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Dec 6 2002 AfroPulse Concert News Volume 2 Issue 8
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Contents:
Salif Keita (Review)
Ricardo Lemvo Month
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Salif Keita
The concert at UCLA in October was the first time I have seen
Salif Keita live. He hasn't been to town for several years.
This show was part of a tour to promote his new CD "Moffou"
which has gotten a lot of radio airplay. For my tastes, it is
one of his best CDs in a while. It deftly combines his soaring
voice with some good dance rhythms, never over emphasizing one
or the other, keeping a good balance. His voice is presented
as another instrument in the band, an essential part of the
whole.
The show was not a sell out, but was fairly full. The normal
coterie of musicians and fans were there. Salif is a master and
is one of the "musician's musicians", so you could have filled
an autograph book just being in the audience (even Hassan
Hakmoun who had a show to perform that same night came out to
see Salif). I had fortunately gotten tickets very early in the
season and found myself seated in the sixth row!
The band consisted of a couple guitarists just in front of a
raised platform of percussionists which was pushed towards the
back. I would have noted more details about them if I hadn't
spent most of the evening focussed on the two young ladies up
front who sang beside Salif and performed all the flamboyant
moves of the show. Checking my pictures of the show, I see a
keyboardist, both a 4-string kamel n'goni and a 6-string donso
n'goni (which we last saw when Issa Bagayogo played downtown),
as well as the ever popular djembe and the central core sound
of the calabash.
The band took the stage with little fanfare and started laying
down a backdrop of Malian rhythm. That was their role all
night -- provide the texture, rhythm and mood and don't get in
the way of the spirit. No over-the-top theatrics and sweaty
groovin' for the crowd (OK, the djembe is necessary occasionally
to get the women to dance for the crowd), just a good mellow
tone to get your body swaying. Salif sauntered on stage mostly
in white, including white sneakers. He quietly knelt down and
prostrated himself to the audience as if Mecca were behind us.
That was a rather flattering tribute to his fans since he is,
after all, royalty. I have a hard time imagining Prince Charles
doing the same thing on a visit to the states.
The most amazing thing of watching Salif is the purity of his
voice and the ease with which it follows his command. Other
singers cannot even do what he does, and he does it effortlessly.
Don't tell him, but I think he needs to work a little on his
dance steps. He never really could groove and spent too much
time pacing in circles rather than swaying to the music. But
having the vocalists next to him provided the antidote and their
colorful outfits and flashy moves were the focus of our eyes
while his voice was the focus of our ears.
If you've ever been to Royce Hall you know how they are with fire
regulations and the audience. They typically are militant about
keeping people in their seats, but Salif's plea that he wanted
people to be on their feet dancing with him was fervently obeyed
to such a degree that the ushers gave up and fled. We crowded
the stage and danced. I surreptitiously threaded my way through
the crowd dancing to a better angle for a picture, when suddenly
the vocalists decided the audience should be dancing on stage.
One of them grabbed my hand and pulled me up as one of the first
to face the audience! Dancing is not my first calling, but with
the music and the frenzy of the show going I soon forgot my
camera and was sweating to the beat with the other 50 or so people
that ended up onstage as well. To my chagrin, Salif snuck off
stage while I was busy dancing and I wasn't able to get a good
close portrait, but my main point was to enjoy the evening and
that was an unqualified success.
If you've been listening to Salif's music on the radio and enjoy
it, support the musician and buy it for yourself or as a holiday
present from Amazon:
Moffou
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Ricardo Lemvo Month
It's been rather slow lately. I didn't get around to sending out
a newsletter last month because I was so busy, but also because
there was really nothing going on. This month there are only two
acts to see, but if you've never seen Ricardo Lemvo and his mix
of Salsa and Soukous (heavier on the Salsa) you need to get down
to the Conga Room. He is playing every Friday this month and
both Saturday and Sunday on the final weekend of the year.
http://www.afropulse.com/music/concerts/lemvo.html
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Here's hoping that I bump into you while dancing onstage at
another show in the near future!
jay
