The Case of Orchestre Baobab and Rail Band

Following last week's full show dedication to Brazil's Jorge Ben, I have prepared one more 'band spotlight' show for this week (next week will return to regular mixes!).

The 2-hour show this week will be split between 2 of my favorite bands from Africa:

The first hour is devoted to Orchestre Baobab of Senegal. This band was my second big love from Africa (following Fela Kuti), and they inspired me to keep digging deeper into African music. The uniform high quality and the depth of their catalog pushed me to keep looking for new bands. Baobab blends Afro-Latin, phychedelic, Manding, and highlife influences for a diverse range of sounds. All material here recorded between 1975 and 1982.

The second hour is devoted to the Rail Band of Mali. Baobab hooked me for African music, but Rail Band blew my mind. This orchestra brought absolute psychedelic majesty to ancient music of Mali, with occasional Afro-Latin flourishes. The Rail Band discography is notoriously rare... I have fruitlessly sought after Rail Band titles more than any other musical act!

Enjoy these deep dives into two of Africa's greatest bands of the 70s!!