Search - Jibo Baje :: Niger: Epopees Zarma Et Songhay

Jibo Baje is a Nyamkala griot, a highly trained musician whose traditional job is to carry the knowledge of the people from person to person and generation to generation. He sees himself in direct opposition to the more popular notion of a griot as a popular storyteller and praise singer, or as a street musician and beggar, both images that have come to be common throughout West Africa. It is even argued in the liner notes that Jibo Baje may be the last of the true griots of Niger, singing in the ancient language the epic stories of his ancestors. This album offers two epic tales about the Songhay-Zarma people of Niger, performed by the singer as he accompanies himself on the mooloo, a lute with three strings affixed with rattles to add a distinctive buzz to the music. Recorded live in Niger just as they would have been performed in a formal setting, these two historical songs have a raw beauty and a great dignity. Excellent notes in English, French, and German provide the historical background, lyrics, and a biography of the artist. --Louis Gibson