Indie Traditional West African Music Today

[MischievousMonkey]

A thread to share pieces of traditional West African music played today (or recently).

Now what do I mean by that?

Well, I’m not too sure myself. I try to mean music that has a clear filiation with styles of music that have been practiced in the West African region for several generations. Now, that filiation should be direct i.e., transmitted from the former bearers of the music style to the current through some form of education, rather than indirect, i.e., taking inspiration and cues from the music style without a connection to the holders of the tradition.

The reason for this distinction is that, on one hand, I think it’d exclude what isn’t commonly be considered as traditional music even though it takes hints from it. For example: afrobeats or the Black Panther soundtrack. On the other hand, it’d allow space for music that is undoubtedly rooted in tradition but has also taken note of other contemporary cultures or modern twists

I haven’t thought too deep about what how to define it better, so maybe examples would be better:

 

[MischievousMonkey]

Flawless album from Bassekou Kouyate and his band Ngoni Ba.
He's Malian and still dropping heat to this day; his last album, in collaboration with other artists from the rest of the world, is great and I'll probably share some of it here at some point.


The amazing Fatoumata Diawara performing Nterini.
Went to see her live earlier this year and it was great. Incredible energy and talent.
That's what I mean when I say traditional music dipped in modern sauce. I recommend giving the whole album this song is from (Fenfo) a listen:


Going back a little bit with an album that is literally perfect to me. Legendary Rokia Traore's Bowmboï:


Hard to choose but one song for an artist that has been so prolific throughout the decades. The one and only Baaba Maal, whose voice some of yall might have heard during a Black Panther movie. I'll go against the grain here and won't drop (yet) one of his most famous tracks, but a rather recent one that I love:

The way the strings of a new instrument interjects is like a sharp dagger cutting through the air with dexterity

Five women and four men from Timbuktu (Tombouctou), Mali, that sing in Tuareg. Tartit: