Music of the Gambia

The Gambia is a West African country closely linked musically with its neighbor, Senegal. Griots, a kind of hereditary praise-singer, are common throughout the region, a legacy of the ancient Mande Empire. Gambian Griots often play the Kora, a 21 string harp.

Modern ethnic Mande in the Gambia are called the Mandinka, and they are located in the area around Brikama. This region has produced some very famous musicians, including Amadou Bansang Jobarteh and Foday Musa Suso. The latter founded the Mandingo Griot Society in New York City in the 1970s, bringing Mande music to the New York avant-garde scene and collaborating with Bill Laswell, Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet.

Gambian popular music began in the 1960s, when The Super Eagles and Guelewar formed while hip bands were playing American, British and Cuban music. The Super Eagles went to London in 1977, appearing on Mike Raven's Band Call. They played merengue and other pop genres with an African flourish, including Wolof lyrics and minor stylistic elements. After the performance, the band began jamming out some traditional tunes and an unknown man heard, told the group that that was the style they should be playing. This inspired the group to return to their country's musical roots, and they spent two years travelling around the Gambia and studying traditional music. The reformed band was called Ifang Bondi, and their style was Afro-Manding blues.

Civil unrest caused Ifang Bondi and most Gambian musicians to emigrate to countries like the Netherlands, decimating the nascent music industry.

References

• Hudson, Mark, Jenny Cathcart and Lucy Duran. "Senegambian Stars Are Here to Stay". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 617-633. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0