| TITLES |
LINER'S
NOTES |
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PRODUCTION
NOTES |
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In
a world where too many people are facing hardships, everyone
should honour and be honoured.
Honour means respect of the other, whoever he is, hospitality,
generosity and respect of the given word. |
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This
was the most commercial song on the CD. The studio version
was much slower than the live version and that gave me a
lot of trouble when I had to replay on stage my rather acrobatic
lead guitar.
Malick plays the nylon guitar solos as well as sabar. Backup
vocals are by Malick, Makhtar and Marlène Dorcéna. |
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We
salute the halpulaar all over the world. The descendants
of Diallo, Bâ, Sow and Barry have always been in the
vanguard. Let them be honoured for their gallantry and beauty,
and in particular Diyé and Coumba Bâ and their
husband Boubacar who have always supported us. |
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The
basis of this song is the pattern by the two hoddus. The
difficulty was to break the monotony of this pattern by
introducing other instruments (piano, electric guitar, brass).
The kora solo in the second part was improvised in the studio
by Yakhouba Sissokho who Malick knew from his time in Paris. |
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We
who have left the Fuuta to try to make a living elsewhere,
let us not forge tour roots and the ones we left behind.
Let us respect those who welcomed us and let us not forget
to bring something when we'll get back home. |
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Malick
had written this beautiful ballad with a two-chord accompaniment.
I first re-harmonized the song by adding several chords
then included a second acoustic guitar and finally soma
flute and some background synth during Malick's solo.
Marlène's backing vocals (which she devised herself)
add a lot to the song. |
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It
is time to act for young people !
The good things that we enjoy now are the result of the
deeds of our forebears. It is time for us to shape the future
of our children by giving them the good example of justice,
honesty and work. |
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This
song proposes an unusual mix between the hoddu (played by
Mamadou Soma Dia) and an energetic rhythm section. I couldn't
resist 'zairianizing' the lead guitar part that was created
by Martial. |
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Jambarebe
(The resistants)
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This
song is in memory of the Mauritanian resistants that have
struggled against racism and oppression and paid for it
with their lives. Let everybody remember their names : Tene
Yussuf Gueye, Djigo Tapsir, Bâ Al-Hassan Umar, Bâ
Abdul Khudus, Bâ Seydi, Sy Seydou and Sarr Amadou. |
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The
pattern of hoddu on this song is very similar to Pullo.
However the arrangement is much simpler as I wanted to leave
the maximum place for the lyrics. |
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Galo
(Wealth)
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If
you are invited by a rich man, you will benefit from material
riches, but if you're invited by a wise man he will fill
you with his moral and spiritual wealth. |
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The
halpulaar's yella is probably one of the ancestors of reggae.
This is very apparent in this song where the two rhythms
intertwine.
Martial is doing the lead guitar. |
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Let
us shake the trees to scare the birds so they won't damage
the fields. If the harvest is good there will be a feast
in the village and, who knows ?
Maybe a marriage will happen as well. |
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This
song uses a typical halpulaar rhythm, the ripo.
I also took advantage of the contrasting ways in which Martial
and I played rhythm so as to have two very different rhythm
guitar lines.
I play the lead guitar in my usual jazzy style. |
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Since
the Diama and Manantali dams have been built there is a
great hope that the future will be green and fertile again.
Girls and boys will gather in the moonlight and have a good
time. |
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This
song was played by Malick in a very similar way as Danniyanke
but the melody was even more beautiful and led itself perfectly
to re-harmonizing and the use of two acoustic guitars I
also took a long time writing the harp part, that follows
very precisely the vocal line, either in a parallel way
or as a counterpoint.
As a bonus, Yakhoouba played a very good lead in the middle
part. |
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This
song is based on an old Pulaar legend that tells the story
of three brothers : Labbo Dikko, Pullo Samba and Bambaado
Demba. They had inherited one cow but Labbo wanted to become
an artisan and Bambaado a musician. Both tended the cow
very poorly !
Eventually they decided that Pullo would be the only one
to care about the cow and that the others wuld do what they
liked best. All of them achieved their goals, and they all
shared what they had acquired. |
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After
an introduction at hoddu by Mamadou, the song continues
with another intro with the flute before Malick starts telling
the story. The solo is Martial. At the end of the song Malick
uses the typical interjections of the Halpulaar sheppards. |
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This
song is a praise to all those who supported the alphabetisation
and the distribution of pulaar, like Amadou Hampathé
Bâ, Murtudo Diop, Seydou Kane, Yero Dooro Diallo,
etc. May our language remain alive! |
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Malick
fits well into the tradition that celebrates the praise
of celebrity characters.
From
a musical point of view this song combines the rythm of
yella with elements of jazz at the level of harmony.
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- @ 2005 Robert Falk