Live à L’Étoile

Although born in Nigeria, saxophonist Dexter Johnson was a seminal figure in Senegalese music. He wound up in pre-independence Dakar in 1957, a time when colonial dance music in Africa was receiving an exotic injection of Cuban rhythms. Johnson was one of the founders of the Star Band de Dakar and, later, Super Star de Dakar, groups partially responsible for reintroducing traditional Senegalese rhythms and local dialects – giving birth to mbalax music. Live à L’Étoile is a very good quality live recording mastered from the original tapes. It captures Super Star de Dakar under Johnson's leadership in 1969, just prior to his move to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. Tightly edited to eliminate any between-track chat or audience noise, this performance conclusively demonstrates his ability as both saxophonist and bandleader.

Predominantly a collection of Afro-Cuban songs, there's nonetheless a slinky African depth to the interpretations. Johnson's smoky saxophone winds its way through the melodies provided by three-part vocals, churning guitar and bubbling percussion. One of the highlights is an interpretation of the Chris Kenner classic ‘Something You Got’ (popularised by the American soul singer Wilson Pickett). It's a steaming, slow, funk tour de force, very well performed, with cod-English lyrics. This is a wonderfully exciting Senegalese album.