album rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Salsa / Afro-Cuban / world music / West African salsa. Ketukuba is a studio album by Africando, the cross-Atlantic musical project that has since its formation in 1992 brought together New York-based salsa musicians and West African vocalists to explore the deep historical and musical connections between Cuba and Africa. Africando was initiated by producer Ibrahima Sylla from Côte d'Ivoire and Malian arranger Boncana Maiga, himself a member of the Fania All-Stars, who recognised that Cuban son and salsa had been hugely popular in West and Central Africa since the 1940s and 1950s and that the exchange could be made explicit and organic by bringing the two traditions into direct studio contact. The Apple Music biography describes the group's music as blending 'classic mambo, Cuban son and mandigo traditions', with lyrics sung in Yoruba, Wolof, Mandingo and French. Ketukuba was produced by Syllart Productions and released in France in 2006 on Discograph (catalogue 6130512) and internationally on Stern's Africa (catalogue STCD1103). The album contains eleven tracks totalling approximately 48 minutes. Vocalists on the album include Amadou Balaké, Pascal Dieng, Medoune Diallo, Basse Sarr, Madilu System, Sékouba Bambino and Joe King. The tracklist is: 'Bogne Sirala' (descarga-salsa, vocal Amadou Balaké), 'Malawoo' (salsa, vocal Pascal Dieng), 'Coumba Peul' (salsa, vocal Medoune Diallo), 'Ketukuba' (vocal Gnonnas Pedro — the album is in part a tribute to the Beninese vocalist who died in August 2005), 'Dieguema' (salsa, vocal Basse Sarr), 'Mario' (rumba, vocal Madilu System — a Latin version of the celebrated Franco song), 'Viens Danser Sur Le Son Africando' (malding salsa, vocal Sékouba Bambino), 'Fatalikou' (guajira, vocal Basse Sarr), 'Sagoo' (guaguanco, vocal Pascal Dieng), 'Kër' (salsa, vocals Lodia Mansour and Medoune Diallo), 'Nina Nina' (vocal Joe King — a version of the Fania All Stars hit). The Wikipedia article on Africando notes that the emphasis on the links between Cuba and Africa is central to Ketukuba.
Label: Syllart Productions (France) / Discograph (France/Europe) / Stern's Africa (UK/international), 2006.
Producer: Ibrahima Sylla (Syllart Productions). Arranger: Boncana Maiga.
Recording studio: Not individually specified in publicly available sources.
Critical reception: Ketukuba was received warmly by world music audiences and salsa enthusiasts. An Amazon reviewer writes: 'Ketukuba is an invitation to dance... I can listen to it over and over again... slightly on the old school side, with plenty of great congas, percussion and horns and lots of call and response vocals... if you like to dance salsa, put this on your repeat often list.' Another reviewer highlights 'Bogne Sirala' and 'Malawoo' as bringing 'a new flavor for Africando with piano-led melodies going in different directions', and 'Mario' as 'still signature Africando, classic mid tempo, melodic lead vocals and sharp horn sections.'
Commercial success: Ketukuba was distributed across France, Europe and the international world music market via Stern's Africa — one of the primary distributors of African music to the global audience. The Africando project has continued recording into the 2010s; its most recent studio album is Viva Africando (2013). The group's catalogue has been consistently well received across the Francophone African diaspora, West Africa and the international world music circuit.
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