Thione Seck, who is regarded as Senegal?s most poetic songwriter and greatest singer, travels eastward to Egypt and India and returns home with a masterpiece. With Orientation, recorded in Dakar, Paris, Cairo and Madras, ... more »Thione Seck raises a landmark of Senegalese music ? one that illuminates paths to and from the Orient. It compels us to re-orient our notions of world music. Orientation is a trip in and of itself. Thione Seck (whose given name is pronounced chone) was born a gewel ? a griot of the Wolof people of Senegal. Yet in addition to the recitations of the traditional gewel repertoire, he grew up listening to Arabic music, both religious and popular, and he was a fan of the extravagant musical scenes in the Bollywood movies that were regularly shown in Dakar theatres. He had inherited the supple Seck voice from his father and grandfather, but from early on Thione imbued his vocal style with characteristics of Arabic and Indian singing. While still a teenager he was recruited into the Star Band of Dakar, the pre-eminent Senegalese dance band of the 1960s. In the next decade he sang with Orchestre Baobab, which succeeded the Star Band at the top of the Dakar music scene. In the late 70s and early 80s Seck was one of the originators of mbalax, which has been Senegal?s most popular sound since then. His cassettes were huge hits in the local market, and eventually his music reached Europe and North America. With his new album, Thione Seck not only confirms his place among Senegal?s greatest artists but also leads international audiences in new directions. Recorded between 1999 and 2002, Orientation was produced by Ibrahima Sylla and François Breant, both of whom were on board Salif Keita?s trailblazing Soro. More than 40 Egyptian, Indian, French and Senegalese musicians were involved in the ambitious and unprecedented project that resulted in Orientation.« less
Thione Seck, who is regarded as Senegal?s most poetic songwriter and greatest singer, travels eastward to Egypt and India and returns home with a masterpiece. With Orientation, recorded in Dakar, Paris, Cairo and Madras, Thione Seck raises a landmark of Senegalese music ? one that illuminates paths to and from the Orient. It compels us to re-orient our notions of world music. Orientation is a trip in and of itself. Thione Seck (whose given name is pronounced chone) was born a gewel ? a griot of the Wolof people of Senegal. Yet in addition to the recitations of the traditional gewel repertoire, he grew up listening to Arabic music, both religious and popular, and he was a fan of the extravagant musical scenes in the Bollywood movies that were regularly shown in Dakar theatres. He had inherited the supple Seck voice from his father and grandfather, but from early on Thione imbued his vocal style with characteristics of Arabic and Indian singing. While still a teenager he was recruited into the Star Band of Dakar, the pre-eminent Senegalese dance band of the 1960s. In the next decade he sang with Orchestre Baobab, which succeeded the Star Band at the top of the Dakar music scene. In the late 70s and early 80s Seck was one of the originators of mbalax, which has been Senegal?s most popular sound since then. His cassettes were huge hits in the local market, and eventually his music reached Europe and North America. With his new album, Thione Seck not only confirms his place among Senegal?s greatest artists but also leads international audiences in new directions. Recorded between 1999 and 2002, Orientation was produced by Ibrahima Sylla and François Breant, both of whom were on board Salif Keita?s trailblazing Soro. More than 40 Egyptian, Indian, French and Senegalese musicians were involved in the ambitious and unprecedented project that resulted in Orientation.
"For anyone on the prowl for new sounds outside of lowest-common-denominator Western music, Senegal's Thione Seck has created a remarkable and astonishing album that represents a true and original breakthrough. In a fearsome show of composition and musicianship, Seck has blended musical techniques from West Africa, the Middle East, and India into a new sound that does not feel the least bit forced, contrived, or pre-assembled. And while many of the most popular West African musicians have been looking for ways to cross over into the American or European markets, Seck has avoided stereotyping or bastardizing the authenticity of these musical traditions. Seck has convened a troupe of musicians with an incredible array of exotic instruments from all three realms; while Seck's singing voice is an especially supple and adaptable vehicle, with his vocals moving seamlessly into brave new musical territories. Perhaps the best example of the blending of widespread sounds here is "Ballago" which somehow combines sunny African vocal harmonies with stirring Eastern strings. Other favorites include "Woyatina" which is propelled by three different armies of percussion that are both cooperating and dueling with each other, and the dark and ominous "Djirim" which manages to make a saxophone and clarinet sound as haunting as the transnational dirge beneath. This album is a revelation for those starved for uncompromising and revelatory music from where Western record execs fear to tread. [~doomsdayer520~]"
Best album of the year
Michael Cohen | Florida, USA | 10/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thione Seck is one of Senegal's greatest singers, but so far he hasn't had the same international success as Youssou N'dour & Baaba Maal. Hopefully this album will finally bring him to the world's attention.
Thione has a beautiful voice and has always incorporated Arabic & Indian influences in his music. In Orientation he goes to the source, working with Egyptian & Indian musicians in a project reminiscent of Youssou N'dour's "Egypt". Most of the songs on this album were previously released in his more traditional Senegalese style, but he gives them a complete Egyptian & Indian make-over on "Orientation".
One of the hilights of the album is "Mouhamadou Bamba", a gem he originally recorded with Orchestra Baobab."
Remarkable album
G. Mehl | Baltimore, MD | 10/11/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is amazing -- the kind of album I have been waiting to hear for 10+ years. I started actively seeking world music when I came across Peter Gabriel's Passion and Real World Albums back in 1989. This album offers the kind of collaborative energy that the Passion Soundtrack did when I first heard it.
It is an unlikely mix of Bollywood, Cairo and Dakar that surprisingly works better than the attempts of his Senegalese contemporaries to bridge African and Western sounds.
Highly recommended."
True World Music
otserick | Bordentown, New Jersey | 12/18/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This astounding Cd is part of a Senegalese re-opening to the "East". I could write endlessly about "Orientation"'s cultural and political significance which is immense. However, what will make this music endure is its profound beauty. Thione Seck has a vocal instrument of great range and purity and the arrangements here showcase all his many strengths as an artist. It is like nothing you have ever heard before. Its melange of Senegalese, Arab, and Indian musics sounds totally natural and unforced. I prefer the title, mix and cover art of this project's Senegalese release but enough of the sublimity of the original production survive to make this the "must-have" of this year's world music offerings."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
