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Musique

Adama Yalomba

Chanteur/euse
Mali

Français

Auteur, Compositeur, interprète et arrangeur, Adama Yalomba, de son vrai nom Adama Traoré a vu le jour au milieu des années 70 à Ké-Macina où son père, Samadji Traoré, était à la fois un paysan et un artiste confirmé de la localité.
C’est justement aux cotés de son feu père, un virtuose du dan que notre Artiste apprit à décliner les premières notes de cet instrument mythique à six cordes et six manches qui se joue généralement pour accueillir les aventuriers sur les places publics et ceux ci doivent raconter les péripéties de leur séjour à l’étranger.
La formation a duré 15 années au cours desquelles Adama sillonnera tout le Mali profond.

Excellent percussionniste, guitariste (n’goni, dan et guitare), notre Adama échoua au Balazan de Ségou (une formation de talents en herbe de la quatrième région économique du Mali). Une année plus tard, il intégra le Bronkoni de Niono (une autre formation phare de la même région). En 1992, Adama débarque à Bamako avec l’ambition de partager son expérience. Awa Dramé, Bakoroba Diabaté, Nanou Coul sont les premiers servis. Ce jeune artiste impose maintenant son propre style, un rythme entraînant qui fait danser.

Si ce multi-instrumentiste est encore peu connu en Europe où il a été repéré par quelques curieux attentifs aux vibrations de l?Afrique de l?Ouest en 2003, via la compilation du Festival du Désert, il est dans son pays un musicien recherché. Adama Yalomba a accompagné le regretté Ali Farka Touré ou Afel Bocoum, le petit protégé de ce dernier, la diva du Wassoulou, Oumou Sangaré, les Touaregs de Tinariwen ou de Tartit, le chanteur franco-malien Toma Sidibé ou le dubber apatride, Manjul.

Extraits de :
La chronique RFI de l’album Kassa
http://www.rfimusique.com/musiquefr/articles/120/article_17843.asp
MaliMusic
http://www.mali-music.com/Cat/CatY/Yalomba/Yalomba.html

English

In 2003, the western audience discovers, amazed, an extraterrestrial record that will reach directly the best seller positions in American charts for world music. What must be said is that « FESTIVAL AU DESERT 2003 » compounded all the greatest and famous names of Malian Music, showed in all its diversity (Ali Farka Touré, Tinariwen, Oumou Sangare, Tartit, Afel Bocoum?), with some additional notorious guests as Robert Plant (the Led Zeppelin mythical singer).

In the middle of this album, a young artist imposes himself thanks to his voice and his hallucinating string play. Adama Yalomba placed then its first paving stone on the way that will drive him to international recognition.

Afro pop

His brand new album, the first one distributed outside Africa, has been recorded in Bogolan Studio in Bamako in 2007 (the most famous studio in western Africa where the missed Ali Farka Touré, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Björk as well as for instance Tinariwen have chosen for their latest album). People familiar with African music industry know how difficult it is for native artists to get European or American sound production quality standards. Hence, « KASSA » is the album that finally does justice to Adama Yalomba talent.

Yet, the man did not wait for this album to attract the masses all over in the world. Actually, it has been for years now that he performs in all the main world music events (WOMEX, Sfinks, Les Escales ?), marking audience mind thanks to his virtuosity, his energy and his smile.

All his travels around the world have opened his ears and his mind as one can notice along the 15 album titles. From indisputable hits (« Bara », « Kassa », « Djalamale »?) to more introspective singles (the wonderful « Kadidja », « Nougoudjougou », « Odel »?), Adama plays with languages (Bambara, Boso, Linguala, French) and with instruments to give birth to deep, intimate and strong songs which stick to your sole and soul.

There was afro beat, afro jazz, Adama Yalomba invents now groovy afro pop, halfway to his millenary roots and his elsewhere’ desires.

Act together!

Act together seems to be Adama’ slogan, always seeking for any encounter that could enrich his art. So, it is possible to listen to his strings (vocal, dan, n’goni, guitar) with his fellow citizens (Salif Keita, Ali Farka Touré, Habib Koïté, Oumou Sangaré, Guerebou Kounkan ?) as well as on Mali lovers’ artists (hip hop globetrotter Kwal, the fiddled pop of Toma Sidibé, the deep dub of Manjul ?)
Then, it was obvious to find a bunch of guests on his brand new album. Malian top brass of course said yes to Adama’ invitation: Toumani Diabaté, kora master working with Björk or Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Cheikh Tidiane Seck (playing also with the jazzman Archie Shepp or rapper Rockin’ Squat of Assassin), the Diva Rokia Traoré (who plays with the New Yorker quartet Kronos) and the n’goni virtuoso Bassekou Kouyaté (who played with U2, Carlos Santana, ?) are all part of this international casting.

France is wonderfully represented as well: in addition to the old pal Kwal and Manjul, one can hear Nicolas Repac, Arthur H guitarist whose passion for Africa is well known thanks to his work with Mamani Keita.

More astonishing maybe, the dazzling Keiziah Jones, in passing by Bamako as Adama was recording, insisted to put some of his slender guitar notes after he had listened first album draft.

Although those talented guests bring their touch, Adama Yalomba is still the real boss of this album thanks to his charisma and an open-mindedness that drive a consistent equilibrium between traditional music and undisputable modernity.

Adama Yalomba demonstrates in the most beautiful way with his creation that « the African man » has well and truly entered the History?
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