NIGERIA – NIGÉRIA
Haruna Ishola & His Apala Group – Star Records SRPS 32 (LP)
(1919-1983)
Haruna Ishola & His Apala Group – Star Records SRPS 32 (LP)
(1919-1983)
Yoruba singer Haruna Ishola, who originally trained as a goldsmith, formed his first group in 1947 and was the established King of Apala by the 1950s. This brilliant album – particularly Side B – features the dazzling interactions between iyalu talking drums, agogo bells, sekere rattles and a large agidigbo thumb piano behind Ishola’s poised, mellifluous voice and nimble backing vocals.
This well-recorded LP is a stellar example of a glorious Islamic-influenced Yoruba musical tradition, whose golden era was between 1930s-1970s.
Le chanteur yoruba Haruna Ishola, qui se destinait au métier d’orfèvre, a formé son premier groupe en 1947 et s’est imposé comme le roi du Apala à partir des années 1950. Ce brillant album – tout particulièrement la Face B – présente des interactions sublimes entre des tambours parlants iyalu, des cloches agogo, des hochets sekere, et un grand piano à pouce agidigbo qui portent à merveille la voix fluide et majestueuse d’Haruna Ishola ponctuée de choeurs suaves.
Ce magnifique album bien enregistré témoigne d’une glorieuse tradition musicale yoruba d’influence islamique qui a connu son âge d'or entre les années 1930 et 1970.
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Our other Yoruba Apala posts:
Haruna Ishola – RPS 16 (Cassette) here
Ayinla Omowura – 25 x 40 – Africa Song Ltd (LP) here
Moufa Laif – Yoruba Apala Music from Porto Novo (Benin) (Cassette) here
Moufa Laif – Yoruba Apala Music from Porto Novo (Benin) (Cassette) here
Don’t miss the Apala Messenger – IndigeDisc – ID495002 Haruna Ishola anthology produced by Andrew Frankel with an impeccable selection of remastered tracks. Essential.
The photograph below is from African Music A People's Art by Francis Bebey, Laurence Hill Books, 1975 (highly recommended):
Thanks so very much for this one!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, that IndigeDisc release is very hard to find, and has been out of print for years. The company didn't last very long.
It's a pity. The fantastic tracks here are remarkably well remastered, meaning you'll never hear Haruna Ishola's voice and the intricate percussion better than on this CD.
Deletethis is a really good album. thank you very much for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I'm a huge fan of his music. I have a few LPs and some Nigerian CDs but not this one. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThank you for quality recording of this STAR and further listening (Apala Messenger – IndigeDisc – ID495002 Haruna Ishola anthology) recommendation. I make sure not to miss it.
ReplyDelete