While touring all around the world for several years, FARAFINA from Burkina Faso has become a well known ambassador from this specially welcoming West African country. FARAFINA was founded in the early eighties. Right from the beginning they were enthusiastically welcomed by their audiences who were fascinated by so much virtuosity.
Their ability to expand their music without denying their traditional instruments has enabled them to experience new forms and meet other musicians such as Jon Hassell, the Rolling Stones, Ryuichi Sakamato, Daniel Lanois, Billy Cobham, Joji Hirota, a.o.
Their music interweaves complex and forceful rhythms and is carried by the melodic lines of balafons, flute and koras. The songs are played on traditional instruments while their lyrics deal with present issues of African realities in a critical though hopeful way.
But they stayed faithful to their own track. So while integrating new orchestral forms and melodies, and adding contemporary sounds (guitar and keyboard), the balafons, koras, flute, djembes, tama, and baras still remain the core and hearth of their music. Last but not least, the arrival of a female voice introduces a new colour to this up till now male only ensemble.
During their odyssey of nearly 20 years the group naturally faced some changes. Thus, its founder Mahama Konaté left the group in 1991. Others came and went and still others died. New and younger musicians have joined the group. All came in through the so called "Farafina School" which continues the African tradition of having the children, from their youngest ages on, attend the concerts of their elders and trying to repeat the music they hear all day long. In this way an astonishing and remarkable musical continuity is guaranteed.
FARAFINA creates a subtle music that is sensitive and ardent at the same time. It draws your body and mind into discovering not only the African life but a universal life nourished with rhythms leading all the way to the roots of jazz.
"Lords of the tama (talking drum), an African percussion
that is held under the arm, FARAFINA's musicians are the wizards of the drums.
Mandan influences of the Bambaran griots, the music of the countries neighboring
Burkina-Faso are also melted into the gold of FARAFINA : the melodies of the
peoples of Mali and Niger, the legends of the city of Kong, the songs of Benin
and drum music of Ghana. It's a revelation. The revelation of a world music
which is too intelligent to allow itself to be lost in the clichés of
traditions : FARAFINA's music is the music of dancing Africa, an Africa on move…"
Christophe Passer "Nouveau Quotidien
…in FARAFINA's work one can always detect the spirit of
those who are searching.
Jon Hassell accurately perceived their potential when he recorded the very successful
album "Flash of the Spirit" with them in 1987. In their albums, both
Ryuichi Sakamoto and the Rolling Stones made a good use of FARAFINA's fabulous
rhythmic section. "Faso Denou" was released by Real World, Peter Gabriel's
studios, and which recording was produced by Billy Cobham and Daniel Lanois.
And now we have "Némako", the latest magical melodic and rhythmical
album, released by Intuition…
François Bensignor
DISCOGRAPHY
2001 KANOU produced by Heinz Dill and Thierry van Roy
Released by Intuition Music & Media and L'Empreinte Digitale
1998 NEMAKO produced by Michel Schaer and Thierry van Roy
Intuition Music & Media (Ref. INT 3241-2)
1993 FASO DENOU produced by Billy Cobham & Daniel Lanois
Real World, Virgin/EMI distribution (Ref. CDRW 35)
1989 BOLOMAKOTE
Intuition Music & Media (Ref. INT2026-2)
1985 FARAFINA LIVE AT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
Produced by Artways, today exhausted
Collaborations :
1989 BEAUTY
(Ref. CDVUS 14)
Collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto for the recording of three titles
STEEL WHEELS
(Ref. Rolling Stones Records 4657522) Rolling Stones invited FARAFINA
to participate on the recording of the track Continental Drift
1988 FLASH OF THE SPIRIT produced by Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois
Intuition Music & Media (Ref. INT 3009-2)
Recorded in New-York after a series of five concerts in Europe together
with Jon Hassell
