Mariama

To celebrate Guinee becoming independent in 1958, all throughout the country dance orchestras started popping up. While he was an avid music lover himself, Guinee’s first president, Sekou Touré, broke up all the private bands in 1961 and replaced them with state orchestras. The first state orchestra had been created in 1959 by Sekou Touré and was called Syli Orchestre National. The purpose of state orchestras is to be able to train music groups all over the country to play Guinee’s traditional melodies and rhythms. This is in keeping with Sekou Touré’s politics of authenticity. This way many different regional orchestras are created, such as the bands Niandan-Jazz from Kissidougou, Kébendo-Jazz from Gueckedou, and the more known band Horoya-Band from the city of Kankan. All these bands are from eastern Guinee. To better implement practice for the music groups, the Guinee government has decided to split up Syli Orchestre National into smaller groups. This helped create the bands L’orchestre de la paillotte, which would later be called Kélétigui et ses Tambourins, and Balla et ses Balladins. The former orchestra was led by saxophonist and keyboard player Kélétigui Traoré and the latter was led by trumpetist Balla Onivogui. Both perform with the Syli Orchestre National, similar to guitar player Sekou Diabaté, one of the founders of the most popular regional orchestra, Bembeya Jazz. This orchestra is originally a regional orchestra from the south-eastern Guinee city of Beyla. Their original name used to be Orchestre de Beyla. Then form 1962 onward they started calling themselves Bembeys Jazz, after a river near the city. After being crowned as national orchestra in 1965 and start performing as Bembeya Jazz National, After having disbanded in 1991, they come back together in 2002 at a music festival in Angoulême. They also record their first album in 14 years, with the song ‘Bembeya’ as its first song. In 1983 Sekouba Diabaté, born in 1964, joined Bembeya Jazz. However, since there was already another member called Sekou Diabaté, born in 1944 and nicknamed Diamond fingers, the other members nicknamed the younger Sekouba Bambino. After splitting up in 1991, both Sekou Diamond fingers Diabaté and Sekouba Bambino Diabaté started their own successful solo careers.  After reforming in 2002, Sekouba Diabaté started leading the orchestra in 2003.

The Guinee armed forces orchestras also play music based on traditional Guianese melodies and rhythms.

There are also women exclusive orchestras, such as Les Amazones de Guinée which was founded in 1961 and L’Orchestre Féminin de la Gendarmerie de Guinée led by bass player Comander Salematou Diallo. There is also L’Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, which would later go by Super Boiro Band.

Special thanks to Muziekweb in Rotterdam.

Also special thanks to Barbera Schuil, for allowing access to her African LP records..

Playlist:

1. Bembeya Jazz National: Bembeya, 4’26, authors: Aboubacar Demba Camara & Salifou Kaba, CD Bembeya Jazz, Marabi Productions (Angoulême) 46802-2
2. Syli Orchestre National: Senero, 5’48, CD Guinée 70 : The discotheque years, Syllart 6140252
3. Kélétigui et ses Tambourins: Djoute Wassa, 3’26, author: Kélétigui, LP Grand Tierce Musica, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 8
4. Balla et ses Balladins: Diaraby, 6’09, author: Balla, LP Grand Tierce Musica, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 8
5. Horoya-Band: Touba, 3’34, author: Lanciné Kante, LP Trio Fédéral de Pointe, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 25
6. Niandan-Jazz: Idissa-So, 4’09, LP Trio Fédéral de Pointe, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 25
7. Kébendo-Jazz: Pili-Pili Wonde, 4’20, LP Trio Fédéral de Pointe, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 25
8. Bembeya Jazz National: Beyla, 6’46, author: Bembeya, LP Grand Tierce Musica, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 8
9. Bembeya Jazz National: Payapaya, 5’46, LP Authenticité 73 – Parade Africaine, Éditions Syliphone Conakry SLP 39
10. Les Amazones de Guinée: Salimou, 6’24, author: “Amazones”, LP Au coeur de Paris, Editions Syliphone Conakry SLP 76
11. Super Boiro Band: Mariama, 6’39, LP Niaissa & sa trompette, Editions Syliphone Conakry SLP 32