YOUSSOU N'DOUR, VOICE OF A PEOPLE.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer The music of Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour has long been a major stopping point on the international music map. His country's tough blend of Afro-pop, Caribbean and pop rhythms called mbalax Mbalax is a genre of popular music, and not a dance. There is a dance associated with it, that does not have a specific technique, but there are movements that are characteristic of Mbalax. The dance relies heavily upon the polyphonic rhythms of the music. is one of world pop's most appealing inventions, and N'Dour has taken it to the heights with a personal and broad-reaching approach. Embraced for his beautiful voice and fine songwriting, N'Dour, with his band the Super Etoile de Dakar, has toured the globe for 20 years, all the while adding other styles such as Afro-Cuban and rock. Paul Simon took notice early, inviting N'Dour to work on ``Graceland,'' and Peter Gabriel had N'Dour sing on the enduring tracks ``In Your Eyes'' and ``Shakin' the Tree,'' the latter a song about women's rights in Africa. On his current record, ``Egypt,'' N'Dour takes a fresh approach, combining the percussive per·cus·sive adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by percussion. per·cus  sive·ly adv. rhythms and melodies of his native Senegal with gentler Egyptian and Arabian sounds to celebrate his country's Muslim mystical culture of Sufism. In concert Saturday at UCLA's Royce Hall, N'Dour and his band will be joined by collaborator Fathy Salama's Cairo Orchestra, an Egyptian ensemble of lush strings and percussion. ``I want to make clear in my music that my religion praises tolerance,'' said N'Dour, who was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1959, and sang at neighborhood gatherings as a kid before joining his country's most successful 1970s pop group, the Star Band. ``But I'm doing it through music. This is not about politics. It is an expression of reverence and gratitude for life, brotherhood, the dignity of people, the wonder of being human. Artists of all kinds within the Muslim world have a duty to represent our culture proudly in the face of those who would pervert our heritage for their own means. Because of this, many people have gotten the wrong idea about my religion. ``Sometimes ignorance has bastardized bas·tard·ize tr.v. bas·tard·ized, bas·tard·iz·ing, bas·tard·iz·es 1. To lower in quality or character; debase. 2. To declare or prove (someone) to be a bastard. the real message of peace and understanding.'' N'Dour recently curated a pair of African music concerts at Carnegie Hall and then performed two nights at the venue, first with the Super Etoile, then with the Cairo Orchestra. While N'Dour is fluent in English and French, the Grammy-winning ``Egypt'' (Nonesuch none·such also non·such n. 1. A person or thing without equal. 2. See black medic. none ) is sung in his native Wolof language, and his honeyed hon·eyed v. A past tense and a past participle of honey. adj. also hon·ied 1. Containing, full of, or sweetened with honey. 2. Ingratiating; sugary: honeyed words. voice, often augmented by Salama's harmony singers, makes for a gorgeous experience. ``This is a very different sound for Youssou,'' notes Charlie Gillett, the London-based music writer and BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. radio program host whose new two-disc compilation, ``Sound of the World'' (Wrasse wrasse (răs), common name for a member of the large family Labridae, brilliantly colored fishes found among rocks and kelp in tropical seas. ), includes a cut from ``Egypt'' among 33 wildly diverse songs from 28 countries. `` 'Egypt' is a beautiful and inspired record. He's showing that there are many sides to the Sufi faith. He's put this album out not so much out of bravery but from a deeply felt desire to enlighten, and it also has all these absolutely thrilling musicians from Egypt.'' Though an international star, N'Dour, whose mother was a ``griot griot African tribal storyteller. The griot's role was to preserve the genealogies and oral traditions of the tribe. Griots were usually among the oldest men. In places where written language is the prerogative of the few, the place of the griot as cultural guardian is still ,'' or singing historian, and his father a mechanic, still lives in Dakar, Senegal's teeming teem 1 v. teemed, teem·ing, teems v.intr. 1. To be full of things; abound or swarm: A drop of water teems with microorganisms. 2. capital of 10 million. N'Dour owns a club in the city, where a normal Super Etoile set runs from 1:30 to 5 a.m. ``It means a lot to me and my work to be in my own country, surrounded by friends and family,'' N'Dour said. ``It comes out in my music, and it's one of the most important elements in what I create.'' Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com YOUSSOU N'DOUR Where: Royce Hall, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX campus, Westwood. When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $40 to $60. (310) 825-2101. www.UCLAlive.org. www.ticketmaster.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (Youssou N'Dour) |
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