Artist Profile: Youssou N'Dour
Monday December 1, 2008
I don't really remember much about Thanksgiving. I have some sort of vague memory of a turkey, and then there was pumpkin pie, and then there was sprawling... lots and lots of sprawling. Oh, and giving thanks for the return of the tunic and leggings fashion trend, because elastic waists are totally where it's at on Turkey Day. Even in my tryptophan and carbohydrate-induced coma, I was actually secretly furious at myself for not coming up with a good excuse to skip Thanksgiving this year and instead attend Youssou N'Dour's annual Great African Ball. See, each year on the night before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving itself, N'Dour throws this giant mbalax party at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. He throws it on those days for sort of obvious reasons - people often have that time off work and school, but the fact that it's on a major American holiday weeds out the world music dilettantes and dabblers, and caters directly to the hard-core fans, a huge number of whom are African immigrants living in or around New York. I've heard the most amazing things about it, but for some reason, I can never seem to sneak away from the family table (lies, lies - it's not the family, it's the pumpkin pie!) in order to make it there. So, dear readers, were any of you smarter (or stronger) than me? If you happened to make it to the Great African Ball this year, leave a comment and let us know how it was!
Comments
Have you heard of Omega Bugembe Okello? She’s a world music artist from Uganda. She’s kind of under the radar a bit, but her album is really good, “Kiwomera Emmeeme.” Some of the songs are in her native language.If you have time, you should give it a listen.
Take care,
Andre
Hi Megan- My wife and I went to both shows. Made the trip down from Ithaca. I’ve never missed a Youssou “Great African Ball” here in the United States. Last years Nokia Shows, and going back to the Roseland Ballroom & amazing Hammerstein Ballroom “Balls” of days gone by. They are a unique and different type of gig than Youssou’s more typical shows put on for American audiences. As in years past, the crowd is virtually all Senegalese. More specifically, Wolof. Youssou’s tribe. Especially the Thursday (Thanksgiving) show. They are a 4-ish hour non-stop dance frenzy.
This Year we were treated both nights to an opening first set by a Senegalese hip hop band with three vocalists that was centered around a traditional west african instument that looked very much like a large banjo. I’d not seen one like it before, despite being familiar with a variety of similar West African instruments. Youssou himself then came out and introduced a singer who played solo with his acoustic guitar that was from Central America, Honduras I believe. Youssou spoke of the connections, he was personally interested in and focusing some of his time on these days, between Senegal and Central/South American musical traditions via slave movements. Of course, there’s virtually no english spoken, anywhere. In the audience and on the stage folks are moving back and forth between Wolof and french. Many sentences really a combination of both.
After three quick songs by this solo artist with his acoustic guitar, out comes a comedian. He was wild. All Wolof or french again, but he’s dressed up like Michael Jackson. In “whiteface” with the hair and gloves and outfit. It was quite the scene. This audience of virtually all africans, in a club in New York’s Times Square, in the middle of the night, howling and doubling over in laughter, while this guy does a Michael Jackson routine with the moonwalk and everything. Just wild.
Then he leaves the stage and it’s quiet for a moment, and from offstage with the stage empty, your hear Youssou’s voice. It soars. It is the most amazing sound. Soon he moves onto the stage to a roar along with his bass player, Habib Faye whose stops in front of one of the keyboad setups and softly accompanies Youssou on a soulful song.
Then the rest of the band comes onstage to another roar from the crowd. Three guitars led by Jimi Mbaye, two keyboard players, his amazing tama player Assane Thiam and a cadre of drummers. And then the journey begins. Hours of amazing Mbalax. Driving, galloping, incredibly complex polyrythmic music with what many think, me among them, the finest voice in music today.
And then, sometime after 4:15am it ends. We take a breath and make our way out into the fresh air. Youssou’s “Balls” are the high point of my year. Absolutely transcendent.