Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique: Lamine Konté (1942-2007) (Senegal) |
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Lamine Konté was a prominent artist who was among the first to bring the kora
instrument to a larger public firstly, and secondly to fuse the ancient griot music with modern styles and western instruments.
He was born in Kolda in 1942, although other sources state that this was in 1945. Moreover, there is a general confusion
with a second Lamine Konté The Lamine Konté we address here died in 2007. After his primary schooling in Kolda and first teaching of kora playing by his father Dialy Kéba Konté, he went to Dakar to live with Nago Gučye (Sissokho), his oncle, and the first kora player to have engaged in a world wide tour in the 1930s (!). In the mid-1960s, he enrolled the Ecole des Arts de Dakar, and in 1966 he made his first public appearance as a musician during the Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres de Dakar. For some time, he was part of the ballet Forêt sacrée de Casamance created by Doura Mané. Somewhat disappointed that the Senegalese public showed little interest for traditional Senegalese music at the time, he settled in Paris in 1971 where he started recording, and a first 2 volume LP set showed from the start his talent for creating harmony by using his kora, his voice and guitar, whilst mixing a variety of styles. For instance, on the first volume, he mixes the sound of his kora with rhythms and styles such as salsa on the track Being a passionate lover of literature and history, he recording poems of Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sedar Senghor on his music on the album The 1980s bring along a Japanese tour, resulting in a live album and the album Sources: Nago Seck, on http://www.afrisson.com/Lamine-Konte-5180.html Newspaper article Le Soleil, http://www.lesoleil.sn/article.php3?id_article=29451 Musicians on Senegal, La Kora vol.2: Lamine Konté kora, lead vocal, composer, musical arranger Kabiné Kouyaté balafon Papus guitar, bass Abou Keïta, Bruno Camara percussion Janina, Kéba Traoré backing vocals Pascal Furstenberger piano Aly Wagué flute |
Title | Year | Label | Remarks |
Griot Legend | 1999 | King Records/Seven Seas/World Music Library | Live recordings from 1986, Japan |
World Sounds: Song of the Griots | 1995 | JVC | CD compilation |
La Kora du Senegal vol.2 | 1989 | Arion ARN 64070 | CD compilation |
La Kora du Senegal | 1988 | Arion ARN 64036 (new number ARN44036) | CD compilation |
Afrique, mon Afrique | 1982 | Arion ARN 33701 | |
Baara | 1979 | Esperance ESP 165530 | OST Bara (Souleymane Cissé) |
Bako | 1978 | Sonafric SAF 61002 | With Bozambo Band; OST Bako, l'autre rive (Jacques Champreux) |
Tinqué Rinqué | 1977 | Sonafric SAF 50049 | |
Chant du nègre... chant du monde | 1977 | Arion ARN 33395 | |
African Safari: 5 jours sous les tropiques | 1976 | Arion Special Productions | Non-released, specially produced for Citroën employees |
Senegal, La Kora vol.2 | 1975 | Arion ARN 33313 | Les rythmes, les percussions et la voix de Lamine Konté |
La Kora du Senegal | 1974 | Arion ARN 33179 | Les rythmes, les percussions et la voix de Lamine Konté |