Record of the Month
January 2001

Momo Wandel Soumah
Afro Swing
Fonti Musicali FM CD 217

 When Lucy Duran was a Radio Ping Pong guest in October last year, about seven minutes before the 9.00 o'clock news she played 'Toko' from a promo sampler of music from Guinea. She had been given it by Katharina Lobeck, a research student specialising in the music of Guinea at SOAS (The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London) where Lucy is a lecturer

I was expecting to play about 4 minutes of it, and then fade, as I usually do with long tracks during Radio Ping Pong. But this track was unfadeable. The longer it went, the more hypnotic and arresting it became. The growling vocalist was hardly a virtuoso, but the saxophone and flute were instantly addictive. Acoustic guitar chugged along, and the whole thing was timeless, perfect. When I got home, my wife said she was hoping I would play it again during the second hour. In the next few days, emails came thick and fast - who was that, and when will you play it again? By the end of the year it had become the most-cited track in the poll of best things heard on the show during the year.

After the second play came news from listener Matt Cooper that he had found the source album on a website and he sent me a copy. So here it is, an auspicious album of the month at the start of a new year

In truth, 'Toko' is the standout track by quite a long way. It is tantalising placed quite far down the running order at track 6, but I find myself happy to listen to the previous five, knowing the reward that lies ahead. And with repeated plays, the album does hold up, sounding like it was recorded pretty much as we hear it, a group of musicians jamming each new song on a few chords, taking turns to play solos like a jazz group, punctuated by Momo's barks and chants. Léfa Lu, at track 7, picks up the tempo and makes a powerful impact in its own right.

 All in all, it's a unique record which will appeal to all kinds of people, a treat for fans of blues, jazz or traditional African music. Fonti Musicali, the Belgian label, has provided admirably detailed sleeve notes in English and French, with lots of pictures.

CG