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IN STOCK
01. LES AMBASSADEURS - Bolola Sanou
02. LES AMBASSADEURS - Nagana
03. LES AMBASSADEURS - Saranfing
04. LES AMBASSADEURS - Wara
05. LES AMBASSADEURS - Djoula
06. LES AMBASSADEURS - N'na
07. LES AMBASSADEURS - Yassoumouka
08. LES AMBASSADEURS - Mana Mana
09. LES AMBASSADEURS - Djandio
01. LES AMBASSADEURS - Mali Denou
02. LES AMBASSADEURS - M'bouran-Mousso
03. LES AMBASSADEURS - Sabar
04. LES AMBASSADEURS - Tiecolom-Ba
05. LES AMBASSADEURS - Ambassadeur
06. LES AMBASSADEURS - Ray M'Bote
07. LES AMBASSADEURS - Fatema
08. LES AMBASSADEURS - Radio Mali Broadcast 1
09. LES AMBASSADEURS - Radio Mali Broadcast 2
ARTIST
TITLE
Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako
FORMAT
2CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
STCD 3065-66CD STCD 3065-66CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
9/2/2014

Restocked. The supernal singer Salif Keita, groundbreaking guitarists Kante Manfila, Ousmane Kouyate and Amadou Bagayoko (now famous as half of Amadou & Mariam), saxophonist Moussa Sissoko, organist Idrissa Soumaoro, and the extraordinary bala-xylophonist and fiddler Keletigui Diabate -- they (and as many others) were all in the great West African band called Les Ambassadeurs. They came together from several bands from four different countries (hence their name) in Bamako, Mali, in 1970. The man behind this all-star ensemble was a high-ranking officer in the military junta that governed Mali. He was eager to affirm his influence by entertaining VIPs at his favorite hangout, the Motel de Bamako, located among shady mango trees along the Niger River, and to succeed he needed an attraction at least as strong as the Rail Band, which was in residence at the popular Buffet Hotel adjacent to the city's central train station. Les Ambassadeurs immediately created a sensation with their skill at various styles, including Afro-Cuban, jazz, R&B, rock, and modernized Manding classics, and in 1973 the Rail Band's star vocalist, Salif Keita, left the Buffet Hotel to join his peers at the Motel de Bamako. In the mid-'70s Les Ambassadeurs were the pre-eminent Malian band, releasing hit after hit, touring West Africa, and even making appearances in France. The new Sterns Music 2CD album includes 18 recordings made by Les Ambassadeurs in Bamako between 1975 and 1977 (before politics compelled them to relocate to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where they became known as Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux). Most of these tracks have never previously been reissued on CD, and two of them -- Radio Mali live recordings -- have never been released until now. The album booklet contains illuminating notes, rare photographs, and reproductions of LP covers.