SEYDINA INSA WADE & OUMAR SOW (SENEGAL/FRANCE/UK)
For fans of Senegalese and West African music, the pairing of Wade (pronounced Waad) and Sow is big news indeed. Wade was born and raised in the Gueule Tapée quarter of Dakar, which he himself dubbed ‘The Harlem of Dakar’ owing the large number of musicians who lived there. After making his name as a potent and popular singer songwriter in the 60s and 70s, Wade formed Tabala with guitarist Oumar Sow and percussionist Idrissa Diop.
The group pioneered a new style of acoustic Wolof folk, with lyrics relevant to the work-a-day issues that concerned ordinary Senegalese people. Their style had a huge influence on the new breed of Senegalese singers like Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal and Ismael Lo who were to achieve global fame before the decade was out. Later Wade became an integral part of the group Xalam II, a seminal Senegalese Afro-Jazz outfit based in Paris.
Oumar Sow is a guitarist and producer of international repute who came to prominence as a member of Youssou N’Dour’s group Super Etoile, and has since produced albums by Cheikh Lô and Orchestra Baobab. Sow’s fabulously dextrous yet fluid guitar skills and profound experience as an arranger and bandleader have made him a collaborator of choice for anyone involved in the Senegalese music scene. These past few years he was been based in Northern Ireland where he continues to give concerts and workshops. After twenty years of separation, Wade and Sow made an emotional reunion last year for a short Irish tour and to record a new album entitled ‘Xalima’ which is out on the brand new Ulster-based label Stargazer Records.
Courtesy of Andy Morgan, July 2004
Back to the list of WOYS artist profiles 
Listen Live
help
Listen to the gig
Have your say
