Frank Bessem's Musiques d'Afrique: Xalam

Frank Bessem's
Musiques d'Afrique:

Xalam
(Senegal)

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Xalam has been a very influential band who mixed American funk and jazz with African musical idiom. Sometimes referred to as Xalam 2, as they were inspired by earlier group by the name of Xalam, they formed in 1969, led by drummer Abdoulaye Prosper Niang and started with non-African dance music, performing in Senegal as well as in other African countries. In 1975, they toured with Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. By then, they had relocated to Paris, where they realised that they had to find their own style, mixing African elements with funk and jazz. In 1979, Xalam participated in the Berlin Horizonte Festival, they recorded their first LP for the occasion. In was the start of a success story: from the Dakar Jazz Festival (1980), a soundtrack for a Walt Disney production (1981), various festival appearances in Europe (1982), an opening concert for Crosby, Stills Nash & Young in Paris (1983) to the recording of percussion tracks for the Rolling Stones album « Undercover of the Night » (1984). They teamed up with pianist-keyboardist and arranger Jean-Philippe Rykiel.

Their best known albums, now hard to find, are from that creative period: « Gorée » (1983), « Apartheid » (1986) and « Xarit » (1988). In 1988 (according to various sources 1989), drummer and band leader Prosper Niang died of cancer and left the group discouraged. They continued nevertheless, with a new international album release in 1993, and a planned album for 2005/2006.

Some band members:
Souleymane Faye lead vocals (1985-1988)
Seydina insa Wade lead vocals
Ibrahima Coundoul "Brams" lead vocals
Cheikh Tidiane Tall lead guitar
Samba Yigo Dieng guitar
Taffa Cissé percussion and vocals
Abdoulaye Prosper Niang († 1988) drums
Ansoumana Diatta saxophone
Yoro Gueye trombone
Henri Guillabert keyboards
Papa Moussa Babou "Baye" bass

Sources:
Xalam website
Taffa Cissé
Lydia Gaertner's discography

Formed: 1970
Style: afro-jazz, afro-funk.

Discography:

Title	Year	Label	Remarks
Live à Montreux	2008	Celluloid	Montreux Jazz Festival recordings (1991)
Wam Sabindam	1993	Mélodie 79615-2	CD
Gëstú	1990	Senegalese cassette release
Xarit	1988	BMG / Jetset 209 009	cassette/LP/CD
Ndiguël	1987	Senegalese cassette release
Apartheid	1986	Celluloid / Encore ENC 134 (LP) / Encore 49334-2 (CD)	LP/CD (CD re-released 2008)
Africa	1984	Production Xalam	Cassette
Gorée	1983	Celluloid CEL 6656 (CD: 66656-2)	LP
Adé	1979	Xalam Production XPS 001	LP, recorded at the Festival Horizonte in Berlin