Momo Wandel Soumah (1926 - June 15, 2003) was a singer, composer, and saxophonist from
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, recognisable by his characteristic gravelly voice.
Soumah started out in the 1950s playing in dance bands, but moved to modern Guinean music following the cultural revolution. He was a part of the greatly influential
Syli Orchestra (originally Syli Orchestre National) who were formed under the instruction of the first elected president
Sekou Toure
Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include:
Given name
* Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as Sékou Amadou or Sheikh Amadu, founder of th ...
. The group of Guinea's elite musicians were selected to travel throughout Guinea and inspire and instruct musicians across the country and help set up the regional orchestras that were key to
Sekou Toure
Sekou, also spelled Sékou or Seku, is a given name from the Fula language. It is equivalent to the Arabic ''Sheikh''. People with this name include:
Given name
* Seku Amadu (1776–1845), also known as Sékou Amadou or Sheikh Amadu, founder of th ...
's 'Authenticité' programme to promote and proliferate 'authentic' Guinean traditional music after colonial rule. From the mid 1980s Soumah developed an idiosyncratic blend of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
African traditional music
Traditional sub-Saharan African harmony is a music theory of harmony in sub-Saharan African music based on the principles of homophonic parallelism (chords based around a leading melody that follow its rhythm and contour), homophonic polyphony (in ...
.
He died suddenly on June 15, 2003. At the time of his death Soumah was musical director of
Circus Baobab.
Discography
* ''Matchowé'' (1992)
* ''Afro Swing'' (2001)
* ''Momo Le Doyen'' (soundtrack, 2007)
;Contributing artist
* ''
Unwired: Africa'' (2000,
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 ...
)
* ''Desert Blues 2'' (2002, Network)
See also
* ''
Momo Le Doyen'' a film by Laurent Chevalier, 2006
References
External links
* – video of Soumah talking (in French) about the cultural revolution of 1958.
1926 births
2003 deaths
Guinean composers
Guinean musicians
Jazz saxophonists
20th-century saxophonists
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