Review Summary: Traditional Malian music meets big band horn sections and modern production.
With an album as inaccessible to the average English speaking listener as
Boulevard de L’independence, the album cover and jacket does wonders to provide information and insight into what this album truly means. Toumani Diabate, Mali’s most famous and revered kora player, writes about his vision and thinking behind the Symmetric Orchestra and his thinking behind each song. What struck me first, however, was the album cover. It appears so modern, completely unexpected from a group playing Malian music and African traditions. Diabate transcends modern composing with classical conducting and orchestra-leading on the front cover with his hands raised as if to indicate a crescendo while wearing headphones on his head, another juxtaposition that proves perplexing. In the album jacket, he describes how the Symmetric Orchestra has been a positive cultural icon in their home country, almost overtaking and replacing Mali’s national orchestra. Still, they have a home base in Bamako, playing at the Hogan. Any musician traveling through the area knows to check out the orchestra on Friday night. Chances are, they will get up on stage and perform along side them.
Boulevard de L’independence is the culmination of many years performing at the Hogan.
Diabate explains his reasoning for the naming of the Symmetric Orchestra as the balance between traditionalism and modernism. However, this album proves there may be more to that name, as it bridges the gap between Eastern and Western music. Prominently featured on the album is a horn section, full of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. The energetic album closer “Single” brings acoustic guitar, electric bass and drum set as well, and it feels more like a big band jazz-funk song than a modern African composition. With huge horn hits and an amazing groove from the rhythm section, the African choir vocals and soloists fit on top just like another jazz soloist. The part of the lyrics which Toumani translates are very good, with lines like “What is life but a conversation?” While “Single” is the most Western of the album, the majority of it sounds much more like Malian music with a few Western instruments. The stunningly beautiful “Mali Sadio” begins with Diabate’s virtuosic kora playing, a prominent part of the whole album. As vocalists, percussive handclaps, and light accompaniment from a string section enters, Diabate starts playing better and better. The longest song on the album, “Mali Sadio” has a slow groove but the interplay between the kora and the vocals make it feel more like a soulful ballad, especially compared to the energetic style of the rest of the album.
The following song, “Africa Challenge”, takes the exact opposite approach as its predecessor. Toumani describes it as “Malian salsa with a Senegalese touch” but it feels like any other salsa with more African percussion than Latin. The emphasis on downbeats rather than a 3 against 2 feel also changes things from a typical Latin salsa. Every song on
Boulevard de L’Independence is something special to behold. From the incredible choir vocals in the title track to the celebratory, striking opener “Toumani”, dedicated to the orchestra’s bandleader and his heritage with lyrics written by Soumalia Kanouté. Whether it’s the authentic grooves, the stunning kora playing, or the quality vocalists, there is certainly something everyone can find enjoyable about this album. If you need variety in your listening, look no further than the Symmetric Orchestra. Not too obscure to the point where it is unlistenable, but certainly original enough to be different from anything else you’ve heard.
