26 — Friday, August 14, 1998 ~— North Shore News

jallo creates happy music

From page 18

Diallo views music as a job. He's
ciear about why he’s made it his career.
“T think music is very i
society, because it has different roles.
Some people use it to dance, others to

listen to it, be cool.

“T like to play music to make sure
that people who listen to it are happy.
That’s my main goal. If they’re happy,
they'll buy more of it,” he said.

His 1993 debut disc Nene, a.
album dedicated to his mother, carned
him a Juno nomination in the Best
Global Recording category. Futur,
celeased in 1997, got the same nomi-
nation and earned the Music Affica

*- Award for National Recording of the

Year.

The debut Nene came to fruition
after Diailo met Kevin Finseth, a part-
ner in Highlife Records & Music on
Commercial Drive in Vancouver,

Said Diallo, “Kevin talked to a
friend who taiked to me to sce if I was
interested t> record an album. I said
OK At thar time it was very hard for
me to get any musicians. | went to the
studio and I started to record all of the
instruments track by urack. My first
album was more acoustic.”

Finseth produced the latest disc.

Diallo’s main instrument is guitar,
but he also plays the balafon (a wooden
xylophone) and the drums. He favors
the djembe drum. He drummed before
he learned how to play guitar. “ I

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always liked the drum. It's one of the
most know: African traditional instru-
ments. In Africa many young people
learn how to play it. It’s very common,
easy To get.”

When it comes time for him to
record, he puts down the rhythm first,
the style oft the drumming and percus-
sion. Thes he works out the guitar and
vocals, Lacely he has been piaying
mostly electric guitar, a Fender
Telecaster.

What does he think about Africa’s
massive contribution to music? “Africa
is the root for many stvles of music,
but very few Africans make a living

playing music in Africa. The show biz
E too low. There’s no money in it.
“People play music for fun. It’s

everywhere. It’s a great country for
dancing and drumming and playing
music. All that’s written like blues and
funk, they’re not new things in Africa.
James Brown, Michael Jackson —- peo-
ple like this music there even if they
don’t understand the language. The
most important is the rhythm.”

Diallo spends most of the summer
touring across Canada. This year he’s

focused on exploring the West. Coast of --

Canada and the U.S. Lately he’s played
Seattle, San Francisco and Portland.

He plays The Gorge on Aug. 15 in
Washin ‘on State with Alpha Blondie.

lo is at Bumbershoor in Seattle

on Soe 5. Later that aight he’s play-
ing with Burning Spear at the
Palladium in Seattle.

Win 2 tickets to the
86ers game, Friday. .
Aug.21, 7:30 p.m. b
telling us what U.S.
state the Albuquerque:
Geckos are from. -
Deadline is Wed. Aug
19, 5 p.m.Fax to 985
2104 or e-mail to.
johng@nsnews: com,

oui Wis UOU, rathér play a ang
i. Ob Mre
ment? . ;
; NORTH SHORE
CREDIT UNION

Supported by West Vancouver Foundation Hamber Foundation Kay Meek Foundation.

For more information, contact the Harmony Arts Festival Office at 925-7268

cB radi OME

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