P.A.M. - Popular African Music label at cdRoots

P.A.M. - Popular African Music

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P.A.M. - Popular African Music
Please note that some releases in the P.A.M. catalog are available by special order and may take up to 2 weeks for shipment. This is noted in the CD descriptions below.

Objectif Perfection - Bala Et Ses Balladins
$18.99
(cdRoots# adc302)
One of the national orchestras of Sekou Touré's Guinea, the band was on top of 1964 until 1980 when their last recording was made - aptly called objectif perfection - which is released in full on this CD. Plus four more tracks from around 1970, including two versions of sara.

Roots And Fruit - Orchestre Baobab
$18.99
(cdRoots# adc304)
This album focuses on the work of the Casacais musicians (from the southern region of the country, the Casamance) of Orchestre Baobab: Balla Sidibé and Rudy Gomis. it compiles tracks from the hard to find buur and musique'afrique labels, an unreleased 10 minute smoochie by Rudy Gomis and Rudy`s 1986 solo-cassette (featuring barthelemy attisso and balla sidibé) - the last fruit of Baobab.

No. III de Number 1 - Number 1 de Dakar
$19.99
(cdRoots# adc-307)
They went under a lot of variants of the name: Starband de Dakar, Orchestra No. 1, Star Number One, and Starband du Senegal to name a few, and they always delivered number one, A-class music, steeped in Cuban and Latin influences, and always 'just right.' This is a collection of their more obscure recordings (and none are on the more familiar Dakar Sound releases).

Assusu - Famoro and Kike Kouyate
$19.99
(cdRoots# oa204)
Recorded in Conakry in 1992- Kouyate was bass player with Ballaet ses Balladins in the late sixties This recordings feat M mah Bangoura vocals, Souleyman Diallo peulh flute Famoro grumbling bass icl two balaphones , three more female voices, djembe and the m bote bass drum

Koffi Cola Na Yo - Mama Diabate
$18.99
(cdRoots# oa205)
Just listen to Mama's fantastic voice and her rap like singing style. The title track does not advertise a certain soft drink but strongly condemms polygamy. Rerelease of a guinean cassette that was recorded in Abidjan's jbz-studio in 1993.

Sopente - Super Cayor
$18.99
(cdRoots# oa206)
The band calls its style salsa-mbalax. They not only put the Senegalese style next to the latin-american one but effectively mix the two: a customized Senegalese percussion set effectively replaces the timbales. The result is a very danceable music.

Embouteillage - Super Cayor De Dakar
$18.99
(cdRoots# oa210)
super Cayor de Dakar's 2001 release features the tenorsaxophone of maestro Issa Cissokho (ex- bandleader of Orchestra Baobab). On top of the 6 songs on the original Senegalese cassette you can hear two live recordings of the band.

King Onyina's Guitar Highlife - Onyina, King
$18.99
(cdRoots# pamag702)
This is the music that marked the times around ghanain independance: guitar band highlife, incorporating many Ghanaian traditions and many foreign influences (king onyina knows all the albums of barney kessel and wes montgomery). besides the excellent guitar work this album also features the typical highlife singing style: on top of onyina's tenor you hear male alto and treble singers. with extensive notes by koo nimo.

Simanje-Manje And Kwela - Donald Kachamba's Kwela Band
$18.99
(cdRoots# pamap103)
Donald Kachamba, born in Blantyre, Malawi, is considered on of the outstanding musicians-composers of the middle generation in southeastern Africa. over the years he has developed compositional techniques and a very personal music with his group. the donald kachamba's kwela jazz band, liberating himself from the constraints of current african pop music styles. his music is deeply rooted in his childhood experience of kwela, sinjonjo, saba-saba, hauyani, simanje-manje and other southern african urban dance music genres of the 1950's and 1960's. this album , amply documented by prof. gerhard kubick, features his solo work where he overdubs himself on his nagra tape recorder.

Music In Ghana - Various
$18.99
(cdRoots# pamap601)
a selection out of the archives of african music at the institute of african studies, university of ghana, legon. to document such an archive on one cd is impossible - so this album be seen as an appetizer that makes scholars and music lovers hungry for more: there are 21 tracks of traditional music from the various regions of ghana. additional spices are 3 highlife songs by the late e.k.nyame and a brass band tune, since the archive not only collected traditional music. some of the instruments featured are: one string fiddle, mouth bow, ivory and aseseben horns, benta, a Hawaiian guitar and all kinds of drums.

Madaris - Igd El Djilad
$18.99
(cdRoots# pamjaf501)
a vocal group from sudan; eight singers are accompanied by two keyboards, percussion and bass. the band presents a variety of styles from the various regionss of africa's largest country - including love songs in arabic tradition and songs from the nuba mountains that show strong black african influence. singing almost acappella igd el djilad is rejuvenating old sudanese choral traditions.