KELENA FƒLY

Description

Cheick Tidiane Seck first touched a keyboard at the end of the 1960s on a harmonium at the Catholic convent in Sikasso, where he was a boarder preparing for his BEPC. Since the age of 12, he has been composing pieces orally for his mother, a famous singer. Recognizing his talent, a nun gave him music theory lessons during his three years of schooling. With his diploma in hand, he enrolled in visual arts at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako and played organ at night, like his idol Jimmy Smith, with the Rail Band at the Buffet de la Gare. He also took advantage of his free evenings to play on the piano at the Institute when the music students had gone home. - - Quickly embraced by the musical community of the Malian capital, he embarked on African tours with Les Ambassadeurs before settling in Abidjan and then arriving in France in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has collaborated with jazz artists (Randy Weston, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ornette Coleman…), African music (Manu Dibango, Salif Keita…), and pop (Damon Albarn, Carlos Santana…). - - After the international success of the album Sarala, which he arranged and co-directed with Hank Jones, Cheick released four albums under his own name that showcase his mastery of electric keyboards, from the Hammond organ to the Moog. - - Kelena Fôly (expressing oneself alone in music in the Bamana language) is his first solo album in nearly fifty years of career. Here, there is no amplification, just his deep voice and the Steinway grand piano from Studio Pigalle. Cheick plays pieces rooted in Manding tradition, such as the song Kana Kassi, which recounts an episode in the life of the founder of the Wassoulou empire, Samory Touré. He also invites us into his American adventures with '56 Walker Street', a theme written at this Manhattan address where, in the early 2000s, he led legendary jam sessions featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith, Roy Hargrove, Vernon Reid… - - Kelena Fôly revolves around his poignant tribute to Aimé Césaire. Cheick Tidiane Seck recites an excerpt from the poem 'Souffles' by another champion of negritude, Birago Diop, reminiscing about the invitation from the Martinican poet to perform in Fort de France for the 120th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. The only cover on the album is his version of 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child', to which he adds a verse in Bamana dedicated to his own mother. - - The album concludes with an improvised piece recorded in one take. Corona is the message of Love for Humanity from a musician who survived Covid-19. Hospitalized in Bamako in December 2020 and placed on oxygen, Cheick felt himself slipping away before slowly returning to life. Now fully recovered, the 'warrior' has resumed his relentless travels between continents and offers us this album where he brings together jazz, blues, Manding music, and other African traditions unified by his unique touch and his soul-filled voice.