Bembeya Jazz National - Biography
The history of Guinea’s most hallowed musical group must be viewed in the political and cultural context of that African nation’s achievement of independence. When France’s President Charles de Gaulle offered its African colonies the choice of independence, Guinea’s newly-elected President, Ahmed Sékou Touré, seized the opportunity. Touré famously told De Gaulle “We prefer liberty in poverty to riches in slavery.” As the first French African colony to choose independence, they suffered the considerable wrath of a vengeful empire. France immediately ceased all economic support, destroying infrastructure and even going so far as to remove every light bulb from the government offices. The newly independent nation implemented a policy of encouraging artists to embrace African culture and folklore and to eschew the legacy of French colonialism.
Touré looked east for support from the Soviet Union and China, leading Guinea down a path of socialism. Cultural festivals were organized at local, regional, and state levels with music occupying a central role. Music and dance groups flourished as Guineans explored their ancient folklore. Every other year bands would compete for the prizes of official patronage and a government salary. One such group, Bembeya Jazz, formed in the city of Beyla in 1961 and earned a silver medal at the national festival in 1962.
Historically Guinea had been a part of several large empires including the Wagadou Empire, the Takur kingdom, the Manding Empire and the Songhai Empire. The country is comprised of four regions and each has its distinct traditions. The Mandinka are an ancient people widely-known for their ancient instruments —including the 21-stringed, harp-like kora. The Susu are closely associated with a wooden xylophone known as the balafon. The Fulbe of the Fuuta Jaloo highlands play the flute-like tambin, while the farmers and fisherman of the coast are known for their topical lyrics.
Bembeya Jazz drew upon all of Guinea’s diverse musical traditions as well as a palette of African folklore shared by Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. They also combined elements of highlife and Cuban-inflected soukous. In doing so, they became the first sub-Saharan, popular musical group to approximate a broadly, Pan-African aesthetic.
Singer Demba Camara joined the group in 1963 and his smooth, nasal voice commanded instant attention. Although a natural talent and a great improviser, he was also known for seeking out traditional masters in Conakry and recording them on a handheld cassette player in an effort to develop his own talent. Emulating the Cuban band model, they incorporated the saxophone and trumpet with minor key melodies but the clear focus was on the charismatic young vocalist and the incendiary electric lead guitar of Sékou Diabaté. A truly modern and electric band, they nonetheless integrated traditional percussion and melodies. With pride and joy they sang of current events, captivating their fellow countrymen and winning a national gold medal in 1964.
In 1965, Bembeya Jazz represented Guinea at the Tricontinentale of Cuba where they performed before such luminaries as the great Cuban singer Abelardo Barroso; who was reportedly brought to tears when Camara sang one of his compositions. In 1966 they were elevated to the status of national band, renamed Bembeya Jazz National, and relocated to the Guinean capital, Conakry. The lively music scene there kept them busy, usually performing six nights a week at venues such as the open air La Paillotte and Jardin du Guinea.
With the formation of the state record label, Syliphone, Bembeya Jazz began their recording career in earnest in 1968. By then Camara had developed into a world-class singer and guitarist Diabaté was earning the moniker, “Diamond Fingers,” with his clean, precise and rapid technique. Following rock music’s lead, Diabaté utilized electric amplification to create a bright, reverb-soaked tone and lots of feedback. His sound occupied a unique space and helped establish a new template for African guitarists.
The following year, the band composed and recorded an epic work of modern folklore, Regard Sur le Passé (1969 Syliphone/2000 Syllart) that stretched out over two sides of an LP. The recording showcased their updated and masterful take on the complex and ancient style of Mandinka griots, thus linking them to the musical royalty of West Africa. That same year, at the Pan-African Festival in Algiers, Bembeya Jazz National represented Guinea and came in second to the host nation’s entry.
The group traveled extensively from 1969 to 1973 and recorded their most enduring music. They celebrated their 10th anniversary in April of 1971 with a grand concert at the national Palais du Peuple that was released on LP and later on CD as 10 Ans du Succés (2000 Syllart). In addition to nationalist songs like “République Guineé,” “Armée Guinéenne,” and “Air Guineé” (celebrating the national airline), they also re-interpreted the highlife tune “Mami Wati,” and celebrated the ordinary with “Telephone.” The evolution of their sound, from 45 rpm singles to lengthy live tunes (often exceeding ten minutes) can be found on the definitive collection The Syliphone Years (2004 Stern’s Africa).
In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, the music coming out of Guinea became widely recognized by critics and musicians around the world as existing at the forefront of the African music. Bembeya Jazz spearheaded a robust music scene that included many other creative talents such as balafon maestro Kélétigui Diabaté and legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba, who lived and recorded in Guinea for some years.
In April 1973, at the height of their popularity and creativity, tragedy struck when Camara was mortally wounded in a traffic accident in Dakar, Senegal. Guinea observed a week of mourning for their fallen star and a state funeral took place at the Palais du Peuple. Funeral processions and official periods of mourning were also observed in Mali, Zaire, Sierra Leone, Upper Volta, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia.
Devastated by the loss of their singer, Bembeya Jazz did not perform for more than two years. After numerous personnel changes, they triumphantly re-emerged in 1977 at the second Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Lagos, Nigeria. The press named Sekou Diabaté the “majeur guitariste d’Afrique.” Le Defí (1977 Syliphone) and La Continuité (1978 Syliphone)--the latter which includes the moving tribute to singer Camara, “Tentemba Demba” as well as the rousing, Cubanesque “Akukuwe”--capture the band in top form.
In the early ‘80's, the band recruited a new singer, Sekouba "Bambino" Diabaté, a young singer with a smooth flow and the chops to live up their legacy. At the same time, socialism began disintegrating in Guinea and President Sékou Touré began to de-nationalize Guinea’s bands. Bembeya Jazz was, like several of their contemporaries, given their own nightclub. Club Bembeya opened and faced declining market forces which made its operation economically unfeasible. The death of Touré in 1984 signaled the end of Guinea’s golden age of music and, Syliphone, the state recording label, disappeared.
Bembeya Jazz recorded sessions in Paris in the mid-‘80's which were released on a series of four LPs including Sabu (1987 Disque Esperance), whose cover features a picture of the band in front of the Pompidou Centre. Compiled on a CD collection simply titled Bembeya Jazz National (1999 Sonodisc), the songs are crisply recorded, and featured tight horn riffs, rich vocal harmonies, sparkling lead guitar and Diabaté’s Hawaiian-style slide guitar parts. “Telegramme” gets the party started, “Yeke Yeke” brings the griot style into the electrical age and “Sabu” slowly builds to a hypnotic release. Wa Kelé (1988 Disques Esperance) followed and featured a reprise of “Mami Wata.”
By 1991, the group again went dormant while singer Sekouba and Sekou Diabaté pursued solo careers. In 2002, under Sekou Diabaté’s directorship, the group reformed and made their first new recording in fourteen years, Bembeya (2003 World Village). Led by a trio of guitars and sporting a couple wily veterans in the horn section, the band played with renewed vigor. A major international tour in 2003 brought them to the US for the first time where they performed in New York City’s Central Park.
Hugely influential for their inclusive approach to African music and their modern sound, Bembeya Jazz embody the modern African experience. Blessed with virtuosic talent and deeply rooted in tradition, they succeeded in forging a new sound. Plugged in and amped up, they made audiences dance wherever they performed. By traveling throughout the Africa and serving as ambassadors of culture to the socialist bloc, they helped legitimize African music for outsiders while at the same time earning the respect of their peers. A product of socialism, they managed to survive its death and continue to carry with them its cultural mandate.
