Calypso Diola

In 2005, Frédéric Galliano decided to put on hold the Frikyiwa label that he founded. In his archives, many albums recorded during his years of travels in Africa remained unreleased. Regarding the reactivation of the Frikyiwa label, the Calypso Diola album by Lionel and Stéphane Belmondo featuring Kéba Kébé Diolas Orchestra is being released.

It was in the heart of Casamance, in the village of Bignona, that this album was recorded, in a house typical of the region, built of earth with thick walls producing a warm acoustic open to the outside world. The idea of Frédéric Galliano was to bring together the Belmondo brothers and Diola culture, renowned for its distinctive percussion combining wood and struck metal, as well as instruments such as the ekontine (a four-string guitar) or Diola flutes. The vocal melodies typical of Casamance are also strong markers of this album, recorded live over a few days.

Often composed as duos, with the exception of Osoforal recalling a certain 1960s jazz, the tracks on the album are marked by an artistic direction that presents the Belmondo brothers in a more stripped-down light than usual. These tracks and their particular recording approach give this album an original colour in which each part expresses its specificity of improvised jazz and Diola culture. Sometimes tinged with humour (Bach To Casamance or Calypso Diola) or with greater softness (Casa Sport), what is delivered here is a truly original and creative recording.

It is also important to place this album in its context: recorded in 2002, it was, at the time, quite unprecedented to have this kind of in situ encounter between European and African musicians. It nonetheless remains both contemporary and timeless