Senegal's musical heritage is more well-known than most African countries, due to the popularity of mbalax, which is a form of Wolof percussive music; it has been popularized by Youssou N'Dour. Sabar drumming is especially popular. West Africa is a large reaching stretching from the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic Ocean. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music Wikicities has a wiki about Music: Music Music City : a collaborative music database All Music Guide... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and 3rd most populous. ... The Wolof are the largest ethnic group in Senegal with approximately 45% of the population. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... Picture of artist (PHOTO BY GALILEA NIN) Youssou Ndour (born October 11, 1959) is a singer who was born in Dakar, Senegal. ...

Folk music

Senegalese music is distinct from ancient Mande music, or its purer expression in modern Malian music, by the influence of Serer polyphony and the Islamic brotherhoods which are spread throughout the country. In addition, Senegalese music is more uptempo and lively than the sedate, classical sounds of Malian griots and jalis. The music of Mali is dominated by forms derived from the ancient Mande Empire. ...

Griots

Main article: Griot Griots, pronounced greeohs, are wordsmiths of West Africa who use poetry, proverbs, and rhythm to teach villagers about their history. ...

The West African griot tradition is found throughout Senegal. Griots (gewel in Wolof and gawlo in Pulaar) are hereditary praise-singers, a relic of the 14th - 16th century Mande Empire. Many griots in Senegal are descended from Mande griots. West Africa is the region of western Africa generally considered to include these countries: Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Côte dIvoire (Ivory Coast) Equatorial Guinea Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Chad, Mauritania, and... Griots, pronounced greeohs, are wordsmiths of West Africa who use poetry, proverbs, and rhythm to teach villagers about their history. ... Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. ... The Fula language is a language of West Africa, spoken by the Fula people from Senegal to Cameroon and Sudan. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

Modern history

During the colonial era, Senegal was colonized by France, and the people grew to adopt a French identity. Many, though not all, Senegalese identified as French instead of any African ethnicity. Post-independence, the philosophy of negritude arose to counteract this trend. The first President of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor (also a poet) was one of the primary exponents of negritude, which espoused the idea that the griot traditions of Senegal were as valid, classical and meaningful as French classical music. Négritude, a concept developed in the 1930s by a group that included future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor and Francophone poet Aimé Césaire, is the belief that one should identify ones blackness without reference to ones homeland, native language, religion or spatial/geographical location. ... This page contains a list of presidents of Senegal. ... Léopold Sédar Senghor (October 9, 1906–December 20, 2001) was an Seneglese poet and politician who served as the first president of Senegal (1960–1980). ... The Classical Spectacular showcases many of the greatest classical pieces compose, such as the Swan Lake finale, Zadok the priest, Blue Danube and the William Tell Overture Classical music is music considered classical, as sophisticated and refined, in a regional tradition. ...

1950s and 60s

Senegalese popular music can be traced back to the 1960s, when nightclubs hosted dance bands (orchestres) that played Western music. Ibra Kasse's Star Band was the most famous orchestre. After beginning by playing American, Cuban and French songs, Star Band gradually added more indigenous elements, including the talking tama drum and Wolof- or Mandinka-language lyrics. Star Band disintegrated into numerous groups, with Pape Seck's Number One du Senegal being the most well-known of the next wave of bands, followed by Orchestre Baobab. The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... Tama has meanings on three continents: Tama, Tokyo, a city in Tokyo Tama River, a river in Japan Tama Hills, a recreational facility of the U.S. Air Force in Tama, Tokyo Hosokawa Tama, a Japanese noblewoman Tama drums, a drum manufacturer Tama Nui-Te-Ra, the solar deity in... Orchestre Baobab is a Senegalese band. ...

The south of Senegal, called Casamance, has a strong Mandinka minority, and began producing masters of the kora in the late 1950s. The band Touré Kunda was the most popular group to arise from this scene, and they soon began playing large concerts across the world. Flag of Casamance Casamance is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. ... A helpful diagram of an kora. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...

1970s

In 1977, the entire rhythm section and many other performers in the Star Band left to form Étoile de Dakar, who quickly eclipsed their compatriots, and launched the careers of El Hadji Faye and Youssou N'Dour. Faye and N'Dour were Senegal's first pop stars, but the stress of fame soon drove the band apart. Faye and guitarist Badou Nidiaye formed Étoile 2000, releasing a hit with "Boubou N'Gary", but soon disappearing from the pop scene. 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Picture of artist (PHOTO BY GALILEA NIN) Youssou Ndour (born October 11, 1959) is a singer who was born in Dakar, Senegal. ...

N'Dour, however, went on to form Super Étoile de Dakar, and his career continued. He was soon by far the most popular performer in the country, and perhaps in all of West Africa. He introduced more traditional elements to his Senegalized Cuban music, including traditional rapping (tassou), bakou (a kind of trilling that accompanies Wolof wrestling) and instruments like the sabar. ? ... Wrestling may refer to: Sport wrestling Professional wrestling grappling This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

While N'Dour Africanized Cuban music, another influential band, Xalam, was doing the same with American funk and jazz. They formed in 1970, led then by drummer Prosper Niang, but their controversial lyrics and unfamiliar jazz sound led to a lack of popularity, and the group moved to Paris in 1973. There, they added Jean Philippe Rykiel, a prominent keyboardist, and became critically touted. Xalam toured with groups like Rolling Stones and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, finally achieving success in Senegal with 1988's Xarit. Xalam, also called khalam, is a traditional stringed musical instrument from West Africa. ... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African-Americans, e. ... Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Crosby, Stills, & Nash (sometimes known as Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young) is a pioneering folk rock/rock supergroup that formed out of the remnants of three 1960s bands the Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and the Hollies. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Xarit means friend in Wolof, a language of Senegal. ...

In the latter part of the 1970s, the band Super Diamono formed, fusing mbalax rhythms and militant populism with jazz and reggae influences. Their 1982 Jigenu Ndakaru was especially the popular. By the middle of the 1980s, Super Diamono was one of the top bands in Senegal, in close and fierce competition with Super Étoile de Dakar. The band's popularity declined, however, slowed somewhat by Omar Pene's reformation in 1991. This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... Reggae is a style of music developed in Jamaica and is closely linked to the Rastafari movement, though not universally popular among Rastafarians. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

80s to the present

Into the 1990s, Thione Seck, a griot descended from those of Lat Dior, the king of Kayor, arose to solo stardome from Baobab, eventually forming his own band called Le Raam Daan (crawl slowly towards your goal). He used electric instruments on many popular releases, especially Diongoma and Demb. The same period saw the rise of Ismael Lô, a member of Super Diamono, who had major hits, including "Attaya", "Ceddo" and "Jele bi". // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... Cover of Los album Jammu Africa Ismaël Lo is a Senegalese musician. ...

Baaba Maal is another popular Senegalese singer. He is from Podor and won a scholarship to study music in Paris. After returning, he studied traditional music with his blind guitarist and family griot, Mansour Seck, and began performing with the band Daande Lenol. His Djam Leelii, recorded in 1984, became a critical sensation in the United Kingdom after it was released there in 1989. Maal's fusions continued into the next decade, with his Firin' in Fouta (1994) album, which used ragga, salsa and Breton harp music to create a popular sound that launched the careers of Positive Black Soul, a group of rappers, and also led to the formation of the Afro-Celt Sound System. His fusion tendencies continued on 1998's Nomad Soul, which featured Brian Eno as one of seven producers. Baaba Maal is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. ... Podor is the northernmost town in Senegal, lying on Morfil Island between the River Senegal and River Doué. It is home to a ruined French fort, built in 1854 as a centre for gold trading, and was the birthplace of Baaba Maal. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Firin in Fouta is an album by Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Raggamuffin (or ragga) is a kind of reggae that includes digitized backing instrumentation. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Caribbean rhythm that is popular in many Latino countries. ... The Afro Celt Sound System are a musical group which attempts to fuse modern dance rhythms (trip_hop, techno, etc) with Celtic and African influences. ... 1998 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Omikron (or The Nomad Soul) is a Windows 9x and Sega Dreamcast 3D adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published in 1999 by Eidos Interactive. ... Brian Eno in 1977 Brain Eno (born Brian Peter George St. ... In the music industry, a record producer is responsible for completing a master recording so that it is fit for release. ...

Though female performers were achieving popular breakthroughs elsewhere in West Africa, especially Mali, Senegalese women had few opportunities before the 1990s. The first international release by a woman was "Cheikh Anta Mbacke" (1989) by Kiné Lam. The song's success led to a string of female performers, including Madiodio Gning, Daro Mbaye and Khar Mbaye Madiaga. Lam, however, remained perhaps the most influential female musician of the 90s, creating a modernized version of sabar ak xalam ensembles by adding bass guitar and synthesizer with 1993's Sunu Thiossane. // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bass guitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A classic FM synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

The biggest trend in 1990s Senegal, however, was hip hop. Traditional culture includes rapping traditions, such as the formal tassou, performed by women of the Laobe woodworking class the morning after marriages. Modern Senegalese hip hop is mostly in Wolof, alongside some English and French. Positive Black Soul is the most well-known group in the country, while Senegalese-French rapper MC Solaar is perhaps the most well-known internationally. Hip hop is a cultural movement that began amongst urban African American youth in New York and has since spread around the world. ... MC Solaar is the stage name of francophone hip hop artist Claude MBarali (born March 5, 1969). ...

References

• Hudson, Mark, Jenny Cathcart and Lucy Duran. "Senegambian Stars Are Here to Stay". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 617-633. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0