Baaba Maal
 |
Baaba Maal | |
|---|---|
 Maal in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 13 June 1953 Podor,French West Africa (nowSenegal) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Baaba Maal(Fula:𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤,born 13 June 1953) is aSenegalesesinger andguitaristborn inPodor,on theSenegal River.In addition toacoustic guitar,he also playspercussion.He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made aUNDPYouth Emissary.[1]
Maal sings primarily inPulaar[2]and promotes the traditions of the Pulaar-speaking people, who live on either side of the Senegal River in the ancient Senegalese kingdom ofFuta Tooro.
Early life and education
[edit]Maal was expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become afisherman.However, under the influence of his lifelong friend and familygawlo,blind guitaristMansour Seck,Maal devoted himself to learning music from his mother and his school's headmaster. He went on to study music at the university inDakarbefore leaving to studymusical notationinParis.During this time, he stayed for three years in the French capital, where he took courses at theConservatoire de Paris,had private tuition and was taken withMozart.[3]
Career
[edit]After returning to Senegal, Maal studied traditional music with Mansour Seck and began performing with the bandDaande Lenol.Maal's fusions continued into the next decade with hisFirin' in Fouta(1994) album, which usedragga,salsaandBreton harpmusic to create a popular sound that launched the careers ofPositive Black Soul,a group of rappers, and also led to the formation ofAfro Celt Sound System.His fusion tendencies continued on 1998'sNomad Soul,which featuredBrian Enoas one of sevenproducers.In addition to his various solo releases, he contributed to two tracks, "Bushes" and "Dunya Salam", on the concept album1 Giant Leap.
In 1998, Maal recorded "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" for theRed Hot Organization's compilation albumRed Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove,a tribute toGeorge Gershwinwhich raised money for various charities devoted to increasingHIV/AIDSawareness and fighting the disease. In 2002, Maal again worked with the Red Hot Organization, recording "No Agreement" alongsideRes,Tony Allen,Ray Lema,Positive Black SoulandArchie Shepp;as well as "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" alongsideTaj Mahaland featuring Kaouding Cissoko andAntibalas,for the tribute album toFela Kuti,Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti.
On 7 July 2007, Maal performed at theLive Earth concert, Johannesburg.
Maal's albumOn the Road,a live acoustic album recorded straight from the mi xing boards of his shows over a ten-year period, was released in 2008. A new studio album,Television,was released in 2009.
He appears on two tracks "Hunger" and "Still" on theBlack Hawk Downfilm soundtrackand performed on the title track of the 2008 video gameFar Cry 2,in addition to helping to create the whole soundtrack for that game.[4]He played at Bonnaroo and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2010.
On 4 May 2013, Maal performed at the 2013 edition of theHarare International Festival of the ArtsinZimbabwe.
In 2014, he contributed to the BBC Music's remake ofThe Beach Boyssong "God Only Knows".[5]
Maal's 11th studio album,The Traveller,recorded with Johan Hugo fromthe Very BestandWinston Marshall(Mumford & Sons), was released via Palm andMarathon Artists[6]The lead singles, "Fulani Rock" and "Gilli Men", received critical acclaim.[7]in January 2016, and was accompanied by a UK tour and headlining Senegal's Festival Blues Du Fleuve.[8]Maal accompanied Mumford & Sons on their Gentlemen of the Road tour around South Africa in 2015. He also released a song and accompanying live performance music video with Mumford & Sons called "There Will Be Time".[9]
In 1998 Maal was honoured by the Dutch-basedPrince Claus Fund,which rewards people who have a progressive and contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.[citation needed]
Maal voiced the Wakandan soundtrack ofBlack PantherforLudwig Göransson,helping introduce Göransson to many of the African musicians who contributed to the score.[10]Maal's vocals can be heard on tracks "Wakanda" and "A King's Sunset."[11][12]The two musicians rejoined each other to collaborate on the score for the sequelBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever,including Maal doing a brief cameo in thefilm itselfas a funeral singer.[13]To celebrate the launch of the film's trailer, Maal and Massamba Diop staged a performance atSan Diego ComicCon.[14]His vocals can be heard on the sole track, "Nyana Wam."
In an interview withThe Metropolitan Museum of Artin 2020, Maal discussed the ritual quality of traditional instruments, and how he chooses instruments to convey his songs' messages: "The spirit of thekoraand thengoniare different from thetalking drumand thebalafon,or thesabarand thedjembe.Thekoraandngoniare closer to human beings, because they are made from things that had life. The talking drum, thebalafon,and thesabarare made from wood, and when you listen to them your mind goes out into the forest. When you make music and write songs, you have to know about the messages. From the messages, you know what the instruments are and how to put them together underneath the lyrics. "[15]
Humanitarian works
[edit]On March 28, 2016, Maal launched Nann-K, a charity focusing on global sustainable development. Maal performed at the launch, which took place onInternational Women’s Dayto honor the role of women in business development in Africa. NANN-K's mission is to assist people from Senegal and other African countries in pursuing agricultural careers, including farming, animal husbandry, and fishing. According to their website, "All these are time-old rural pursuits but they have never been organized or brought into the 21st century, let alone combined with the latest digital thinking."[16]
On December 11, 2019, Maal promised to fight thedesertificationin the Sahel by planting trees. He said he hoped every person in Senegal could say they planted a tree.[17]
Discography
[edit]
Studio albums
[edit]- Djam Leelii(withMansour Seck) (1989,Mango Records)
- Baayo(with Mansour Seck) (1991, Mango)
- Lam Toro(1992, Mango)
- Wango(1994, Syllart)
- Firin' in Fouta(1994, Mango)
- Gorel(1995, 4th & Broadway)
- Taara(1997, Melodie)
- Nomad Soul(1998,Palm Pictures) – No. 33 Australia[18]
- Djam Leelii: The Adventurers(1998, Yoff Productions)
- Jombaajo(2000, Sonodisc)
- Missing You (Mi Yeewnii)(2001, Palm)
- Television(2009, Palm)
- The Traveller(2016, Palm /Marathon Artists)
- Being(2023, Palm /Marathon Artists)[19]
Compilation albums
[edit]- The Best of the Early Years(2003, Wrasse)
- Palm World Voices: Baaba Maal(2005, Palm)
- On the Road(2008, Palm)
Import releases
[edit]- Jombaajo
- Ngalanka
- Ndilane
- C'est la vie[20]
Contributing artist
[edit]- Passion – Sourcescompilation (1989,Real World Records)
- Unwired: Acoustic Music from Around the World– (1999,World Music Network)
- TelevisionwithBrazilian Girls(2009, Palm)[21]
- The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal(2013, World Music Network)
- Johannesburgwith Mumford and Sons (2016, Glassnote Entertainment Group)[22]
- Black Panther Original Scorewith Ludwig Göransson (2018, Marvel Music Inc.)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Original Scorewith Ludwig Göransson (2022, Marvel Music Inc.)
DVDs
[edit]- 1999 –Live at the Royal Festival Hall–Palm Pictures
References
[edit]- ^Chinen, Nate (4 July 2006)."Exhilarating and Aware, an Eclectic Advocate".The New York Times.
- ^Romer, Megan."Baaba Maal Profile and Biography - Learn More About Senegalese African Musician Baaba Maal".Worldmusic.about.Archived fromthe originalon 6 September 2015.Retrieved15 January2016.
- ^John Wilson(2023-05-06).This cultural Life: interview with Baaba Maal.BBC Radio 4.Retrieved2023-05-06.
- ^"Baaba Maal - The International Star Of Senegal Music".African-music-safari.5 January 2016.Retrieved15 January2016.
- ^"Launches with God Only Knows, a star-studded film featuring 'The Impossible Orchestra'".BBC Music.7 October 2014.
- ^Empire, Kitty (17 January 2016)."Baaba Maal: The Traveller review – where tradition meets Auto-Tune".The Observer.Retrieved17 January2016.
- ^Honigmann, David (20 November 2015)."Baaba Maal: 'It all started by the river'".Financial Times.Archived fromthe originalon 2022-12-10.Retrieved20 November2015.
- ^Perry, Kevin (3 January 2016)."Senegal: a trip to Baaba Maal's music festival".The Guardian.Retrieved3 January2016.
- ^"Hear Mumford & Sons' New Collaboration With Baaba Maal, 'There Will Be Time'".Spin.21 April 2016.Retrieved18 June2016.
- ^Inside the musical score of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever',retrieved2022-11-28
- ^Pearce, Sheldon (7 February 2018)."How Black Panther Composer Ludwig Göransson Found the Sound of Wakanda | Pitchfork".pitchfork.Retrieved13 October2018.
- ^Perry, Kevin (21 March 2018)."Baaba Maal on soundtracking Black Panther's Wakanda".NME.Retrieved13 October2018.
- ^"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever full credits".imdb.November 11, 2022.Retrieved6 January2023.
- ^Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | SDCC Performance,retrieved2022-11-28
- ^Fenstermaker, Will (6 May 2020)."Baaba Maal's Songs of the Sahel".The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Retrieved14 April2020.
- ^"Nann-K | Baaba Maal".Retrieved2022-11-28.
- ^"The music legend fighting to stop desertification in the Sahel2BBC News. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^"Discography Baaba Maal".australian-charts.Retrieved23 August2022.
- ^"Baaba Maal – Being".Clash music. 31 March 2023.RetrievedApril 8,2023.
- ^"'C'est la vie', nouvel album de Baaba Maal, une ode à l'Afrique et au Sénégal(Posté le 29 mai 2020) ".afriquinfos(in French).RetrievedNovember 29,2022.
- ^Ayers, Michael D. (22 July 2009)."Baaba Maal Tunes In With Brazilian Girls On 'Television'".Billboard.
- ^"'Johannesburg' with Baaba Maal, The Very Best & Beatenberg ".
External links
[edit]- Baaba Maal– official site
- Baaba Maaldiscography atDiscogs
