Africando

Africando is a cross-country collaboration, uniting musicians based in New York with Senegalese vocalists performing a merge of salsa styles from both sides of the Atlantic, focusing primarily on the African tradition.

Initially brought together by producers Ibrahima Sylba and Boncana Maiga, the group's first two albums 'Trovador' and 'Tierra Tradicional' gained great success in Africa in the early 1990s. After continued success, the group invited musicians from other countries further afield to form the Africando All-Stars. This included the likes of Koffi Olomide, Salif Keita and Sekouba Bambino and together they released 'Mandali' in 2000. This album was a great success, with the combination of Africando's classic style combined with Latin rhythms and instrumentation proving to be a big hit with audiences.

The 2013 release 'Viva Africando' saw the group reuniting with previous guest vocalists and featured songs sung in over ten different languages, also featuring a tribute to the group by the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.