Omar Pene (born 28th December 1955) is a
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 井仆井內丐中五 (Senegaali); Arabic: 塈堻媞塈 ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''R矇ewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 井仆不丐仆不五 ...
ese vocalist and composer, who is the lead singer of
Super Diamono, and is now a solo artist.
Career
Omar Pene was born in the working-class neighborhood of
Derkle 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 ...
. Having been singing his whole life and playing in other bands, he formed Super Diamono in 197576, with previous bandmates Cheikh Diagne, Bassirou Diagne, and Bazlo Diagne, along with members of Tropical Jazz De Dakar, including singer
Ismael Lo Ismael may refer to:
People
* Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan
* Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer
* Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber
* Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League ...
.
Other members of the band included
Bob Sene,
Aziz Seck,
Lapa Diagne,
Abdou Mbacke
In Medicine, abdo is short for abdominal.
As a name, notable people called Abdo, Abdou or Abdu include:
People
A masculine Arabic name, and a nickname for Abdul. The name is also of Syriac origin and is a variant of 'Abd, meaning 'servant' or ' ...
and
Adama Faye
Adama ( Oromo: ' or ', Amharic: 喔), formerly Nazreth ( am, 矜), is a city in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an ...
, a jazz keyboardist who gave the group a harder electric sound.
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 ...
during the 1980s, Super Diamono were one of the few bands who could compete with
Youssou Ndour
Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjigu癡ne Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...
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 ...
,
and the two singers had a lively artistic competition, both with devoted fanbases. Fans of Pene and Super Diamono used to congregate particularly at the Balafon Club, near the
Autonomous Port of Dakar
The Autonomous Port of Dakar (French: ''Port autonome de Dakar'', abbreviation: ''PAD'') is a Senegalese public enterprise which is headquartered in Dakar, located in the east of city. Thanks to the strategic position that gives it a sheltered har ...
. Super Diamono's music was energetic reggae and jazz influenced dance music rooted in Senegalese
mbalax
Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and the Gambia. In the 1970s, mbalax emerged as the distinctive sound of postcolonial Senegal. Derived from a fusion of indigenous Wolof sabar drumming with popular music principa ...
rhythms, which are frenetic and syncopated.
Their songs cover socially conscious topics such as unemployment and education, and they were described by ''Rough Guide: World Music'' as "the people's band of Dakar's proletarian suburbs".
In the mid-1980s Ismael Lo left to follow a solo career and was replaced by Mamadou Marga. By 1991 most of the group's original members had left for other projects, and Pene continued the band with session musicians, touring Europe and North America four years later.
To date, he has released more than thirty albums and cassettes. Under their new name ''Super Diamono de Dakar'' , the band released their first album ''
G矇矇dy Dayaan
''G矇矇dy Dayaan''Mazzoleni, Florent, ''L'矇pop矇e de la musique africaine: rythmes d'Afrique atlantique'', Hors collection (2008), p. 81, or ''Geedy Dayaan'' is an album by Senegalese (later Senegambian) band Super Diamono in 1979, under their ...
'' in 1979 under
Griot Records
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''dj矇li'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
(''Disques Griot'').
In August 2021, he released his first solo album ''Climat''.
References
External links
Official site of Omar P癡ne (In French)Omar Pene Profile at Radio France International (RFI)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pene, Omar
21st-century Senegalese male singers
People from Dakar
1956 births
Living people
20th-century Senegalese male singers