Ismael Lo to thrill fans in Accra

The Senegalese guitarist, harmonica player and singer Ismael Lo, will on Thursday December 6 thrill live music fans with a magnetic performance at the National Theatre in Accra.

A rising star of world music, his smooth and multi-textured voice and low-key folky style, has made him a household name in Senegal and other francophone countries. His 12-piece band play strong and complex percussion laced with mbalax songs that discuss important topics in Senegal.

After a five-year absence from the recording front, Ismaël Lo, the troubadour from the coast of Dakar, caught the attention of the media and music enthusiasts with Sénégal his latest and 22nd album, which reaffirms his international status.

Following his father’s death in 1970, Ismaël enrolled at the School of Art in Dakar where he would spend two years studying fine art.

He proved himself to be a talented painter but music continued to be his greatest passion in life and throughout art school he would lead a parallel career as a singer. Ismael’s big break into the music world came when he was spotted performing on a television show.

He proved to be an extremely popular performer in Senegal where music fans would pack out local venues to hear him play. His fame soon started to spread beyond Senegal and he soon set off on an extensive tour of Gambia with his brothers.

This trip would prove to be a turning-point in his career, for it was in the midst of this tour that the young singer would meet Super Diamono, the legendary group from Dakar.

Ismael had long been a fan of Super Diamono and was extremely flattered when the group suggested he should join them.

The offer threw the young musician into a quandary since he was trying to decide whether to pursue a musical career or make a living as a painter. His love of music won out in the end however and twelve months later the young singer left art school to become a full-time member of Super Diamono.

The group who melded the traditional M’balax percussion-style of Wolof musicians with a modern Western beat had a strong following of fans. Lô’s excellent vocals and his guitar wizardry added a distinctive touch to Super Diamono’s m’balax fusion and the group went on to record a whole string of hits together.

Ismaël also surrounded himself with an excellent group of musicians including his old friend Faye, a talented lead guitarist, musical arranger and committed jazz fan whose work set off his lilting melodies to perfection. He also worked with sax-star Sélé Thiam (another former member of Super Diamono) and percussion maestro Thio Mbaye.

Following a brief series of concert dates in France at the start of 2006, Ismaël Lô released a new album entitled “Sénégal.” This was intended to be a tribute to his homeland, his way of giving something back to the place that had launched him on the path to international fame.

This new record revolved around several themes close to the singer’s heart, raising the issue of arranged marriages (on the song “Taar Dusey”) and paying a special tribute to the victims of “Le Joola”, the ferry that capsized off the coast of Gambia in 2002, leaving very few survivors.

The concert is being sponsored by the Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy in Accra.