Orchestre de la Paillote

Multi-instrumentalist Keletigui Traoré was already an established bandleader when Independence arrived in Guinea in 1958. During new president Sekou Touré’s campaign for ‘Authenticité’, he joined the newly formed Syli Orchestre National, in which the cream of the nation’s musicians were to gradually develop and nurture Guinean music, a style that would become one of Africa’s greatest. Once the National orchestre had set the precedent there emerged a network of Guinean state-sponsored groups, of which Orchestre de la Paillote, under Keletigui’s direction, was at the forefront. In the mid-1960s the group changed name to Keletigui et ses Tambourinis. The 60s and 70s saw Guinean music at its most creative and within the Tambourinis were to be found many of the nation’s finest musicians, including saxophonist Momo Wandel and guitar soloist Linke Condé. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.