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Baaba Maal; Cheb i Sabbah & 1002 Nights

Friday, June 16 • 8pm

“A giant of world music, blowing away audiences
all over the globe.” — Rolling Stone

Through hit albums like Nomad Soul and Missing You, along with electrifying live shows, singer Baaba Maal has become one of the most important figures in world music today. In the BBC’s words: “[His] live performances…are magnificent. Alongside Youssou N'Dour he is Senegal’s biggest international star.” Or, as Rolling Stone put it: “His high, uplifting vocals, powerfully plaintive wails, and twisting melodies can send shivers down your spine and raise the hair on the back of your neck.”

Sharing this culture-crossing bill is Algerian-born, Bay Area–dwelling Cheb i Sabbah, whose adventurous deejay work brings together the worlds of North African, Arabian, and Indian music. All three of these influences will figure in the mix on this night at the Masonic, as he leads the world-premiere of his new ensemble of instrumentalists and dancers, 1002 Nights. The concert also takes place just three days after the release of Cheb i Sabbah’s latest CD, La Ghriba—a disc of remixes from his previous disc, La Kahena. Of that 2005 release, the Village Voice proclaimed, “Sabbah is so skillful, so imbued with rhythm in general and these rhythms in particular, that exotic-in-the-Maghreb underlays from jazz, reggae, and the clubs sound chosen and organic.”

Program Notes

“A giant of world music,” in Rolling Stone’s words, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal is “blowing away audiences all over the globe.” In traditional West African culture, the rank of musician is reserved for the griot caste. Born into a caste of fishermen, Maal overcame insurmountable odds with an unwavering determination and a voice that REM’s Michael Stipe called “one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever [heard].” As a child, Maal was infused with the original songs of his mother, as well as the imported sounds of artists like Otis Redding, James Brown, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff. And while he diversified and internationalized jazz, reggae, and pop into his exciting, innovative music, Maal has never forgotten his roots in traditional Senegalese music and the rich musical heritage of western Africa. In his teens, he became a member of Asly Fouta, the 70-piece orchestra based in the Dakar. At this time, he joined longtime musical accomplice Mansour Seck in an extensive tour of Senegal and neighboring countries like Mali and Mauritania to further immerse himself in the area’s fertile musical traditions, engaging in in-depth interviews with each village’s elders.

After two years of study at the Paris Conservatoire, Maal returned home to Senegal and formed his longstanding band Le Daande Lenol, “The Voice of the People.” The band’s name is also Maal’s unofficial credo — music that represents a precious, evocative cultural tradition. Amidst today’s modernization and globalization, Maal brings a lyrical intelligence and introspection that attests to his commitment to African unity and all of humanity. Through hit albums like Nomad Soul and Missing You, along with electrifying live shows, Maal has become a pillar of African music — and one of the most important figures in world music today. In the BBC’s words: “[His] live performances…are magnificent. Alongside Youssou N’Dour he is Senegal’s biggest international star.” Or, as Rolling Stone put it: “His high, uplifting vocals, powerfully plaintive wails, and twisting melodies can send shivers down your spine and raise the hair on the back of your neck.”

— Drew Foxman