growing rapidly, and Charles de Gaulle offered Guineans an opportunity to join a French-administered confederation of autonomous West African states. It was either this or total independence. It was agreed that a referendum on the decision would be taken, with the French making it clear that a refusal to join the confederation would court economic disaster. Some weeks prior to the referendum Sékou Touré had addressed a large demonstration in Conakry and proclaimed to the crowd: “We prefer freedom in poverty to riches in chains”. De Gaulle, who was at the rally, was stunned, and Guineans were to vote overwhelmingly, and quite famously, NON to the referendum. On the 2 nd of October 1958, Guinea became the first of the French colonies in West Africa to gain independence, and Sékou Touré was elected as President. Humbled, the French made an example of Guinea by
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stripping the nation of its essential services and infrastructure, which included the removal of telephones, medicines, engineering blueprints, and even cutlery. At independence Guinea had just six university graduates, and only 1% of children were receiving a primary school education (Trillo 1995: 480). Sékou Touré was to remain as Guinea’s president until his death in 1984. An author, poet and founding member of the Organization for African Unity, the long era of his rule marks the most turbulent period in Guinea’s short history. Perhaps the greatest legacy which remains of the Touré years is the music created by the dozens of bands, orchestras and ensembles which were formed during his rule. The nations of Guinea, Mali and Senegal share a common heritage, for at independence all three were lead by charismatic, Socialist leaders. Each nation, in seeking to remove the burden of decades of colonial rule, embarked on new and ambitious programs aimed at rejuvenating their nation’s indigenous art forms. Accordingly, new cultural policies were implemented which were intended to create new musical styles based on indigenous traditional forms. These three nations were also home to a caste of singer-historians who are commonly referred to as griots. In Guinea, the combination of these factors in the early 1960s lead to the creation statesponsored ensembles who played modern instruments. From these ensembles many of the popular bands evolved. In order to liberate Guinea from the vestiges of colonial rule, one of Sékou Touré’s primary objectives was to reinvigorate the arts. He introduced new cultural policies which had a dramatic effect on the music scene. In 1959, only a few months after independence, the President forcibly disbanded all the groups that played “slavish renditions” of tangos, waltzes and other “imported” dance styles (Guinean National Commission for UNESCO 1979: 80). He considered these groups a considered a cultural pollutant, and in order to liberate Guinea from Western influences he also banned the playing of Western music from the radio. Fiercely anti-colonial, Touré stated that “our artistic and cultural activities should mark a departure from the patterns followed in the past... Our music should rise up from a world which once degraded it through the practice of colonial domination and assert the full rights of the people” (Guinean National Commission for UNESCO 1979: 83). Touré’s aim was to restore what he regarded as authentic African values via a revival of popular art forms. In order to revitalize and rejuvenate Guinea’s artistic traditions, particularly music and dance, the President advocated “authenticité” in the arts – a policy which sought to situate the traditional art forms within a modern performance context.
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The early period of Guinean music (1958-1965) was dominated by just a few orchestras, notably the Syli Orchestre National, Orchestre du Jardin de Guinée (who later became Balla et ses Balladins), and Orchestre de la Pailotte (who evolved into Keletigui et ses Tambourinis). These early modern groups were greatly influenced by Cuban music, with dance styles such as the rumba and merengue commonplace in their compositions until the late 1960s. The Syli Orchestre National were the first of over 30 bands that were created by the cultural policies of the Guinean government. Every major town and administrative precinct in Guinea was represented by an orchestra, traditional music ensemble, and artistic troupe. The musicians in the orchestras were paid a wage, supplied with instruments (such as electric guitars, drum kits, and brass sections), and were given the opportunity to regularly perform at statecontrolled venues. Many of Guinea’s famous groups had their origins in these Orchestres Federeaux, as the regional orchestras were known. Orchestre de Beyla, an obscure group from a small town in the east of Guinea, were later to transform into Bembeya Jazz. Another popular band, the Horoya Band, hailed from Kankan, as did their counterparts, the 22 Band. The Palm Jazz orchestra were based in Macenta, and even the small outpost of Boké had its own group, Sorsornet Rythm. The armed forces were represented by the Orchestré de la Garde Républicaine, and the police force by two groups - La Formation Féminine de la Gendarmerie, an all-female ensemble who became better known as Les Amazones de Guinée, and an all-male group, Super Lion. The Orchestres Federeaux competed against one another at regional competitions, with the finalists competing at the Festivals Nationaux held annually at the Palais de Peuple in Conakry. This system of a national arts festival based upon broad regional representation was adopted by Mali, and so highly regarded was Guinea’s cultural policy that many other nations in West Africa introduced its major principles. Bembeya Jazz dominated Guinea’s early national festivals and, in 1966, after winning two festivals, they were declared a “national” orchestra. They joined an elite group of other Orchestres Nationale, which included the Syli Orchestre National, Keletigui et ses Tambourinis, Balla et ses Balladins, and Les Amazones de Guinée. The only other orchestras to be nationalised were the Horoya Band, who won the national competitions in 1968 and 1969, and the Super Boiro Band, who were created from the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, and who won the 1971 and 1972 competitions. All of the Orchestres Nationale were relocated to Conakry, and their musicians were spared the ardour of their normal jobs and instead were allowed to
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devote themselves more fully to musical production.1 Guinea’s groups were recorded on the Syliphone label. Syliphone was the only recording company operating in the country and it was strictly controlled by the PDG. Syliphone released 82 long play records and 75 singles – a catalogue of over 800 songs. Here-in lies the bulk of Guinea’s recording history. L’Orchestre Régional de Guéckédou, ca 1963
Through the formation of these Federeaux and Nationale groups, Sékou Touré sought to modernize Guinean music. “A new music for a new era” was the catch-cry, and all of Guinea’s bands were encouraged to write new material based on traditional songs. The PDG were now the sole political party in Guinea, and they imposed on the orchestras “a sacred obligation to draw their inspiration solely from the wealth of epic and popular folk traditions” (Guinean National Commission for UNESCO 1979: 80). This policy was broadly applied, to the extent that the brass band of the national army were instructed to adapt war tunes and epic songs from the indigenous folk repertoires. These were to replace the former compositions, which were regarded as inappropriate symbols of the old colonial régime. It is here that the role of the griots is crucial, for not only did they constitute the bulk of the personnel of Guinea’s orchestras, as they did in other West African nations, but they were also the undisputed masters and guardians of a
1
Interview with Métoura Traoré, the chef d’orchestre of Horoya Band National. 21/08/2001.
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significant portion of Guinea’s musical culture and heritage. A griot’s repertoire includes a large number of epic narrative songs. The most famous of these is the epic of Soundiata Keita, the founder of the Malian empire in the 12th century AD. Like other Guinean epics, it describes in great detail the life and times of the protagonist and hero of the story. Soundiata’s deeds, for example, are used as an example to society of a venerable code of behaviour, with his bravery, honesty and wisdom praised in song. The griots pass down these epic songs from generation to generation. Their themes often detail the lives of warriors, with a popular epic in Guinea known as Almami Samori Touré. This song is named after a resistance fighter who fought against the French in the 19 th century, and who was hailed as “The Emperor of Wassoulou”. Almami Samori Touré, 1898
In 1970 Bembeya Jazz National released Regard sur le Passé, their second long play record through Syliphone. This album was a turning point for Guinean music, skilfully adapting the epic of Almami Samori Touré into a modern performance context. Many other versions of griot epics were recorded on the Syliphone label, such as Soundiata, which describes the life of Soundiata Keita, and Duga, a song which praises the bravery of warriors.
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Griots performances, however, are not limited to epic stories, for in Mande society they fulfil a multiplicity of roles. Before colonialism, griots were to be found in the royal courts of the Mande, where they performed numerous functions including that of diplomat, interpreter, and ambassador. For centuries they maintained close links with the noble classes and clans, presiding over important ceremonies such as initiations, weddings, and naming days. At these events they would sing praises to their patrons and, in their role as genealogist, include praiseworthy references to their ancestors. With colonialism came the dismantling of the Mande royal courts and the emergence of the merchant class. The griots, having lost many of their benefactors and in need of new patrons, aligned themselves to this new and wealthy class, performing praise songs to their honour as they once did for the nobility. In Guinea, the state had effectively become the griots’ patron, and in the emerging orchestras griots sang the praises of the government and its programs. There are many examples of these songs on the Syliphone label, with the great bulk of material detailing the policies of the PDG and proclaiming its principles. Guinea’s orchestras were thus used as vehicles to promote the government’s ideology, and they were closely aligned to the ruling party. In Guinea, where the PDG ruled unopposed, the orchestras were used successfully to create a personality cult around the nation’s leader, Sékou Touré. An examination of the repertoire of Guinean bands recorded on the Syliphone label reveals numerous instances of songs espousing various government initiatives and organizations. In 1972, for example, the Horoya Band recorded Alphabetisation,2 a song which proclaimed a literacy campaign instigated by the PDG. A popular hit by Bembeya Jazz National was Armée Guinéenne,3 a song which used the melody from the epic narrative Duga. Many songs praised the PDG and its Socialist policies. Under Sékou Touré, the PDG had become a “mass” political party, purporting to represent all Guineans via a vast network of local committees and councils. Fully two-thirds of the citizenry, some 4 million people, were members of the PDG, and the party exercised a rigid control over virtually all facets of day-to-day life. Guinea increasingly became a totalitarian state, and its only radio station, newspaper, recording studio and recording label were all state controlled. A refusal to join the PDG could result in dire consequences – imprisonment, torture, or even execution. Women were encouraged to deny sex to their husbands if they refused to become members of the party (Warshaw
2 3
Trio Féderal du Pointe. Syliphone. SLP 25, ca 1971. Bembeya Jazz National. Armée Guinéenne / Net a Sec. Syliphone. SYL 504, ca 1968.
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1990: 527). Further encouragement was supplied through the praise songs on the Syliphone records, such as La Guinée Horoya by the Horoya Band National, who were named after Guinea’s only newspaper, the Horoya. The song is concerned with “the independence of Guinea, the united nation with precise objectives, (and with) the victory of the People whose heart is committed to a National Party”.4 Similar rhetoric is found on songs throughout the Syliphone catalogue, with examples commonly describing the invincibility, benevolence and wisdom of the PDG. Chemin du P.D.G.,5 for example, is a twenty-three minute live recording by Bembeya Jazz National, where the orchestra pays homage the party. There are also numerous songs devoted to the merits of the JRDA, the youth wing of the African Democratic Movement (RDA) of which the PDG was a branch.6 In addition, albums containing the poetry of the President were released,7 with the poems sung by a soloist or chorus. Naturally, these too exhorted the values and righteousness of the party: The PDG destroys the evil and reinforces the good in any work... It enriches the poor one and impoverishes the rich person on the anvil of equity... O river which does not dry up! Fruit without bitterness! Fire which does not die out! You give my life reason and substance... (Kouyaté Sory Kandia / Horoya Band de Kankan. P.D.G. / Boloba. Syliphone. SLP 17, ca 1971. Author’s translation) On the Syliphone series of recordings the greatest praise of all was reserved for the President himself. As “Le Secrétaire Général et Responsable Suprême de la Révolution”, Sékou Touré exercised complete authority in Guinean politics. His rise to power was enhanced by his widely publicized lineage from Almami Samori Touré. The President was said to be his grandson, thus lending his rule important legitimacy. On many songs on the Syliphone recordings the consanguineous relationship between Sékou Touré and Almami Samory Touré is alluded to. Many authors and historians, however, disagree as to whether the President was in fact the grand-son of Samori or merely a close descendant.8 Morgenthau (1964: 112) comments that:
Liner notes to Savane Profond. Syliphone. SLP 41, ca 1972. Author’s translation. Chemin du P.D.G. 2ème Concert du Bembeya Jazz National. Tunyalee. 2ème Concert du Horoya Band de Kankan. Syliphone. SLP 27, ca 1971. 6 For example, J.R.D.A., by Kade Diawara (L’Archange du Manding. Syliphone. SLP 62, ca 1977), and J.R.D.A., by Keletigui et ses Tambourinis (Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Syliphone. SLP 30, ca 1972). 7 Poèmes Militants. Syliphone. SLP 13, ca 1970; P.D.G. / Boloba. Kouyaté Sory Kandia / Horoya Band de Kankan. Syliphone. SLP 17, ca 1970; Appels au Peuple. Syliphone. SLP 26, ca 1971. 8 “Ahmed Sékou Touré is a descendant, on his mother’s side, of the great almami of Wassulu, Samori Touré”. (Riviére 1977: 12). “Certain Guinean advisors, in particular of course from those opponents of Sékou, dismiss from the start the assumption, continuing in 4 5
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there was no scarcity of direct descendants of Samori Touré, who made a practice of taking wives everywhere in his extensive travels. The mantle of succession fell upon Sékou Touré at least in part because he consciously emphasized the historical parallel of resistance against alien rule. There is little doubt, however, that Sékou Touré used his ancestral relationship with Samori Touré to ennoble his own origin and to validate his position as head-ofstate. Almami Samori Touré was a national hero in Guinea, and remains one of the great figures in their modern history. On the album Regard sur le Passé,9 Bembeya Jazz National describes the anti-colonial resistance movement of the 19th century, and their lyrics make direct reference to Sékou Touré’s ancestry. The song also compares the President to Soundiata Keita and other famous figures in West African history, and it concludes with the following lyrics: They did not die, these heroes, and they will not die. After them, daring pioneers once again took up the fight of national liberty which finally triumphed under the direction of Ahmed Sékou Touré, grandson of Samori. On the 29th September 1958, the Revolution triumphed, an avengement for this other 29th September 1898, the date of the arrest of the Emperor of Wassoulou, Almami Samori Touré. (Kaba 1976: 214. Author’s translation) The Syliphone label released many songs of praise to Sékou Touré, more so than to any other figure, including Soundiata Keita, the founder of the Malian empire. The lyrics to Mandjou, for example, state: “Sékou Touré you have the confidence of all the people... thank you for what you did and continue to do for us”.10 Touré, by Bembeya Jazz National, tells us more about the President: “You are honest, you are good, you are that which the people of Guinea need.”11 In light of these praise songs the brutality and repressive nature of Touré’s presidency should not be overlooked. Under his rule a quarter of the population, a figure representing over 1,500,000 people, fled the country in order to escape both political and ethnic repression (Rubiik 1987: 105). Tens of thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured and executed. Many others simply disappeared. Among those executed was Fodéba Keita, the founder of Les Ballets Africains, and former Minister of Defense and Internal Affairs. In 1971 he was convicted of treason and died in Camp
treating his ascent as remote and tortuous. But the great majority, I checked it personally, admit that the maternal great-grandmother of the future president of Guinea, Bagbe Ramata Touré, is well a girl of Almamy Samori. All the close relations confirm it. (Kake 1987: 11). See also Samori: Un Révolution Dyoula. (Person 1975). 9 Bembeya Jazz National. Regard sur le Passé. Syliphone. SLP 10, ca 1970. 10 Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Syliphone. SLP 30, ca 1972. 11 Bembeya Jazz National. Le Défi. Syliphone. SLP 59, ca 1976.
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Boiro prison as a result of the infamous “diète noire”, or “black diet”.12 Marof Achkar, Guinea’s U.N. Ambassador and early member of Les Ballets Africains, was secretly executed, with a similar fate befalling Diallo Telli, Guinea’s Minister for Justice, and the first Secretary-General of the OAU. As the 1970s progressed, Guinea’s economy was on the brink of collapse. Smuggling attracted the death penalty and, in 1977, after all private trade was abolished, market women throughout the country rioted, attacking police stations and killing three governors. This is not the Guinea that is portrayed in the material released on the Syliphone label. Rather, what is presented are songs that speak of “the happiness of the people” and invite the listener to “imagine that victorious warriors are dancing their success” to the music.13 The Syliphone label completely dominated all facets of the recording industry, in much the same way as Sékou Touré and the PDG dominated Guinean life. It was the principal vehicle for the cultural revolution which Sékou Touré launched in 1968, and the griots, who comprised the majority of the ensembles, were its voice. The Syliphone recordings promoted Guinean music and helped make it the most popular style in francophone West Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. At the inaugural Pan-African Cultural Festival held in Algiers in 1969, an international jury awarded Guinea’s delegation a gold medal, several silvers, and the first “prize for culture”. Many of the Guinea’s orchestras toured neighbouring countries, with Les Amazones de Guinée touring Europe and Bembeya Jazz National travelling to Cuba and the USSR. When performing in Cuba, the renowned singer Abelardo Barroso was moved to tears at the beauty of Bembeya Jazz National’s lead singer, Aboubacar Demba Camara, who was later killed in a car crash in Dakar, Senegal. Bembeya Jazz National also produced one of Africa’s greatest guitarists, Sékou Diabaté, or “Diamond fingers”, as he is widely known. The golden age of Guinean music lasted until the early 1980s, when Guinea’s economy started to spiral out of control. The size of the orchestras had become too large to maintain, much of their equipment was in a poor condition and was not being repaired, and only a trickle of LPs were being released by Syliphone. Sékou Touré was aging and in recluse, though he remained as President until his death on March 27, 1984. Just one week later the PDG was overthrown in a military coup, and the new administration immediately abandoned the cultural policies of the previous era. Touré’s 12
13
The “black diet” was the term given to the treatment of political prisoners, who routinely received no food and no water. Liner notes to Dia Doni by Camayenne Sofa. A Grand Pas. Syliphone. SLP 56, ca 1976. Author’s translation.
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death heralded the demise of Guinea’s orchestras. Syliphone was now defunct, and new private recording labels were slow to develop. Of all the former orchestras, Kaloum Star and Bembeya Jazz National are the only groups from the Touré era still performing. The musical legacy of the era of Sékou Touré leaves us with a wealth of superb recordings, their politics aside. The songs expressed the hopes and positive aspirations of the new nation, and were crucial in creating and affirming a national identity. Fortunately, many of these recordings have now been re-released, with a complete discography of the label below.
Discography of the Syliphone Label Syliphone 33.3 rpm discs
SLP 1 SLP 2 SLP 3 SLP 4 SLP 5 SLP 6 SLP 7 GUI 1 GUI 2 GUI 3
SLP 8 SLP 9 SLP 1014 SLP 11 SLP 12 SLP 13 SLP 14 SLP 15 SLP 16 SLP 17 SLP 18 SLP 19
14
Editions Syliphone - Info-Guinee Conakry Orchestre Paillote. Sous la Direction de Traoré Keletigui. Volume 1. [1967] Orchestre du Jardin de Guinée. Sous la Direction de Onivogui Balla. [1967] Orchestre Paillote. Sous la Direction de Traoré Keletigui. Volume 2. [1967] Bembeya Jazz National. Sous la Direction de Diaoune Hamidou. [1967] Rythmes Africains. Conakry: Quinzaine Artistique 1965. [1967] Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine. 1ère et 2ème Formation. [1967] Ensemble Instrumental de la Radio-Diffusion Nationale. Sous la Direction de Kanté Diely Mamadou. [1967] Kan ni Mankan. Sons et Echos. [1968] Quinzaine Artistique Nationale 1967. Selection des Folklores. [1968] Quinzaine Artistique Nationale 1967. Selection des Chœurs. [1968] Editions Syliphone Conakry Guinée An X. Orchestres Nationaux. Grand Tierce Musical. [1969] Guinée An X. Ensemble Instrumental de la Radiodiffusion Nationale. [1969] Bembeya Jazz National. Regard sur le Passé. [1970] Sons et Rythmes de Guinée. Avec les Ballets Africains. [1970] Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Grand Prix du Disque 1970. (Académie Charles Gros) [1970] Ahmed Sékou Touré. Poèmes Militants. [1970] Ballet Africains de la République de Guinée. [1970] Guinée An XI. Le Rendez-vous Annuel des Grands. [1970] Guinée An XI. Ensemble Instrumental de la Radiodiffusion National. [1970] Kouyaté Sory Kandia / Horoya Band de Kankan. P.D.G. / Boloba. [1971] Disques Souvenirs du Premier Festival National de la Culture du 9 Mars au 27 Mars 1970. Folklores de Guinée. [1971] Disques Souvenirs du Premier Festival National de la Culture du 9 Mars au 27 Mars 1970. Recueil des Orchestrés Modernes. [1971]
SLP’s 10-13 were also re-issued as a “Série Spéciale Festival” box set, titled Premier Festival Cultural Panafricain Alger. Délégation de la République de Guinée, in celebration of the Syli National Orchestra’s success at the festival.
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SLP 20 SLP 21 SLP 22 SLP 23 SLP 24 SLP 25 SLP 26 SLP 27 SLP 28 SLP 29 SLP 30 SLP 31 SLP 32 SLP 33 SLP 34
SLP 35 SLP 36 SLP 37 SLP 38 SLP 39 SLP 40 SLP 41 SLP 42 SLP 43 SLP 44 SLP 45 SLP 46 SLP 47 SLP 48 SLP 4815 SLP 49 SLP 50 SLP 51 SLP 52 SLP 53 SLP 54 SLP 55 SLP 56 SLP 57 SLP 58 SLP 59 SLP 60 15
Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Tour d’Afrique de la Chanson. [1971] Guinée An XII. Pleins Feux sur les Artistes du Peuple. (1971) Myriam Makeba. Concert Public au Palais du Peuple de Conakry. “Appel a l’Afrique”. [1971] Discothèque 70. [1971] Bembeya Jazz National. Dix Ans de Succès. [1971] Trio Féderal de Pointe. [1971] Ahmed Sékou Touré. Appels au Peuple. [1971] Chemin du P.D.G. 2ème Concert du Bembeya Jazz National. Tunyalee. 2ème Concert du Horoya Band de Kankan. [1971] Dirou-Band / Chœur de Boffa. Concert de Kindia. [1971] Kouyaté Sory Kandia & L’Ensemble Instrumental et Choral de la Radiodiffusion Nationale. Victoire a la Révolution. [1971] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. [1972] Pivi & les Balladins. [1972] Super Boiro Band. Niaissa & Sa Trompette. [1972] Les Rythmes et Chants Sacrés des Ballets “Djoliba National”. [1972] Bembeya Jazz National. Inoubliable Gala Télévisé du Bembeya Jazz National. Pris sur le vif "Regard sur le Passé" avec les Etudiants Ivoiriens (Janvier 1972). [1972] Discothèque 71. [1972] Kouyaté Sory Kandia et son Trio de Musique Traditionnelle Africaine. L’Épopée du Mandingue. Volume 1. [1973] Kouyaté Sory Kandia et son Trio de Musique Traditionnelle Africaine. L’Épopée du Mandingue. Volume 2. [1973] Kouyaté Sory Kandia et son Trio de Musique Traditionnelle Africaine. L’Épopée du Mandingue. Volume 3. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Parade Africaine. Authenticité 73. [1973] Discothèque 72. [1973] Horoya Band National. Savane Profond. [1974] 9éme Festival National des Arts et la Culture, Mars 1973. [1974] Folklore et Ensembles Instrumentaux. [1974] Bembeya Jazz National. Special Recueil-souvenir du Bembeya Jazz National. (Mémoire de Aboubacar Demba Camara). [1974] Discothèque 73. [1974] Super Boiro Band. [1974] Balla et ses Balladins. [1974] Myriam Makeba et Bongi. [1975] Discothèque 74. [1975] Discothèque 75. [1976] Special Xème Festival National. [1976] 22 Band-Kankan. Dans le Vent. [1976] Camayenne Sofa. La Percée. [1976] Virtuoses Diabaté. La Nouvelle Mariée. [1976] Musique Sans Paroles. [1976] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. La Retour. [1976] Camayenne Sofa. A Grands Pas. [1976] Syli Authentic. Dans l’Arène. [1976] Super Boiro Band. En Super Forme. [1976] Bembeya Jazz National. Le Défi. [1976] Camayenne Sofa. Attaque. [1976]
Syliphone released two LPs with the same catalogue number.
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SLP 61 SLP 62 SLP 63
SLP 66 SLP 67 SLP 68 SLP 69 SLP 70 SLP 71 SLP 72 SLP 73 SLP 74 SLP 75
Bembeya Jazz National. La Continuité. [1977] Kade Diawara. L’Archange du Manding. [1977] Pre-festival Lagos 77. “Le Rendez-vous des Orchestres”. Special 11ème Festival National. [1977] Bembeya Jazz National. Bembeya Jazz National Présente “Regard sur le Passé”. Le Premier Grand Concert Musical Guinéenne. [1977] Bembeya Jazz National. Special Recueil-Souvenir du Bembeya Jazz National. (Mémoire de Aboubacar Demba Camara). [1977] Discothèque 76. [1977] 22 Band. Venez Voir!!.. [1980] 22 Band. Mankan. [1980] Sombory de Fria. Minerai Musical. [1980] Tropical Djoli Band de Farannah. Style Savane. [1980] Le Nimba de Nzérékoré. Gön Bia Bia. [1980] Le Simandou de Beyla. La Confiance. [1980] Le Palm-Jazz de Macenta. Les Palmes de Succès. [1980] Télé-Jazz de Télémelé. La Fête au Foutah. (1980) Balla et ses Balladins. Objectif Perfection. [1980]
SLP 76 SLP 77 SLP 78
Editions Enimas Conakry Les Amazones de Guinée. Au Cœur de Paris. (1983) Sona Diabaté des Amazones. Sons de la Savane. [1983] M’Mah Sylla. Le Rossignol de Guinée. [1983]
SLP 64 SLP 65
Syliphone 45 rpm discs SYL 501 SYL 502 SYL 503 SYL 504 SYL 505 SYL 506 SYL 507 SYL 508 SYL 509 SYL 510 SYL 511 SYL 512 SYL 513 SYL 514 SYL 515 SYL 516 SYL 517 SYL 518 SYL 519 SYL 520 SYL 521 SYL 522 SYL 523 SYL 524 SYL 525
Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Soundiata / Nosotros. [1968] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Famadenke / Cigarettes Allumettes. [1968] Bembeya Jazz National. République Guinée / Sabor de Guajira. [1968] Bembeya Jazz National. Armée Guinéenne / Net a Sec. [1968] Balla et ses Balladins. Diaraby / Yo Te Contres Maria. [1968] Balla et ses Balladins. Bedianamo / P. D. G. [1968] Balla et ses Balladins. Soumbouyaya / La Guinée Mossolou. [1968] Balla et ses Balladins. Tara / Nanfoule. [1968] Bembeya Jazz National. Minuit / Guantanamera-seyni. [1968] Bembeya Jazz National. N’wato M’barale / Montuno de la Sierra. [1969] Orchestre Horoya Band de Kankan. Takoulata / Autorail. [1969] Orchestre Horoya Band de Kankan. Semba / N’banlassouro. [1969] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Kesso / Chiquita. [1969] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Tambourinis Sax Parade / I Boyein-boyein. [1969] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Quinzan / Il Tomatero. [1969] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Banankoro / La Loma de Belen. [1969] Balla et ses Balladins. Moi Ça Ma Fout / Vacillon. [1969] Bembeya Jazz National. Waraba / N’borin. [1970] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. J.R.D.A. / Guajira Con Tumbao. [1970] Balla et ses Balladins. Kaira / Sakhodougou. [1970] Bembeya Jazz National. Bembeyako / Dagna. [1970] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. N’nadia / La Bicycletta. [1970] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Ilole Ghanina / Tambourinis Cocktail. [1970] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Kiss My Nose / Mi Corazon. [1970] Miriam Makeba et son Quintette Guinéenne. Touré Barika / Milele. [1970]
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SYL 526 SYL 527 SYL 528 SYL 529 SYL 530 SYL 531 SYL 532 SYL 533 SYL 534 SYL 535 SYL 536 SYL 537 SYL 538 SYL 539 SYL 540 SYL 541 SYL 542 SYL 543 SYL 544 SYL 545 SYL 546 SYL 547 SYL 548 SYL 549 SYL 550 SYL 551 SYL 552 SYL 553 SYL 554 SYL 555 SYL 556 SYL 557 SYL 558 SYL 559 SYL 560 SYL 561 SYL 562 SYL 563 SYL 564 SYL 565 SYL 566 SYL 567 SYL 568 SYL 569 SYL 570 SYL 571 SYL 572 SYL 573 SYL 574
Miriam Makeba et son Quintette Guinéenne. Maobe Guinée / Teya Teya. [1970] Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Youyende / Minawa. [1970] Bembeya Jazz National. Festival National / Doni Doni. [1971] African Khalam Orchestra. Comer Lechon / Niani. [1971] Bembeya Jazz National. Camara Mousso / Wouloukoro. [1971] Bembeya Jazz National. Lefa / Bembeya. [1971] Bongi and Nelson. Everything For You My Love / D. Y. R. Malcolm? [1971] Bongi and Nelson. That’s the Kind of Love / I Was So Glad. [1971] Myriam Makeba. L’Enfant et la Gazelle / Amampondo. [1971] Horoya Band. Apollo / Hombressa. [1971] Myriam Makeba. La Guinée Guine / You Suffer Too. [1971] Kebendo Jazz. Kema Bourema / Touwonde. [1971] Niandan Jazz. Niandan / Sewayo. [1971] Myriam Makeba. Teya Teya / Lovely Lies. [1971] Myriam Makeba. Touré Barika / Milele. [1971] Myriam Makeba. Maobe Guinée / Forbidden Games. [1971] Myriam Makeba. Dakhla Yunik / Myriam’s Quintette Song. [1971] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Donsonké / Guanguanco a Todos los Barrios. [1972] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Beni Yarabi / Gerona Son. [1972] Balla et ses Balladins. Samba / Bi Diamana Möo. [1972] Horoya Band. Karan-gbegne / Karangba. [1972] Pivi et ses Balladins. Kogno Koura / Como Cocina et la Corda. [1972] Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Miri Magnin / Marie. [1972] Pivi et ses Balladins. Sina Mousso / Manta Likoka. [1972] Myriam Makeba. Maôlouyame / Westwind / Unification. [1973] Myriam Makeba. Africa / Mansane Cissé. [1973] Super Boiro Band. Dari Nole / Sarangbe. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Kouledegbe / N’diamono. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Super Tentemba. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Bembeya / Ilé N’yarabi. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Mami Wata / Whiskey Soda. [1973] Horoya Band. Baya / Souro-baro. [1973] Horoya Band. Kanimba / Wèrè-wèrè. [1973] Horoya Band. Koulia / Maa-lamina. [1973] Horoya Band. Maderiwola / Nalakassi. [1973] Horoya Band. Déri Magni / Ni Bara Tila. [1973] Sextette Camayenne. Bâra / Kanimba. [1973] Bembeya Jazz National. Senero / Alalake. [1973] Balla et ses Balladins. Sakhodougou / Moi Ça Ma Fout. [1973] Myriam Makeba. Malcolm X / Malaika. [1973] Camayenne Sextette. Aye Aye / Massana Endo [1974] Camayenne Sextette. Cpe / Nanimbali. [1974] Kaloum Star. Lalaba / Donsoloufa. [1974] Kaloum Star. Mansane Cissé / Maliba. [1974] Kaloum Star. Sanu Bukary / Gbassikolo. [1974] Balla et ses Balladins. Ancien Combattant / Nyo. [1974] Balla et ses Balladins. Hafia / Wilikabo. [1974] Super Boiro Band. So I Si Sa / N’tan Gara. [1974] Super Boiro Band. Sidiba / Touguie Poti. [1974] 12” maxi-single
297
SYL 575
Kouyaté Sory Kandia. “Chants Inédits. Bande Sonore de Son Dernier Show Télévisé”. Horoya / P.D.G. [1977] Re-issued Compact Discs
[1988] [1988] 1990 1990
Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Massane Cissé. Mélodie. 42037-2. Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Lamban. Mélodie. 42038-2. Bembeya Jazz National. Regard sur le Passé. Mélodie/Bolibana. 42064-2. Kouyaté Sory Kandia et son Trio de Musique Traditionnelle. L’Épopée du Mandingue. Volume 1. Bolibana. 76037-2. 1990 Kouyaté Sory Kandia et son Trio de Musique Traditionnelle. L’Épopée du Mandingue. Volume 2. Bolibana. 76038-2. 1990 Myriam Makeba. “Live” au Palais du Peuple de Conakry. Sonodisc. CD 8470. 1991 Les Amazones de Guinée. Au Cœur de Paris. Mélodie. 42076-2. 1993 Balla et ses Balladins. Objectif Perfection. Popular African Music. PAM 302. 1993 Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Tara. Sonodisc. CD 6814. 1993 Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Doua. Sonodisc. CD 6815. 1996 Myriam Makeba. En Public a Paris et Conakry. Sonodisc. CD 8818. [1997] Bembeya Jazz National. Parade Africaine. Authenticité 73. Syliphone/Bolibana. SLP CD 39. 1997 Horoya Band. Paya-Paya. Dakar Sound. DKS 012. 1998 Guinée 40ème Anniversaire. Syliphone. Volume 1. Syllart. SYLAF 9650. 1998 Guinée 40ème Anniversaire. Syliphone. Volume 2. Mélodie. 38202-2. 1998 Guinée An XI. Bolibana. 76016. 1999 Bembeya Jazz National. Regard sur le Passé. Mélodie. 38206-2. 1999 Bembeya Jazz National. 10 Ans de Succès. Gala d’Anniversaire en Direct du Palais du Peuple. Avril 1971. Mélodie. 38207-2. 1999 Discotheque 70. Africando/Syllart. 38208-2. 1999 Discotheque 71. Africando/Syllart. 38209-2. 1999 Discotheque 72. Africando/Syllart. 38213-2. 1999 Discotheque 73. Africando/Syllart. 38210-2. 1999 Discotheque 74. Africando/Syllart. 38211-2. 1999 Discotheque 75. Africando/Syllart. 38212-2. 1999 Discotheque 76. Africando/Syllart. 38214-2. 1999 Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Grand Prix du Disc. (Académie Charles Gros). Syllart. 38203-2. 1999 Kouyaté Sory Kandia. Tour d’Afrique de la Chanson. Mélodie. 38204-2. 1999 Ahmed Sékou Touré. Appels au Peuple. Bolibana. 76026. 1999 Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. Bébé. Bolibana. 76030. 1999 Folklores et Ensembles Instrumentaux. Bolibana. 76043. 2000 Bembeya Jazz National. Authenticité 73. Parade Africaine. Mélodie. 38221-2. 2000 Bembeya Jazz National. La Défi / La Continuité. Mélodie. 38217-2. 2000 Bembeya Jazz National. Hommage à Demba Camara. Mélodie. 38222-2. 2000 Camayenne Sofa. Volume 1. La Percée. Africando/Syllart. 38215-2. 2000 Camayenne Sofa. Volume 2. Attaque. Mélodie. 38219-2. 2000 Jardin de Guinée. Mélodie. 38218-2. 2000 Orchestre de la Pailotte. Volume 1. 1960. Mélodie. 38216-2. 2001 Miriam Makeba. The Guinea Years. Stern’s. STCD 3017. 2002 Bembeya Jazz. Bembeya. Marabi. 46802-2.
298
Guinea’s 1st Republic Orchestras and Their Geographical Origin National Orchestras Les Amazones de Guinée (originally “La Formation Féminine de la Gendarmerie”) Balla et ses Balladins (originally “Orchestre du Jardin de Guinée”) Bembeya Jazz National (originally “Orchestre de Beyla”) Horoya Band (originally “Horoya Jazz”, “Horoya Band de Kankan”) Keletigui et ses Tambourinis (originally “Orchestré de la Pailotte”, who were formed from “L’Orchestre de la Bonne Auberge” and “La Formation Kerfala Camara Tamborini”) Super Boiro Band (originally “Orchestré de la Garde Républicaine 1 ère formation”) Syli Orchestre National Federal Orchestras and Their Region Badiar Jazz – Koundara Bafila Band (originally “Sataboum Jazz”) – Forécariah Bafing Jazz – Mamou Camayenne Sofa (also known as “Les Sofas de Camayenne” & “Sextette Camayenne”. Originally “Kakilambé Jazz de Conakry II”) – Conakry II Dimma Fooly – Koubia Dirou-Band – Kindia Dynamic Fatala Ambience – Boffa Kaloum Star – Conakry I Kebali Jazz – Dinguiraye Kébendo Jazz – Guéckédou Kinkon Jazz (originally “Fetoré Jazz”) – Pita Kolima Jazz – Labé Koloum Jazz – Tougué Loura Jazz – Mali-ville Manden Könö – Siguiri Les Messagers du Mory Findian – Conakry III Les Messagers du Niger (originally “Djoli Band”) – Farannah Niandan Jazz – Kissidougou Nimba Jazz – N’zérékoré Nimba Succès – Lola Orchestre Super Tominé Authentique – Gaoual Palm Jazz – Macenta Simandou Jazz – Beyla Sombory Jazz – Fria Sorsornet Rythme (originally “Kakandé Jazz”) – Boké Soumba Jazz (originally “Tabounzou Jazz”) – Coyah Super Sanankoro – Kérouané Super Sankoly Rythm – Lélouma Télé Jazz – Télimélé Téné Jazz – Dalaba Tinkisso Jazz – Dabola Tout Puissant Forest Band – Yomou Tropical Djoli Band – Kouroussa 22 Band – Kankan (originally “Le 22 Novembre Band”) Wassolon Könö – Mandiana
References cited
299
Guinean National Commission for UNESCO 1979 “Cultural policy in the Revolutionary People’s Republic of Guinea.” Studies and Documents on Cultural Policies. Volume 51. Paris: UNESCO. Kaba, Lansiné 1976 “The cultural revolution, artistic creativity, and freedom of expression in Guinea.” The Journal of Modern African Studies. 14 (2), pp. 201-218. Kake, Ibrahima Baba 1987 Sékou Touré: Le Héros et le Tyran. Paris: J. A. Presses. Morgenthau, Ruth Schachter 1964 Political Parties in French-Speaking West Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Person, Yves 1975 Samori. Une Révolution Dyula. Dakar: IFAN. Rivière, Claude 1977 Guinea. The Mobilization of a People. Transl. by Virginia Thompson & Richard Adloff. London: Cornell University Press. Rubiik, George 1987 “Social origins of the 1984 coup d’etat in Guinea.” Utafiti. 9 (1), pp. 93-118. Trillo, Richard 1995 West Africa. The Rough Guide. London: The Rough Guides. Warshaw, Andrew 1990 “Guinea dreams.” The Gettysburg Review. 3 (3), p. 522-542.
