Orchestra Baobab

Orchestra Baobab has been around since 1970 and single-handedly unleashed a musical renaissance in Senegal. The band was founded in the nightclubs of Dakar, where musicians from different countries joined forces. Where they played, the bar and the street filled with Afro-Cuban rhythms, Portuguese melodies, Congolese rumba, a whole range of local styles and a dancing crowd. Orchestra Baobab launched Dakar towards the vibrant music city it is today.

The orchestra ended it in 1882, but international curiosity continued to grow. Their albums became scarce collector's items. In 2001, Orchestra Baobab rose again from the silence, partly at the insistence of its early fan, Youssou N'Dour. After a series of international tours, the band recently became the resident orchestra in one of Dakar's nightclubs for the first time in 20 years. The circle is complete. Where this swinging band stops, the fire flares up.

“They had such a clean sound. And they were pan-African. We're ready for this approach to come back. We've put too many barriers in our music. Young people now understand how important those years – the 1970s – were for our music. So they're ready to listen.” (Youssou N'Dour on the revival of Orchestra Baobab)

“We had just been on standby for a moment. The Baobab is a strong tree. Even if you cut it down, it will keep on growing. So when you speak of Orchestra Baobab, you know that we're not the kind of band to dissapear quietly.” (Guitarist Barthélemy Attisso on the revival of Orchestra Baobab)