Super Diamono was a ten-member band from
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 ...
,
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
. It was formed in 1974
or 1975.
[Senegal 7, ''Anniversaire : Omar Pène souffle sur ses 63 bougies ce 28 décembre'', by Ibrahima Ka (December 28, 2019]
(retrieved February 13, 2020) Omar Pene
Omar Pene (born 28th December 1955) is a Senegalese 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. Having been singing h ...
was a founding-member, and the group was alternately led by the singers Mamadou Lamine Maïga and
Musa Ngum
Musa Ngum (or Musa Afia Ngum, also spelled as "Moussa Ngom"; born 1953 in Fatoto, Kantora District in the Upper River Division, The Gambia; died 11 October 2015 at the Dantec Hospital ( Fr.: ''Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec''), Dakar, Senegal) was a ...
. It started with traditional
West African music
The music of West Africa has a significant history, and its varied sounds reflect the wide range of influences from the area's regions and historical periods.
Traditional West African music varies due to the regional separation of West Africa, y ...
, but quickly turned to an
Afro-Cuban
Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...
and pop-influenced sound. From 1977 they called their music "
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 ...
-
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
".
[Mazzoleni, Florent, ''L'épopée de la musique africaine: rythmes d'Afrique atlantique'', Hors collection (2008), p. 81, ] In 1979,
Ismaël Lô
Ismaël Lô (also Ismaël Lo; born 1956) is a Senegalese musician and actor.
Life
Lô was born in Dogondoutchi, Niger on 30 August 1956, to a Senegalese father and a Nigerien mother. Shortly after Lo's birth the family returned to Senegal wher ...
, a co-founder of the group, rejoined the band as a guitar player, but soon left again for his solo career.
[Hardy, Phil, ''The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music'', ]Da Capo Press
Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books.
History
Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional of ...
(1995), p. 682, [ Appiah, Anthony, Gates, Henry Louis, ''Encyclopedia of Africa, Volume 1'', ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
(2010), p. 562,
/ref> According to Billboard (magazine), Billboard Magazine, it was Senegal's "first truly local pop style." Many of the former members who later became solo artists made their break-through from this band.
Background
In 1972, Baïlo Diagne, Senegalese music manager and later manager of Super Diamono[''Jeune Afrique L'intelligent, Issues 2180-2190'', Groupe Jeune Afrique (2002), p. 108] was looking for a singer for his group ''Kadd Orchestra'' (or ''Cadd Orchestra'')—which consisted of family members such as Cheikh Diange among others. By 1975, Diange's group was complete, and included members of Kadd Orchestra along with other Senegalese groups and musicians such as Omar Pene
Omar Pene (born 28th December 1955) is a Senegalese 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. Having been singing h ...
and Ismael Lô 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 Bas ...
. That new group, which was principally an amalgamation of various bands—came to be known as "Super Diamono" (meaning "generation" in Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
). Bob Sene (El Hadj "Bob" Sene), a bassist, is credited as the creator of Super Diamono, which in turn showcased the charismatic singers Omar Pene and Ismael Lô, then Mamadou Maïga and Moussa Ngom.[Arnaud, Gérald; Lecomte, Henri; ''Musiques de toutes les Afriques'', ]Fayard
Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre.
In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...
(2006), p.140
Diange's new group mostly consisted of musicians from Tropical Jazz and the Kadd Orchestra consisting mainly of Diagne's own family members. It was so family oriented that the group came to be referred to as the "Diange Ochestra" in its early years. In 1979 under a new name Super Diamono de Dakar, the group released their first album with '' Disques Griot'' (''Griot Records'') titled ''Géédy Dayaan
''Géédy Dayaan''Mazzoleni, Florent, ''L'épopée 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 ...
''. Critics such as Mazzoleni describe the album as "a rather tasteless mixture of rock, reggae, synthetic strings and “African 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 ...
” influences"
In the 1970s and 80s, the band was the biggest band in Senegal–touring throughout West Africa.
After years of working together, members left the group to create their own solo careers or set-up break-off groups such as Lemzo Diamono. Officially, the band broke up in 1991 but reassembled later by Pene. Since its founding, the band and Pene in particular have addressed issues of great interest to the youth, such as unemployment, corruption and inequality.
Former band members
The band has had various members over the years. Those who left were replaced by new members. The list below are some of the former members (not necessarily serving in the same year(s)).
* Bob Sene (El Hadj "Bob" Sene), bassist and creator of Super Diamono
*Musa Ngum
Musa Ngum (or Musa Afia Ngum, also spelled as "Moussa Ngom"; born 1953 in Fatoto, Kantora District in the Upper River Division, The Gambia; died 11 October 2015 at the Dantec Hospital ( Fr.: ''Hôpital Aristide Le Dantec''), Dakar, Senegal) was a ...
, the Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
n musician with a strong background in the njuup
The Njuup tradition is a Serer style of music rooted in the Ndut initiation rite, which is a rite of passage that young Serers must go through once in their lifetime as commanded in the Serer religion. The Culture trip "Youssou N'Dour: An Unli ...
(or ''kassack'') style of music—who was ethnically Serer like many of the band members—left the Gambia in 1981 and moved to Senegal. In Senegal, he was courted for years by the group to join the band. He finally joined the group in 1985, which at that time, Super Diamono was the biggest band in Senegal.The Point (the Gambia)
''The Point'' is a daily newspaper published in Bakau, the Gambia.
History
On 16 December 1991, ''The Point'' was founded by Pap Saine, Deyda Hydara, and Babucarr Gaye; Hydara and Saine had been friends since childhood. Gaye resigned four mon ...
, ''Gambia’s superstar musician Musa Ngum dies'', by Njie Baldeh (October 12, 2015
/ref> In the group, he was known for his great presence on stage and strong vocals.[Seck, Nago; and Clerfeuille, Sylvie; ''Musiciens africains des années 80: guide'', ]L'Harmattan
Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in W ...
(1986) p. 56,
*Mada Ba was a group member for 8 years (on vocals).
*Pape Dembel Diop, a former member of the group (on bass) resigned after 22 years. On the 40th anniversary of the group to which he did not partake in, he was asked by Leral Newspapar about the circumstances surrounding his resignation and whether he was on good terms with group leader Omar Pene. Diop refused to make any comment that would tarnish the image of the group, only saying that ethics does not allow him to say anything that could be detrimental to the Super Diamono group. He went on to say that having served the group for 22 years, he saw both good and bad, but has no desire to dwell on that separation. On the subject of his relationship with Omar Pene, Diop said: “We had differences, but we did not fight. I know him better than anyone. He knows me, but I know him too. I call him my big brother. At my age, I don't hold a grude against anyone. Only God knows the future that he has in store for me ..[Leral.Net, ''Pape Dembel Diop après sa démission du Super Diamono : « Depuis quelque temps, je ne me retrouvais plus… »'' (May 15, 2013]
*Omar Pene, original member and co-founder
*Ismael Lô 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 Bas ...
, one of the co-founders. He kept joining and leaving to pursue his solo career. Worked with Omar Pene for 9 years. In 1979, he rejoined the group after Bailo Diange (Super Diamono's manager) offered him guintar position and asked him to officially incorporate his training. He accepted and soon after the group went on an eight-month tour of Casamance
, settlement_type = Geographical region
, image_skyline = Senegal Casamance.png
, image_caption = Casamance in Senegal
, image_flag = Flag of Casamance.svg
, image_shield =
, motto ...
, the southern region of Senegal.
*Babacar Dieng (vocals)
*Thio Mbaye (percussion and vocals)
*Oumar Sow (guitar)
*Doudou Konaré (guitar)
*Iba Ndiaye (musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, sho ...
)
*Lappa Diagne (El Hadj Ousmana "Lappa" Diagne), (drums)
*Mamadou Lamine Maïga, also known as Mamadou Maïga or just Maïga, is a highly skilled vocalist. Known for his high pitched-falsetto
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
range. He used to alternate with Musa Ngum, another strong vocalist.
*Cheikh Diange
*Abdou M' Backe
*Amadou Baye
*Aziz Seck
*Baïla Diagne
*Cheikh Sadibou Niasse
*Ibou Konate
*Jean Alain Hedgar
*Lamine Faye
*Moustapha Fall
*Ndiaga Samb
*Papa Basse
*Tonia Lô
Select discography
*1979: Géédy Dayaan
''Géédy Dayaan''Mazzoleni, Florent, ''L'épopée 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 ...
*1986: Cheikh anta Diop
*1987: People
*1994: Fari
*1996: 20 Ans Déjà
*1997: Nila
*2001: 25 Ans
Literature
*Bauerle. Mirella; Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Muddyman, David; Burton, Kim; Trillo, Richard; Woltering, Monika; and Mauerle, Mirella: ''Rough Guide. Weltmusik.'' Metzler
Metzler is a surname. It may refer to:
* Alex Metzler (1903–1973), American baseball player
*Brenton Metzler, American producer
*Chris Metzler, American filmmaker
* George Metzler (1912–1949), American racecar driver
* Jan Metzler (bor ...
(2000) (German)
References
External links
*Super Diamano in AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
br>
{{Authority control
Senegalese music
Gambian music
Senegalese musical groups
Serer musicians
Wolof-language singers
World music groups