Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
Mansour Seck
1989
Album Summary
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.
WikipediaThis 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.
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.
Great listen, atmospheric achostic vibes with african influence, no lyrics some chanting. good to listen and loose yourself in
This is lovely! Relaxing, hopeful, energetic, and worldly. It makes me feel far away (in a nice way).
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.
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.
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.
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-
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.
A little different, tribal sounding for the most part, that's the point of these right, to listen to a lot of different sounds!
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.
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
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.
Senegalese tunes and familiar western rhythms are combined beautifully. The album starts with high-energy tracks, and the melodies become more thoughtful later.
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!
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 did not need to listen to this. The music itself is unremarkable. I didn't skip any songs, but I tolerated it.
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.
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.
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
Beautiful. Surprised I'd never heard this before, will be a favourite and need to investigate more of Maal's work
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.
1989 - World Music (hard to describe - Classic guitar; Xylophone; Steel Drum; Chant)
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.
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.
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.
Sonically interesting, perfect blend of electronic sounds and traditional African sounds and beats.
Solid as hell. Good vibes, reminds me of that one Ethiopian song I love from Feets' Ice Caps playlist
Really enjoyed this. So unique. The instrumentals were a highlight throughout the album
Una nova descoberta de la llista. Evidentment, el que més destaca és l'increïble treball de guitarres, que juntament amb una percusió minimalista i unes veus encisadores creen un disc hipnòtic, magnètic. Una mena de 'Marquee Moon' meets 'Graceland' filtrat per l'herència senegalesa. Molt bó, realment
A very interesting sound. I wish I understood the lyrics. I liked most of what I heard as far as instrumentation.
Jeden z tych pickow ktorych sie czlowiek nie spodziewa, bo jest to folkowy album prosto z senegalu, Baaba Maal, to glowa tego projektu, ale wspierany jest przez Mansoura Secka, zarowno na wokalu jak i gitarce, wiec jest to praktycznie plyta duetu Maal-Seck, dodatkowymi instrumentami ktore mozna uslyszec podczas odsluchu to tradycyjne afrykanskie sprzety, tym razem z afryki zachodniej, bo pojawia sie balafon, ktory jest afrykanskim odpowiednikiem ksylofonu, kora ktora mozna okresic jako 21 strunowa harfe, do tego perkusyjne bebnienia i elemety elektrycznych rifow, spotifajowa wersja tej plyty to 12 kawalkow i godzina 12 minut czasu grania, bo jest to wydanie z 98, natomiast orginalne wydanie pochodzi z 89, choc material nagrywany na nia pochodzi juz nawet z 84, nawet pomimo tego, ze kontentu lirycznego nie rozumiem ani troche, to jednak slucha sie tego przyjemnie, bo jest to cos nowego, takiego polaczenia dzwiekow nie slyszalem wczesniej, bo jednak afryka jest dluga i szeroka, a wiekszosc afrykanskich materialow jakie osluchalem, to poludnie i ewentualna polnoc, a zachod ma swoj orginalny urok, ciezko tu wrzucic cos na plejke, bo jednak brzmi to tak odmiennie ze ciezko zgrupowac to na dana plejke, wiec cala plyta leci na poleczke orginalnych pickow plejkowych, nieposzerzajacych horyzonty muzyczne
Good world music album. I like the instrumentals, it's a bit slower than I prefer with some of that type of music I listen to. Still good!
Nije nešto šta inače slušam (shocker) ni šta ću vjerojatno opet ić slušat ali prezanimljiv zvuk, jako muzikalno i smirujuće (možda bi i trebala ponovit s vremena na vrijeme?)
What a mesmerising experience it is to hear this album again. Extraordinary!
Is this what used to be in the reductive "world music" sections in gift shops and book stores? A really enjoyable listen. Baaba has an enchanting voice.
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.
A Travel to Senegal sounds.I’ve really liked these album. Sometimes we have to experience knew cultures.
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 🌟
Really hard to describe this album. It is beautiful stuff. It is easy to call it World Music but that does it a disservice as that can just be used for anything not euro/American. I really enjoyed it and want to hear more
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.
This is a new one for me. Very powerful and interesting blend of Senegalese and western music. Almost hypnotic. I will come back to this one.
I really don't know how to listen to world music in a non-exoticising way: to hear this as just, normal. But it is good, sometimes mellow, sometimes soulful.
No niin, nyt on semmosta mitä odotin tältä listalta miljoonan britti-indie-rocklevyn sijasta. Kunnollista. 4/5.
Tää on aika raikas! Kiva kuunnella tällasta soundii mitä on lähinnä kuullut kokoelmalevyiltä. Tää taas on niin selkeesti oma albuminsa. Oon kuunnellut paljon afrofunkkii, josta tykkään hiivatisti. Tää taas on astetta folkimpaa ja ehk osittain sellast tribaalimpaa ilmasuu. Tykkään hirmu paljon mutta tiedän sen verran vähän tästä genrestä eetten uskalla arvostella kun vahvan kolmosen eli nelosen. 4/5
I didn't really care for the other Baaba Maal album; maybe Mansour Seck was key to this one. Tracks 10-12 didn't seem to fit or be as good but I may have only thought that b/c I knew they weren't on the original album.
Vraiment bon, j'aurais préféré uniquement instrumental, mais c'est très relaxant comme musique. À revisiter
Pleasant, lilting, hypnotic guitar and percussion rubs up against impassioned and characterful singing. The tunes here don't particularly grab this listener - rather, they lope along lazily and work their charms in subtle ways. On the sparser arrangements it's cool to hear what sounds a lot like the blues. It's especially apparent on 'Djam Leelii', its rhythm guitar slinking around like a cat at night.
Very pleasant - could happily listen to this all day. Fave track - "Djam Leelii" maybe? It's less about stand out tracks and more about dissolving into the flow, though...
The guitar feels like chilled Spanish style, the drums softly grooving in the background with lovely call and response vocals. Nice relaxed vibe. I have no idea what the songs are about but it doesn’t matter
This was a very different sound from what I am used to, and really enjoyed it.
It’s a beautiful thing being able to easily listen to music from around the world. I love the unique styles and sounds that each culture comes up with.
A nice slice of Senegalese music. Enjoyable even if I didn't understand anything words.
3.5/5. Nice listen, would make great background music in a hookah lounge. Standout Tracks: Maacina Tooro, Djam Leelii, Sehilam
Good range of tunes here. Very reminiscent of the Sahel stuff I've been listening to over the past months, but on acoustic instruments and (obviously) recorded cleaner. The last three tracks were unnecessary for me. The title track was the standout.
I enjoyed it, especially while making breakfast, but the language barrier creates a sameness throughout
Yo ya conocía a Baaba Maal, gracias a Mumford & Sons. Me da gusto que aparezca en la lista cosas no angloparlantes y este ejemplo es muy bueno, porque aunque conserva todo sus raíces tradicionales, tiene sus momentos modernos que lo hacen un poco digerible para nosotros. No es lo que escucharía de diario, pero si un día quiero un mood exótico, es algo que pondría con gusto. Lam Tooro se parece a Nothing Else Matters.
Pleasant enough. Not something I'd go back to but it had enough variety to stay interesting.