Song of the Day: Ouza Et Ses Ouzettes “Dollar”
Songs like this by Ouza Et Ses Ouzettes (aka Ousmane Diallo) are why I love the internet. Through the wonder of YouTube I played “Dollar” simply because I liked the cover art on the record when it popped up after a now long-forgotten song finished playing. And so discovered the forlorn dubby guitar of the Senegalese artist Ouza from his 1972 album entitled Lat Dior. The power of music is such that without understanding a word of the song I can still listen to it over and over and glean pleasure from it. No marketing campaign, no rotations from famous DJs, nothing but the algorithms of the internet that have no obvious reason in pointing me to this obscure, out of print, dusty gem.
What follows is the only biographical information I could find on Ousmane Diallo from http://nathannothinsez.blogspot.com/:
Ousmane Diallo, known musically as Ouza, was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1947. In the 1960s, Ouza left Senegal to study traditional music in the Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), studies which informed both his political & musical message. While much respected by the people of Senegal for his critical approach to the countries politics & society, he is in less favor with the Senegalese government. Ouza’s music is politically & socially radical.
He formed his first band in 1965. He has recorded around twenty albums & cassettes since 1975. He has been playing with various female vocal bands like Les Ouzettes & Les Filles Branchées, he manages several singers, & he heads up the National Ballet & the National Orchestra of Senegal.
His music is influenced by the traditional Senegalese music, mbalax, but also by blues, jazz, & soul. His music careens between laid-back soul & phrenetic rhythms laid on a foundation of pulsating bass cadence, typical of Senegalese music. Until recently, his music was hard to find in the West, but since the 2000s, several compilation albums featuring selections from his past work have been released.
As recently as 2012 Ouza had a pop hit in Senegal with the anti corruption song “Le Vote”.
Song of the Day: Ouza Et Ses Ouzettes “Dollar”