Le Sahel

At the beginning, there was a band named Xalam (a.k.a.Xalam 1, to differentiate from Xalam 2, the actual and still active Xalam). The original Xalam were founded in 1965 by Sakhir Thiam (songwriter, guitarist, a scholar and future President of the Dakar Bourguiba University) and members included among others: Idrissa Diop, Cheikh Tidiane Tall and Thierno Koite

When the group disbanded, Ndiouga Kebe, a wealthy businessman, offered them to be the house band for his new nightclub, the Sahel, thus the band became known as l'Orchestre du Sahel. Original members of the band consisted of Cheikh Tidiane Tall (guitar, keyboards), Seydina Insa Wade (acoustic guitar, vocals), Idrissa Diop (percussion, vocals), Djigui Diabaté (drums), Thierno Koite (alto and soprano saxophone, flute) Mbaye Fall a.k.a. "Otis" (voice), Willy Sakho (bass), Alassane Ndoye (congas), Emmanuel Batta (trombone), Jean Ndiaye (trumpet), Pape Djiby Ba (guiro, voice), René Cabral (voice) .

Open to various musical styles, le Sahel offered a music mixing African sounds (mbalax, Pulaar music (Fulani), Mandingo music), with salsa , soul , blues , jazz , r&b, funk and pop. This fusion of style will be reflected in their only album, Bamba. Recorded in 1975, the album consisted of six songs, two of which "Tribute to Mbaye Fall" a.k.a. "Otis", their deceased singer, and "Khandiou", a song about orphans, interpreted by Seydina Insa Wade. became huge hits in Senegal . This ephemeral group only survived three years, before splitting in 1978.

Recently, former Sahel members Idrissa Diop, Cheikh Tidiane Tall and Thierno Koite have been collaborating with the new label Teranga Beat on a revival/reunion project for l'Orchestre Le Sahel bandmates

Adapted and from: Sylvie Clerfeuille May 8, 2007 - © Afrisson