Matt
Dexter Johnson was born in Nigeria in 1932 and at the age of 25 in 1957 after a brief stint in Bamako, Mali, arrived in Dakar, Senegal. He was a percussionist at the beginning but changed to saxophone after studying music for two years in Nigeria. Afro Cuban or Son was his repertoire primarily and his music resonated with these rhythms throughout his musical career as this album, “Live a` l’Etoile” beautifully demonstrates. The band, Le Super Star of Dakar were called prior to this throughout most of the sixties just, Star Band of Dakar with Laba Sosseh on vocals who had not long left prior to this recording. The band had also dropped the trumpet in it’s make up and there is no piano which is replaced with two guitars with the addition of electric bass, timbales, percussion and four vocalists with coro duties shared amongst them when not singing lead bringing a distinct African sound and influence within the Afro Cuban rhythms incorporated in the album’s songs. Yes, it has that beautiful sleaze included or more of a slight slow drag within, which only the West Africans during this time period perfected within their sound due to the bands different line up to a typical Cuban Conjunto.
The record which has been released comes as a double album with 13 songs included with the Mexican film classic “Angelitos Negros” opening with Dexter on saxophone over a slow rhythm during the song using two vocalists that share lead duties with a beautifully slow picked electric lead following. The tempo picks up for “Para Que Bueno” with a great solo and input from Dexter’s alto included with a wonderful catchy montuno for the songs ending with Dexter also darting in and out on his horn between the coros. “Mayeya” that follows is a lovely rural Cuban style number with some stunning electric guitar input. The rest of the album keeps up this high standard right throughout with even an English number thrown in “Something You Got” but it is the sleaze with the slower tempo songs that stand out for that unique sound that came from these West African Bands during this period with “Caminho de Sao Tome” and the beautiful “El Corazon” containing Dexter’s dreamy stunning saxophone being prime examples. There are wonderful up tempo numbers included such as “Borinquen Tropical” and “Malonga” with many others that you may consider personally better as there is not a poor track contained within the album’s entire thirteen songs.
One feels like you have just opened an old time capsule when the needle hits the groove as the sound is not pristine but one that represents the sounds from this period with some of its limitations and I myself would have it no other way as that is how I have grown and love to hear old African music. Sublime is only word that I can find to describe this release as we have not had some fresh old African music come out in quite a while. Great job from Teranga Beat label who have also released quite a few others from this great period in African Music. Very Highly recommended for old music lovers like myself.
The Star band went on to produce in the seventies through its members, Orchestra Baobab, Papa Seck (Africando), Nicholas Menheim ( Africando) and the most famous of them all Youssou N’Dour but these old Afro Cuban rhythms they played would be gradually replaced by Mbalax. Still Dexter Johnson stayed Afro Cuban right till the end in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) , 1981.