Legendary Senegalese ensemble Orchestra Baobab is marking its 50th anniversary by bridging its storied past with a fresh sound. The band, famous for weaving regional Wolof griot music, Congolese rumba, mbalax, and jazz through an Afro-Cuban lens, is set to release its first album of original material in nearly ten years, titled “Made in Senegal,” this Friday. Three of the oldest members of Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab, the legendary Afro-Cuban and west African fusion group, banter like family, sitting on a couch in their manager’s office. Which blends regional Wolof griot music, Congolese rumba, Senegalese mbalax, jazz and other traditions through an Afro-Cuban filter, will release “Made in Senegal”, its first album of new songs in nearly 10 years, on Friday, the much-loved orchestra. Like the mighty baobab tree it is named for, Orchestra Baobab remains standing despite its age, thanks in part to a new generation of musicians slowly replacing its iconic veterans. Two groups of the oldest then youngest members of the nine-person ensemble sat down with told the media to explain the enduring magic. According to the 44-year-old, She and the other younger musicians each bring their own touch, but try “to preserve the originality that brought the legendary orchestra to where it is today. Friends and couples swayed at their tables until a prolonged wail of the saxophone in Baobab anthem “Utrus Horas” sent a shock through the room. Approximately half are newly composed, and the vast majority have not yet appeared in a Baobab album, of the 12 songs in “Made in Senegal”. Even today, “as soon as Baobab’s music starts, people get up to dance”, he said.
The group’s evolution comes as a new cohort of musicians, mostly in their 30s and 40s, joins the nine-person ensemble to sustain its core sound while adding individual touches. Rhythm guitarist Yahya Fall, 76, noted that the latest compositions offer a sense of freshness and originality that audiences have not heard from the founders previously. Among the new tracks is “Gorgorlou,” a composition by trombonist and tenor saxophonist Wilfried Zinsou, 48, which explores the Wolof concept of resilient hard work. Additionally, “Wida”—written by 37-year-old lead guitarist “Bolero” Lagratte—pays tribute to the historical slave port in his native Benin.
This transition follows a period of significant loss for the band. Founding member Barthelemy Attisso passed away in 2021, and the early 2020s saw the deaths of iconic members including singer-percussionists Balla Sidibe and Rudy Gomis, as well as renowned saxophonist Issa Cissokho. The group’s last new studio album, 2017’s “Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng,” was dedicated to another late founding vocalist.
Mountaga “Taga” Koite, 73, the orchestra’s last remaining founding member, expressed confidence in the new lineup, stating that the newcomers have stepped into their predecessors’ roles with seamless precision. “For me, nothing changed,” Koite remarked. Joining this new guard is vocalist Korka Dieng, who became the group’s first female member when she joined in 2023. She views her role as part of a mission to ensure the longevity of the band, noting that listeners are increasingly realizing that the orchestra remains a vital, evolving entity rather than just a historical relic.
During a recent performance at the Dakar venue Just For You, the orchestra’s enduring appeal was evident as audiences took to the floor to dance to the band’s signature mix of infectious rhythms and saxophone melodies. For long-time fans like 62-year-old Moustapha Samb, the group remains a national monument, symbolizing memory and resilience for Senegal. As Zinsou explains, the ensemble serves as a cultural ambassador, providing many international listeners with their first meaningful connection to Senegalese identity. Their guitar and saxophone melodies conjured the same convivial chemistry, electrifying a Dakar nightclub and getting partygoers dancing cha-cha steps and swaying their hips — as the band has done so many times in its half-century history, several evenings later. Produced across guitars, drums, saxophones and vocals, alternately rollicks and sways, at times highly energetic and at others seducing listeners with lilting refrains, the group’s joyful swinging sound. Which ruled Dakar’s club scene and airwaves after its birth in 1970, eventually went on hiatus only to reemerge in the early 2000s and achieve international fame, the orchestra. Before others rushed to the front of the hall, swinging and stepping to the sultry rhythm.”I danced to Orchestra Baobab at age 15-16 and still today”, 62-year-old fan Moustapha Samb told the media, describing the group as “a monument, it represents memory and resilience” for Senegal, first two women jumped from their seats to dance.
