Djam Leelii is the first widely distributed album of Senegalese musician Baaba Maal and guitarist Mansour Seck. Several of the tracks have been released on Baaba Maal's later releases. It was originally recorded in 1984 and released in 1989 by Mango Records. A 1998 edition from Palm Records raised the number of tracks to twelve. The album was featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
This is why I love this project. I never would have found this. And I may never listen to again. But dang did I like it on this car trip.
This is lovely! Relaxing, hopeful, energetic, and worldly. It makes me feel far away (in a nice way).
I can't for the life of me understand why this album is on 1001. For lack of a better explanation, I'll once again blame the British for this album appearing on 1001 as some attempt to appease their colonial guilt. I'm guessing Baaba is from a West African country. I'm from a North American country. I respect whatever musical traditions they're bringing to the table, and I have a personal responsibility to bring an open mind and hear this music with as few hangups and expectations built up from 36 years of "western" pop traditions, but I sure as hell don't have to like this. Songs are repetitious, droning, no change in dynamics, no development arc. I found small pockets of beauty, but I can find small pockets of beauty in a sewage processing plant. What is the point of this album? Is it just to feel one thing (detached mild ennui) and feel that same thing over and over again until the album ends? Did Baaba Maal want their listeners to accidentally fall asleep at the wheel and plow into a dairy farm? Perhaps perhaps perhaps if I understood the language there could be a deeper emotional impact, but that would have to be some exquisite poetry to overcome the doldrums of the music. D-
Ok so random thoughts on this: 1. Finally something I'd never have heard of otherwise, and not just the Beatles or Bowie for the umpteenth time. 2. Cool guitars and tribal drums. I dunno if traditional music, but something close to it? 3. Singing is alright but wears out its welcome. Gets too Arabic-sounding after a while, like those annoying prayer calls that just blast at 100 decibels in the streets in MENA countries. 4. This album shouldn't go for over an hour. A bit too repetitive. But it would've been fine at 30min for sure. 3/5.
Gorgeous instrumentation and vocals. I have heard Baaba Maal mentioned by other musicians so it was great to actually be able to listen to him.
Looks like something I might be interested in... Baaba Maal seems to be a big figure in the music of Senegal, and this is his debut with friend Mansour Seck. It has great vocals from both, in traditional African stylings. On the best tracks (like Muudo Hormo) we also get cool, traditional, organic percussion that fits perfectly. Personally, I'm not a huge guitar fan, so the turn-off for me is the predominance of acoustic (and one time electric) guitar across this album. Having said that, these guys tend towards beautiful, simple melodies that repeat and gradually develop. The best tracks are hypnotically repetitious, which is just the shit I love in any genre of music. It seems like this has just been chosen for the list as "world music for guitar fans" - but I can put up with that, because it's a mesmerising album. 4/5.
I've never heard something like that before, it was a cool experience. Nevertheless felt kinda boring, songs were too long and repeatable, both singing and melodies. And still not my type of music.
Great listen, atmospheric achostic vibes with african influence, no lyrics some chanting. good to listen and loose yourself in
Kind of cool. Never would have found this on my own. Songs are all a bit long and of course I have no idea what the lyrics are, but the instrumentals are interesting and it really handles the role of background music very well.
I never would have given this a chance if it weren't for this project, so score a point for the list. Some really nice guitar work that really grew on me as I listened. Best track: Kettodee
Not for me. Very long. I can appreciate the fact that it's a completely different style than I've really heard before, but I just couldn't get into it.
Not sure, at track one, if this is a me album. Intensely folky and repetitive, but I'm keeping an open mind. It's nice in places, but I'm just not deeply into Senegalese folk jams. Clearly it has value, but it sounds a lot like any other culture jamming - pleasurable for the musician more than the listener. Then it might just be me not understanding the culture well enough. Don't mind some Tinariwen or Manu Chao, but this just isn't grabbing me.
Really loved the ethereal feel of this. I didn't pay as much attention to each track as I'd have liked, but having it on in the background is wonderful.
In this book to hit a diversity quota. Absolute drivel.
One of the reasons I'm doing the 1001 albums challenge is to discover gems like this album. What a stunningly beautiful record it is. A few guitars, percussions and a touching voice and the end result is simply magic. I don't understand the lyrics - though I made some research and read about what they sing about - but it's a good proof how music can connect different cultures, backgrounds, and people together. This album touches my heart deeply. Just wonderful.
There's some really beautiful music on this album. The guitar playing is absolutely amazing and the percussion compelling and infectious. The vocals took some getting used to but never intruded on my enjoyment of the music. A really beautiful listening experience. 4 🌟
I didn't understand it at all, but it's very nice to receive this kind of album here on this list. Just listen to it and it's absolutely impossible does not to note the importance and influence of these songs in almost everything I listen to every day. The language, the drums, and everything else is recognizable in some way Unexpected surprise, not understandable, but very cool!
Dreamy
A little different, tribal sounding for the most part, that's the point of these right, to listen to a lot of different sounds!
I was kind of vibing with the music but it got a bit repetitive and I couldn't get past the vocals which were kind of annoying. It was OK. 2.5/5
Absolutely not.
I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS
Genuinely brilliant and hypnotic. The record shuns conventional musical storytelling in favor of a kind of unintrusive, enchantingly repetitive lolling almost strays into ambience, but the characterful vocals defy even that label. It is almost like the more sophisticated original video game music in how it's constructed - something like a West African take on Neir Automata's background music. I'm hesitant to give this a 5 considering I have no idea what this gentleman is singing about - but I think even if it turned out to be a call to genocide I'd be able to vibe out. I'll trust my gut that this about love and peace though, 5*.
Wow. The production on this is just gorgeous - thick, layered, hypnotic. This is the kind of record I frequent this website for. No favourite tracks, nor am I likely to listen to this on the daily, but man is it great.
Nice. I made it a habit to listen to those albums as they were originally released, so 8 songs here. Which were: nice. A lot of West(?) African music has this ~bounce to it - this shit grooves. "Salminanam" made me want to skip, but the rest was mesmerizing - stand out: Maacina Toora - and all in all much better and more interesting than the similar offering "Talking Timbuktu"(#30) (music from neighbouring Mali, but with 50% boring white man's Blues). Not sure if this is 5 star nice but I feel like offsetting the reviews of the troglodytes who can't process anything that isn't english-speaking pop/rock. I for one wanted to hear this.
Beautiful guitar interplay and vocals. Another album/musician on buy list, thanks to this site. :-)
Brilliant. Exactly what I am looking for from this list. An album that I should have listened to before.
Really nice album, would never have thought to listen to it otherwise.
Uauuuu!
Tranquil is the word that comes to mine. Pleasantly relaxed. A little monotonous at times but I dig the vibe. I feel like the only thing separating these guys from The Spacemen Three is where they're from. And maybe where they're coming from, too, in that I suspect these guys don't necessarily think of themselves as psychedelic explorers. but that's how I am hearing it. This also sounds like what you might hear at daytime rehearsal during the (occasionally considerable) interval between when we've tuned up and when our drummer arrives. But our weed was never good enough to sing in this language. Excelsior!
Djam Leelii I’ve heard of Baaba Maal, but have never heard any of his music, and I’d not heard of Mansour Seck at all. It’s hard to describe this other than just a lovely series of hypnotic, beautifully woven acoustic and electric guitar lines and vocals, seemingly simple percussion and the occasional embellishment of kora and balafon (I’ve just learned they’re called that) Those excellent, circular, fantastic-sounding guitars wash over brilliantly, evoking sunsets and sunrises, and lonely nights in the desert (with a Land Rover). Obviously I have no idea what Baaba Maal is singing/chanting/crooning, but his vocal and melodic style add to the enchanting feel of it. It’s less muscular and overtly bluesy than the similarly West African Songhoy Blues we had, and without some of the more middle eastern/North African influences we had with Ali Farka Toure, but it is no lesser an album for it’s apparently more simplistic approach and arrangements The songs broadly follow the same template and do sound quite similar, but I didn’t find that a bad thing at all, the sound is so expressive and the feeling they elicit so lovely I could (and did) listen on repeat all day, especially the final 4 songs in Maacina Tooro, Djam Leelii, Bibbe Leyde and Sehilam. Similar to Songhoy Blues and Ali Farka Toure, it's a 4, another great album I’m looking forward to coming back to, and another artist to find out some more about. 🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳 Playlist submission: Bibbe Leydy
This is what I thought this list was
As always with non-English language selections I feel like I can’t fully appreciate this. The instrumentation is fantastic, and although the signing style is way outside my cultural zone, it was interesting, and complemented the music.
Very lovely. Glad to be introduced to a genre and musical style that I would have been unlikely to find otherwise. Album felt a little long at times and I probably need to be in the right mood for it.
Senegalese tunes and familiar western rhythms are combined beautifully. The album starts with high-energy tracks, and the melodies become more thoughtful later.
Fine, but this circular, insistent guitar weave reminds me of fiercer records by Doueh, Bombino and Inerane. This feels muted into the background.
Hypnotic. Parts are a bit "Space Prophet Dogon" which is a big plus, obvs.
I don't remember
a unique and somewhat soporific album. far too lengthy and unfocused/meandering to really stand out, but it makes for an interesting listen nevertheless.
This is what this book is made for. I've never heard of this and would have never sought it out. I have absolutely no idea what any of the songs are about, but the vocals sound great. I really dig it, although it is a little long and feels repetitive which lowers the rating for me. 3.5/5
Neodlučna sam oko ovog. Prije godinu dana bi sigurno imala ne tako dobar dojam o ovom albumu, ali u međuvremenu san gledala neki film di je ovakva glazba savršeno zaokružila cilu scenu pa san tu pismu slušala neko vrime i valjda mi se sad zbog tih pozitivnih sjećanja svidio i ovaj album. Do neke mjere. Malo predug album pa nakon nekog vrimena postane repetitivno. Čak bi mi se više svidilo da je sami instrumental ili možda malo manje pivanja. 2.5/5
Imaginez un album d'environ une heure constitué de pistes elles-mêmes constituées d'interminables boucles mélodiques. Imaginez maintenant qu'un homme y superpose des sénégalaiseries chantées pour nous faire oublier la redondance de l'instrumental. Vous obtiendrez alors l'album Djam Leelii de Baaba Maal et lui accorderez une note de trois sur cinq.
I’m really not sure what to say about this one - just like my last foray into what I suppose is termed “world music”, this was effectively an hour’s worth of background music.
There's so many great "world music" albums out there missed off this list while another, mid tempo boring album gets added. Perfect for eating in a restaurant background music. Don't listen to this - go and listen to the Japanese band Number Girl and their album 'Suppekei' instead - key figures of the Japanese alt-rock movement. Best Tracks: Lam Tooro; Muudo Hormo; Maacina Tooro
Not for me.
I felt like I was trapped in a neverending Lion King pitch meeting.
I did not need to listen to this. The music itself is unremarkable. I didn't skip any songs, but I tolerated it.
I’m gonna just file this under, “not my thing”
AGAIN! I DONT DO JAZZ Its fucking musical masterbation, no one wants to watch someone else doing it.
Did not listen, absolutely zero interest in this type of music.
Absolutely loved this! I think I was born on the wrong continent.
A fantastic record to puff a j-bird to. Just sit back and melt into it. Bliss.
This was soooo good. The guitar was so beautiful and I love the melismas in their vocal melodies. Fav tracks: Lam Tooro, Maacina Tooro
De Baaba Mal supimos a travĂ©s de Real World con Passion (1989) y Call to prayer. Luego en Black Hawk derribado. Nomad Soul, fue el álbum más popular, pero de igual calidad que este que además fue una refrescante sorpresa por aquel entonces. Es toda una experiencia escuchar la mĂşsica de Baaba, como la de Youssou N'Dour (más allá de 7 seconds, que no representa su mĂşsica, por muy buena que sea la canciĂłn). Totalmente recomendable. Son canciones largas, más allá de los 5 minutos, con desarrollos repetitivos y la voz reconocible y mágica de Mal. Lam Tooro o Loodo ya exponen lo que será el disco, raĂces de flok-blues americano le llaman algunos. Yo creo que es mucho más. No por diferente sino porque suena orgánico, no sobreproducido, te lleva directamente a otro nivel. Sehilam es una maravilla pero es difĂcil elegir alguna. Otros discos de una cosecha realmente estupenda, la del 89: Stone Roses de Stone Roses, Playing with Fire de Spacemen 3,New York de Lou Reed, Doolitle de Pixies, On Fire de Galaxie 500, Disintegration de The Cure, Paul´s Boutique de los Beastie Boys, Technique de New Order, Freedom de Neil Young, Let Love Rule de Lenny Kravitz, The Seeds of Love de Tears for Fears, Automatic de Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets de Love and Rockets, Dum-Dum de las Vaselines, Spike de Elvis Costello, Rhythm Nation de Janet Jackson, Mind Bomb de The The, Mothers Milk de los Red Hot Chili Peppers, Full Moon Fever de Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Ojalá Que Llueva CafĂ© de Juan Luis Guerra, Shahen-Shah Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Raw and the Cooked de los Fine Young Cannibals, Primal Scream de Primal Scream, The Whitey Album de Ciccone Youth, LĹŤc-ed After Dark de Tone LĹŤc, 3 Feet High and Rising de De La Soul, 101 de Depeche Mode, Like a Prayer de Madonna, Nick of Time de Bonnie Raitt, No More Mr. Nice Guy de Gang Starr, Raw Like Sushi de Neneh Cherry, The Real Thing de Faith No More, Liquidizer de Jesus Jones, Heart Shaped World de Chris Isaak, Bleach de Nirvana, Velveteen de Transvision Vamp, Pump de Aerosmith, The Healer de John Lee Hooker, Crossroads de Tracy Chapman, Hats de The Blue Nile, All Hail the Queen de Queen Latifah, Done by the Forces of Nature de los Jungle Brothers, Back on the Block de Quincy jones, Me and a Monkey on the Moon de Felt, Ninety de 808 State, Hallelujah EP de los Happy Mondays o Pump Up the Jam de Technotronic, If I Should Fall From Grace With God de The Pogues, Soul II Soul- Club Classics Vol. One, Nick of time de Bonnie Raitt… Y como placeres culpables: Cuts Both Ways de Gloria Stefan, Foreign Affair de Tina Turner, ...But Seriously de Phil Collins y Neither Fish Nor Flesh de Terence Trent D'Arby
The opening track "Lam Tooro" reminded me of English Electric Folk, while the title track, "Djam Leelii", is pure Blues. Even though I didn't understand a single word, I loved this album.
This was a refreshing change. Never heard of this album, nor would I have considered it, but will listen again and explore similar work.
Loved this shit
Back in the 1980s their was a craze for "world" music which I never really got into. I believe much of it was not very good, but a lot of trendy westerners listened to it because it was "niche" I listened to this album fully expecting not to like it, but was very pleasantly surprised. The intricate and mesmerising guitar work seems to interweave amazingly with the vocals. This is an album I would definitely listen to again. An easy 5 stars.
Am too dumb to appreciate the artistry, but good vibing
No track was skippable I felt it in my solar plexus is now on my go to chill out
Fantastic album
That was freaking amazing! My girlfriend also thinks it's freaking amazing we've listened to it three times and decided that we're going to go to Senegal to check out the music scene
This is what I came here for. Absolutely beautiful. Sounds totally fresh.
Loved it. It's understated in a way that makes every replay sound fresh. Great for chill car ride with fam
This made for a pleasant relief after some humdrum 90s guitar bands. Vibrant and energetic. Superb guitar playing and a definite 5 stars from me.
Well paced, although occasionally strays into repetitiveness. I appreciate the inclusion of some Senegalese music into the list, but it does raise the question of why there's only a dozen or so albums from an entire continent, especially a continent that's produced some of the best music in a hundred years and influenced Western music so massively.
Me encantĂł escucharlo, salir de la rutina de escuchar rocksito gringo o britanico es rejuvenecedor, deberĂan argregar más mĂşsica internacional a esta pinga 10/10.
Finalmente algo diferente de álbumes gringos o gringos europeos. 9/10
really like this. No idea what they are singing about but lovely sounds
Talvez eu inclua esse som dentro de rock psicodĂ©lico simplesmente por falta de conhecimento de outro gĂŞnero ou mĂşsicos similares. Frases de guitarra simples e hipnotizantes, batuques com todos os tipos de instrumentos rĂtmicos, acompanhadas de um vocal entoado (que me pareceram mantras em algumas mĂşsicas) trazem algo de novo e refrescante pra essa lista, e que definitivamente tornam meu repertĂłrio mais rico
Loved this. Never heard Senegalese music before but will definitely listen again.
I absolutely appreciate the sound and feel of this whole album. A quote for Baaba Maal sums up my listening experience pretty well, although with a very Western experience I bet I’m missing a ton when I listen with my own ears…maybe not in some ways? “The spirit of the kora and the ngoni are different from the talking drum and the balafon, or the sabar and the djembe. The kora and ngoni are closer to human beings, because they are made from things that had life. The talking drum, the balafon, and the sabar are made from wood, and when you listen to them your mind goes out into the forest. When you make music and write songs, you have to know about the messages. From the messages, you know what the instruments are and how to put them together underneath the lyrics."
Fantastic. Great to just throw on and vibe. I only wish I could speak Pulaar so I could appreciate that gawlo storytelling.
Just an absolute pleasure to listen to. The tones the textures. The way he can convey a feeling in a song despite not knowing the meaning behind the lyrics… just gorgeous gorgeous music and this is exactly the kind of thing I want to be shown more of on this list.
I have never heard this before and I truly enjoyed it. The artist has a very interesting story as does the history of music in Senegal.
This is what I came here for. Absolutely beautiful. Sounds totally fresh.
Well shit. This is so, SO good. We had a 1993 Baaba Maal album a few months ago, and this is a clear precursor to that one’s high-tech, larger-than-life jams. This one, I feel like it was just tracked by great musicians in a room together. And it’s SO compelling. I can’t get over how expressive Baaba Maal’s voice is. I wish I could understand the language, but even without it it’s just arresting. Let’s talk groove, though… this grooves like NOTHING else. This is some crazy shit!! “Muudo Hormo,” that is my favorite track of the entire year so far. So sly. It starts in this totally pretty, folk pastoral, style, and gradually speeds until it’s this infectious JAM. I was dancing all over my house listening to this. Couldn’t stop. Even now as I’m listening to it a fourth time. It just has this sweet, beautiful, yet joyful quality. I can’t remember the last time a song compelled me to dance so JOYFULLY. This is a beautiful thing. Do I detect a tiny hint of prog influence? Just in the way some of the guitars are played, recorded. Those super bright DI acoustics, we call that sound “cheap” in America. I’m starting to really, really like it. I don’t mind the long runtime at all! The bonus tracks were some of my favorites. Really, that balafon player should win an award. It’s criminal that this music is so overlooked here in America. I want to go to the places where it’s celebrated, where it’s danced to. 5/5
Man this was fun. Outside the normal scope of albums I get. Just good chill vibes. Love the arrangements of not often heard instruments.
Loved it! Unique sound. Great rhythms. I’m a sucker for albums that aren’t in English
Extraordinarily beautiful. I loved the melodies, harmonies, instrumentation all the way through. Spotify calls Baaba Maal an "epic storyteller" making me regret that I don't understand the lyrics.
Those first few bars had me. I love this type of sound - not quite desert blues in the Ali Farka Toure mode, but pretty close in places. That guitar and then when the kora kicks in (yes, that's not all guitar you know...) This might be better in its original eight track package (although Kettodee is one of my favourite tracks). But it's pretty darned good anyway. I must have first heard Baaba Male on the old Andy Kershaw world music show on Radio 3. Not that it was really world music - just whatever Andy felt like playing really. Miss that show; there's not really been anything like it since and it made Sunday nights special. Tossing up between a 4 and a 5. Assume the shorter, eight track version and then add a point for not being in English anyway and it's a 5 from me. More non-English music please.
amazing
Dope album
Incredible album!
so beautiful
Amazing!!
SENEGAL!!! alussa luulee että intiaa..mutta ei... liian hyvä äänenlaatu.. these mfkers speak WOLOF.... wolofphones... top 20 jalkapallomaa... kakkostiimi AINA..AINA mm kupissa... espanja ykkönen...dogshit team...senegal kantaa.. nelosta olin antamassa mutta on vitosta annettu paskemmille albumeille (rodeohead) ja 2.77 average heh. average rating heh.... pistää niin vitun vihaksi.. tai pistäisi jos kiinnostaisi... meikä olen parempi ihiminen, ei tarvitse katella tommosia... parempi ihminen tietää objektiivisuuden. käsittämätön ääniskeippi... sielu uppoaa aavaan kitarahyrskyyn... pistää transsiin.. olisi uskomaton juna musiikki... maacina toro
Great African music. The vibe is perfect here
absolutely beautiful favorite track was probably Maacina Tooro, but the whole album is just so wonderful 10/10
Stupendous.
So this could just be the early stages of a crush talking, but I might just have a new favourite world music album. I was completely hooked from the get-go and the interest never faltered through the 9 tracks. This record really is something else. Baaba Maal has an amazing and unconventional voice, and the acoustic guitar of Mansour Seck is hauntingly beautiful. Adding on top of that the idiophone on for instance 'Muudo Hormo', and the result is an incredible atmosphere transporting the listener to somewhere else entirely. What impresses me is how the record manages to be so so groovy while still leaving plenty of space for contemplation. Definitely worthy of a lot more listens.
I’m in shock. Where did Baaba Maal emerge from? And how am I only hearing of him this moment? With Djam Leelii Maal and Mansour Seck have created one of the most hauntingly beautiful albums I’ve ever heard coming out of Africa. Maal’s vocal is both powerful and full of emotional range while Seck’s guitar playing will haunt my ears for days - not to mention the effect kora and balafon has on this record! Djam Leelii might easily end up in the top 5 of African records for me.. Until I’m sure I’m going to dive deeper into Baaba Maal’s discography and look forward to the March release of his upcoming album, Being.
A decolonial masterpiece!
After shirking my 1001 duties for a week, this is a mighty fine album to return to. Baaba Maal was another one of the artists who were key to getting me hooked on African music. I didn't have Djam Leelii but bought his next album Baayo - (which is also excellent). Thankfully my copy is still in good shape since I can't find the full Baayo LP on Spotify or YouTube. The guitars and his voice are quite amazing. Not much else to talk about but that is definitely enough.
1989 - World Music (hard to describe - Classic guitar; Xylophone; Steel Drum; Chant)
I discovered Baaba in college, so I knew what I was getting into. Love the instrumentation and the hauntingly beautiful singing. I could listen to this all day forever.
Beautiful. Surprised I'd never heard this before, will be a favourite and need to investigate more of Maal's work
Musik um ihretwillen; sie erzählt und wird getragen von der Erzählung der Instrumente im Reich des Halls. Der Gesang überkommt die call response Struktur der weithin so gebauten Stammesgesänge. Erinnert eher an Blues und ist in seiner analog trancigen Art einer der Ursprünge für Schaffens des Animal Collective. Mesmerized 4.5
This album was a VIBE it felt ALIVE Ko Wone Mayo was especially memorable. Fuck it, five stars, this was unlike anything else, a really nice album.
Immediately upon listening to this I'm thinking about the modern singer songwriter that's given indie music fans a reason to be excited: Mk.Gee. I think it's mostly in the guitar tone; it sounds like "DI" or "Direct-in", where the guitar is recorded by being plugged in directly to an interface, and not amped and then having the amp mic'd. That's THE sound right now in indie rock music- because of Mk.Gee (and Dijon). This album of course came out decades before him, but it's funny to me because that sound has really been disliked for decades and just within the past year or two it's now ubiquitous. I don't mean for all of this to be about another artist however; this album is really enjoyable. Outside of the guitar tone, the compositions are very impressive. I particularly like how they seem to reach for classical music ideas, and add in a lot of worldly stuff elsewhere, like: "Lam Tooro" sounds like a medieval waltz on a harpsichord. "Muudo Hormo" sounds like what a flow state feels like, and when you get too much in the zone, the microtonal marimba calmly comes in and hits you with a beautiful melodic and rhythmic sequence. The more I listened to this song the more I really was captivated by it. I've always been attracted to modern classical minimalism- (like Steve Reich) with it's gorgeous repetitions that let you drone in and out and experience music in a way that feels so different from traditional American popular music, and this does an amazing job at that. I'd say that this is actually one of my favorite tracks that I've discovered from this list. It's incredible! I love the album cover. Even though it's from 1989 it looks ahead of it's time and definitely like something that would come out of the 90's.