Baaba Maal ( ff, 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤, italics=no, born 13 June 1953) is a
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
ese singer and
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
ist born in
Podor
Podor (Wolof: Podoor) is the northernmost town in Senegal, lying on Morfil Island between the Sénégal River and Doué River on the border with Mauritania. It was the location of the ancient state Takrur. It is home to a ruined French colonial ...
, on the
Senegal River
,french: Fleuve Sénégal)
, name_etymology =
, image = Senegal River Saint Louis.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Fishermen on the bank of the Senegal River estuary at the outskirts of Saint-Louis, Senegal ...
. In addition to
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
, he also plays
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
Youth Emissary.
Maal sings primarily in
Pulaar
Pulaar (in Adlam: , in Ajami: ) is a Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley area traditionally known as Futa Tooro and further south and east. Pulaar speakers, known as ...
and promotes the traditions of the Pulaar-speaking people, who live on either side of the Senegal River in the ancient Senegalese kingdom of
Futa Tooro
Futa Toro (Wolof and ff, Fuuta Tooro ''𞤆𞤵𞥄𞤼𞤢 𞤚𞤮𞥄𞤪𞤮''; ar, فوتا تورو), often simply the Futa, is a semidesert region around the middle run of the Senegal River. This region is along the border of Senegal and M ...
.
Early life and education
Maal was expected to follow in his father's profession and become a
fisherman
A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish.
Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...
. However, under the influence of his lifelong friend and family
gawlo, blind guitarist
Mansour Seck
Mansour Seck is a Senegalese singer and musician born in Podor, in the north of the country. Best known for his collaboration with lifelong friend Baaba Maal, he has also toured and released several solo albums. He is blind.
Biography
Seck was ...
, Maal devoted himself to learning music from his mother and his school's headmaster. He went on to study music at the university in
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
before leaving for postgraduate studies on a
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholarsh ...
at
Beaux-Arts in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Career
After returning from study in Paris, Maal studied traditional music with Mansour Seck and began performing with the band
Daande Lenol. Maal's fusions continued into the next decade with his ''
Firin' in Fouta
''Firin' in Fouta'' is an album by the Senegalese singer Baaba Maal, released in 1994.
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best World Music Album" category. Maal supported the album with a North American tour.
Production
The albu ...
'' (1994) album, which used
ragga
Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.
Wayne Sm ...
,
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
and
Breton harp music to create a popular sound that launched the careers of
Positive Black Soul
Positive Black Soul (also known as PBS) is a hip hop group based in Dakar, Senegal, one of the first such collectives in the country. Founded in 1989, the group is composed of Didier Sourou Awadi (alias DJ Awadi) and Amadou Barry (alias Doug E. ...
, a group of rappers, and also led to the formation of
Afro Celt Sound System
Afro Celt Sound System is a British musical group who fuse electronic music with traditional Gaelic and West African music. Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson, and feature a wide range of guest artists. ...
. His fusion tendencies continued on 1998's ''
Nomad Soul
''The Nomad Soul'' (known as ''Omikron: The Nomad Soul'' in North America) is an adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released for Microsoft Windows in 1999 and Dreamcast in 2000. The player can ...
'', which featured
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
as one of seven
producers
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
. In addition to his various solo releases, he contributed to two tracks, "Bushes" and "Dunya Salam", on the concept album ''
1 Giant Leap
1 Giant Leap is a British electronic music duo consisting of the two principal artists, Jamie Catto ( Faithless founding member) and Duncan Bridgeman.
Career
Based in the UK, the two musicians set out to create a multimedia project that would ...
''.
In 1998, Maal recorded "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" for the
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.
Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
's compilation album ''
Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove'', a tribute to
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
awareness and fighting the disease. In 2002, Maal again worked with the Red Hot Organization, recording "No Agreement" alongside
Res
Res or RES may refer to:
Sciences
Computing
*Russian and Eurasian Security Network
*Spanish Supercomputing Network (''Red Española de Supercomputación'')
Energy
* RES - The School for Renewable Energy Science
* US Renewable Electricity ...
,
Tony Allen,
Ray Lema
Raymond Lema A'nsi Nzinga (born 30 March 1946), known as Ray Lema, is a Congolese (DRC) musician. A pianist, guitarist, and songwriter, he settled in France in 1982. ,
Positive Black Soul
Positive Black Soul (also known as PBS) is a hip hop group based in Dakar, Senegal, one of the first such collectives in the country. Founded in 1989, the group is composed of Didier Sourou Awadi (alias DJ Awadi) and Amadou Barry (alias Doug E. ...
and
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
Biography Early life
Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...
; as well as "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" alongside
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
and featuring Kaouding Cissoko and
Antibalas
Antibalas (Spanish for "bulletproof") is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Although their music generally follows the musical architectu ...
, for the tribute album to
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...
, ''
Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti''.
On 7 July 2007, Maal performed at the
Live Earth concert, Johannesburg
The Live Earth concert in South Africa was held at the Coca-Cola Dome, South Africa on 7 July 2007.
Running order
* South African Drum Cafe Team - "Zimbabwe Drum Rhythm" (JB 2:18)
*Danny K and The Soweto Gospel Choir - "Something Inside So S ...
.
Maal's album ''On the Road'', a live acoustic album recorded straight from the mixing 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 the
''Black Hawk Down'' film soundtrack and performed on the title track of the 2008 video game ''
Far Cry 2
''Far Cry 2'' is a 2008 first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A top-down shooter version for mobile phones was developed and published by Gameloft. It is th ...
'', in addition to helping to create the whole soundtrack for that game. He played at Bonnaroo and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2010.
On 4 May 2013, Maal performed at the 2013 edition of the
Harare International Festival of the Arts
The Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is one of Africa's largest international arts festivals. Established in 1999 by Manuel Bagorro the festival takes place each year in late April or early May in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. T ...
in
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
.
In 2014, he contributed to the BBC Music's remake of
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
song "
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, it is a Baroque-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and its subversion of typica ...
".
Maal's 11th studio album, ''The Traveller'', recorded with Johan Hugo from
the Very Best and
Winston Marshall
Winston Aubrey Aladar deBalkan Marshall (born 20 December 1987) is an English musician and podcaster. He is best known as the former banjoist and lead guitarist of the British folk rock band Mumford & Sons. Prior to this he was in the bluegrass ...
(
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, key ...
), was released via Palm and
Marathon Artists
Marathon Artists is a London-based independent record label founded by Paul-René Albertini, Philippe Ascoli and Jimmy Mikaoui in 2012. The label also runs its own publishing and management divisions. Artists on the label include Courtney Barn ...
The lead singles, "Fulani Rock" and "Gilli Men", received critical acclaim. in January 2016, and was accompanied by a UK tour and headlining Senegal's Festival Blues Du Fleuve. 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".
In 1998 he was honoured by the Dutch-based
Prince Claus Fund
The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...
, which rewards people who have a progressive and contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.
He voiced the Wakandan soundtrack of ''
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
'' for
Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson (; ; born 1 September 1984) is a Swedish composer, conductor and record producer. He has scored films such as ''Fruitvale Station'', the ''Rocky'' franchise entries ''Creed'' and ''Creed II'', ''Venom'', and '' Ten ...
helping introduce Ludwig to many of the African musicians who contributed to the score. Baaba's vocals can be heard on tracks ''Wakanda'' and ''A King's Sunset.'' Baaba & Ludwig rejoined each other to collaborate on the score for the follow up ''
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.'' To celebrate the launch of the film's trailer Baaba Maal & Massamba Diop staged a performance at San Diego ComicCon. His vocals can be heard on ''Nyana Wam.''
In an interview with
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 F ...
in 2020, Maal discussed the ritual quality of traditional instruments, and how he chooses instruments to convey his songs' messages: "The spirit of the
kora and the
ngoni are different from the
talking drum
The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...
and the
balafon
The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé, Senoufo and Gur peoples of West Africa, particularly the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group, but is now ...
, or the
sabar
The sabar is a traditional drum from Senegal that is also played in the Gambia. It is associated with Wolof and Serer people.djembe
A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa.
According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...
. The
kora and
ngoni are closer to human beings, because they are made from things that had life. The talking drum, the
balafon, and the
sabar are 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."
Giving back
On March 28, 2016, Maal launched Nann-K, a charity focusing on global sustainable development. The launch coincided with
International Women’s Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
, featuring a concert by Maal himself. The date was chosen to honour the involvement of women in the development of business in Africa. There has since been a first anniversary show at Dakar’s Amadou Barry stadium. The intention of NANN-K as an organization is that it will support people from Senegal, and then throughout Africa, in developing a career in agriculture – through farming the land, raising animals, and fishing. 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.
On December 11, 2019, Maal promised to fight to stop the
desertification
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...
in the Sahel by planting trees. He said he hoped every person in Senegal could say they planted a tree.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Djam Leelii
''Djam Leelii'' is the first widely distributed album of Senegalese musician Baaba Maal and guitarist Mansour Seck. Several of the tracks have been released on Baaba Maal's later releases. It was originally recorded in 1984 and released in 1989 by ...
'' (with
Mansour Seck
Mansour Seck is a Senegalese singer and musician born in Podor, in the north of the country. Best known for his collaboration with lifelong friend Baaba Maal, he has also toured and released several solo albums. He is blind.
Biography
Seck was ...
) (1989,
Mango Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
)
* ''Baayo'' (with Mansour Seck) (1991, Mango)
* ''Lam Toro'' (1992, Mango)
* ''Wango'' (1994, Syllart)
* ''
Firin' in Fouta
''Firin' in Fouta'' is an album by the Senegalese singer Baaba Maal, released in 1994.
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the "Best World Music Album" category. Maal supported the album with a North American tour.
Production
The albu ...
'' (1994, Mango)
* ''Gorel'' (1995, 4th & Broadway)
* ''Taara'' (1997, Melodie)
* ''Nomad Soul'' (1998, Import) – No. 33 Australia
* ''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
Marathon Artists is a London-based independent record label founded by Paul-René Albertini, Philippe Ascoli and Jimmy Mikaoui in 2012. The label also runs its own publishing and management divisions. Artists on the label include Courtney Barn ...
)
* ''Being'' (2023, Palm /
Marathon Artists
Marathon Artists is a London-based independent record label founded by Paul-René Albertini, Philippe Ascoli and Jimmy Mikaoui in 2012. The label also runs its own publishing and management divisions. Artists on the label include Courtney Barn ...
)
Compilation albums
* ''The Best of the Early Years'' (2003, Wrasse)
* ''Palm World Voices: Baaba Maal'' (2005, Palm)
* ''On the Road'' (2008, Palm)
Import releases
* ''Jombaajo''
* ''Ngalanka''
* ''Ndilane''
* ''C'est la vie''
Contributing artist
* ''
Passion – Sources
''Passion – Sources'' is the second of two albums of music from Martin Scorsese's film '' The Last Temptation of Christ''. The first album, '' Passion'' by Peter Gabriel, was released in 1989 in conjunction with the movie. ''Passion - Sources ...
'' compilation (1989,
Real World Records
Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at ...
)
* ''
Unwired: Acoustic Music from Around the World'' – (1999,
World Music Network
World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music.
The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" compet ...
)
* ''
Television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
'' with
Brazilian Girls
Brazilian Girls is a band from New York City, New York, United States, known for their eclectic blend of electronic dance music with musical styles as diverse as tango music, tango, chanson, house music, house, reggae and lounge music, lounge ( ...
(2009, Palm)
* ''
The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal
''The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 2013. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release presents an overview of the music of Senegal on Disc One, and contains a ...
'' (2013, World Music Network)
* ''
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
'' with Mumford and Sons (2016, Glassnote Entertainment Group)
*
''Black Panther Original Score'' with Ludwig Göransson (2018, Marvel Music Inc.)
* ''
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Original Score'' with Ludwig Göransson (2022, Marvel Music Inc.)
DVDs
*1999 – ''Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' –
Palm Pictures
Palm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD-Video format. Palm places an emphasis on such proje ...
References
External links
* – official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maal, Baaba
People from Dakar
Senegalese guitarists
Living people
20th-century Senegalese male singers
1953 births
Palm Pictures artists
21st-century Senegalese male singers