''Yasimika'' is the first
studio album by
Djeli Moussa Diawara (aka Jali Musa Jawara),
Guinean Kora player (Korafola), released in 1983.
Background
Djeli Moussa Diawara recorded his first LP, now known as Yasimika, in
Abidjan
Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...
in 1982. He was 20 years old and came to the city following his half-brother
Mory Kante Mory is the name or part of the name of three communes of France:
* Mory, Pas-de-Calais in the Pas-de-Calais ''département''
* Mory-Montcrux in the Oise ''département''
* Mitry-Mory in the Seine-et-Marne ''département''
Mory is also the name of t ...
.
This album is still nowadays considered a great piece of African music, and many music lovers consider it changed their appreciation of traditional music, specifically the second track (Haidara), that would appear on many compilations, like ''
The Rough Guide To The Music Of Mali & Guinea'' released by World Music Network in 2000.
During the 80s, Mande pop was starting to lose its folk origins and was becoming a kind of dance music, even topping the European charts.
At the same time, a kind of roots revival occurred, led by Djeli Moussa, already an accomplished acoustic singer and Kora player, with the release of this acclaimed album.
Charlie Gillett
Charles Thomas Gillett (; 20 February 1942 – 17 March 2010) was a British radio presenter, musicologist, and writer, mainly on rock and roll and other forms of popular music. He was particularly noted for his influential book ''The Sound of t ...
told the following story in January 2009:
Quotes
(...) the flowing grace of Jali Musa Jawara's classic "Haidara". (...)
Releases, reissues and remastering
This album was released under various names and record labels, with the artist being either referenced as
Djeli Moussa Diawara or Jali Musa Jawara.
* 1983 : LP - ''no title'' - A.S. Records (Côte d'Ivoire) - ref. AS016
* 1983 : LP - ''no title'' - Tangent Records (UK) - ref. TAN7002
* 1983 : LP - "Direct From West Africa" - Go Records (UK) - ref. GGLP1
* 1986 : LP - ''unknown title'' - Oval (UK) - ref. OVLP51
* 1991 : CD - "Yasimika" - Hannibal (USA) - ref HNCD1355
The original masters were sold in March 2010 to CybearSonic, a new French label.
On 10/01/2010, the fully restored and remastered version was released on digital platforms as "Yasimika (Abidjan 1982)".
Track listing
Personnel
*
Djeli Moussa Diawara –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
,
Kora
* ''Kissiman'' – guitar
* ''Lamine Kouyate'' – guitar
* ''Kouyate Djelimoridjan'' –
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 f ...
* ''Djanka Diabate'', ''Fanta Kouyate'' & ''Djenin Doumbia'' – chorus
References
External links
Official Djeli Moussa Diawara's Website
{{Authority control
1983 albums