Orchestra Baobab Returns With New Album Made in Senegal

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Senegal’s legendary Afro-Cuban fusion group Orchestra Baobab is releasing its first album of new songs in nearly 10 years, titled Made in Senegal, as the half-century-old ensemble integrates a new generation of musicians.

Half a Century of Afro-Cuban and West African Fusion

Formed in 1970, Orchestra Baobab ruled the club scene and airwaves in Dakar before going on hiatus and eventually reemerging in the early 2000s to achieve international fame, afp.com reported. The ensemble blends regional Wolof griot music, Congolese rumba, Senegalese mbalax, and jazz through an Afro-Cuban filter. As the band reaches its five-decade milestone, it is banking on younger talent to sustain its historic sound.

Among the new arrivals is vocalist Korka Dieng, who joined in 2023 as the band’s first and only woman member. The 44-year-old told AFP that she and the other younger musicians bring their own personal touch while striving to preserve the core originality that built the orchestra’s legacy.

Lineup Changes and New Compositions on Made in Senegal

The 12-song tracklist for Made in Senegal features roughly half newly composed material that has never appeared on a Baobab album. Among the new works is “Gorgorlou,” composed by 48-year-old trombone and tenor saxophonist Wilfried Zinsou, and “Wida,” written by 37-year-old lead guitarist “Bolero” Lagratte, which references the historical slave port in Benin and its “door of no return.” Lagratte joined the band to replace founding member Barthelemy Attisso, who died in 2021.

Additional personnel changes followed the deaths of iconic members in the early 2020s, including singer-percussionists Balla Sidibe and Rudy Gomis, and saxophonist Issa Cissokho. Despite these losses, 73-year-old percussionist Mountaga “Taga” Koite, the band’s last remaining original member, told AFP that the younger members will ensure Baobab lasts a full century.

Orchestra Performs in Dakar and on International Tours

The transition was on display during a recent Sunday night performance at the Dakar venue Just For You, where couples swayed to the music until the saxophone intro of the anthem “Utrus Horas” prompted audience members to rush the floor. Fan Moustapha Samb, 62, told AFP that he has danced to the orchestra since he was 15 and views the group as a monument representing memory and resilience.

Alongside international tours across Europe and beyond, the group performs in Dakar.

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