The Music of Ablaye Ndiaye Thiossane

Released this month, the debut album of veteran Senegalese musician Ablaye Ndiaye Thiossane has been a long time coming. Now 74 years old, his story - and the story of modern Senegalese music - begins in 1960, with independence and the emergence of Star Band.

Star Band formed as a celebration of Senegal's independence, taking as its symbol the green star of the new flag. The resident band of Dakar’s Miami Club, it found its defining sound a decade later in the rousing Wolof vocals of a teenage Youssou N’Dour.
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