Yaya Diallo's West African Music with his band Kanza

Canada, July 6, 2003 -

"Thanks for sending the advance of ‘Samba the Trucker' from ‘Live at Club Soda' - after hearing the acoustic, drum-centered version on ‘Dounoukan' I was thinking the song was a stirring tribute to a little-recognized blue collar job, but now I find out it's about a driver so boorish his description can't be translated. I'm fascinated to hear the energetic full-band version of ‘Samba' that maintains the basic groove while adding melodic complexity. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album!'

Scott Stevens, KAOS "Spin The Globe,' KAOS-FM, Olympia

Rocking West African Music

Yaya Diallo's upcoming CD Live at Club Soda, recorded in performance at Club Soda, Montreal, Canada, 1989, features his band Kanza. The sound is reminiscent of 1950's rock-n-roll and blues - howlin' saxophone, electric violin, bass and lead guitars, drum set, vocals and traditional drums in African rhythmic music. Asked if he was influenced by the music of this era Yaya responded that the saxophone and electric violin musicians in his band grew up with rock-n-roll, blues and jazz - that this music was a part of them and it couldn't help but show up in their playing.

A favorite track on the Live at Club Soda album, "Samba The Trucker," is a song about a fellow with little or no education, crude manners and worse behavior, particularly when it comes to the ladies. Though given a brief description of what this fellow Samba was up to Yaya declined to give an English translation of the African words saying it was not translatable. Curiously, the album contains an a cappella child's lullaby. When asked why this song is on the album Yaya replied that music is for everyone so it is fitting to have something for the children.

Listen to Yaya Diallo's West African music including the opening track "Samba The Trucker" from Yaya Diallo's upcoming album Live at Club Soda with his band Kanza on New Music Canada,
http://www.newmusiccanada.com/genres/artist.cfm?Band_id=7862 .


Yaya Diallo, author of "The Healing Drum,' and a native of Mali, West Africa has several traditional West African music albums.

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Contact Information:
Stephen Conroy, Producer/Manager
Yaya Diallo's West African Music
Onzou Records, http://www.onzou.com
Email: info@onzou.com
P.O. Box 53030, 1222 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC V8W 3Z2
Canada