{"id":122017,"date":"2023-04-24T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=122017"},"modified":"2023-04-19T15:24:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T13:24:03","slug":"cheikh-lo-ne-la-thiass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/cheikh-lo-ne-la-thiass\/","title":{"rendered":"N\u00e9 la thiass: looking back at Cheikh L\u00f4’s enduring debut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cheikh L\u00f4 often compares his music to the patchwork \u201cNjaxas\u201d clothing he wears as a member of the Baye Fall brotherhood. Like his Njaxas, L\u00f4\u2019s music has always been composed of many colours and textures, \u201ca picnic basket\u201d he quips – to share and take delight in – Whilst his faith to Senegalese Sufism has inspired his music since the release of his classic long player N\u00e9 la thiass<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translating as “gone in a flash” (a reference to the ephemerality of our lives in this world) N\u00e9 la thiass<\/em> was first released (outside of Senegal) by British label World Circuit in 1996, before getting a vinyl reissue for Record Store Day back in 2018 for which the original Senegalese cassette release was remastered. Cheikh followed up with the albums Bambay Gueej<\/em> (1999) Lamp Fall<\/em> (2005)\u00a0 the grammy-nominated Jamm<\/em> (2010) and his most recent offering Balbalou<\/em> in 2015, all of which explore spirituality with his trademark eclecticism. But with N\u00e9 la thiass <\/em>now pushing thirty and ageing like a good cheese in Cheikh\u2019s picnic basket, let us concentrate on his mature debut.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheikh Ndigeul L\u00f4 was born in 1955 in Burkina Faso to Senegalese parents living in Bobo Dioulasso. Like many who came of age in the years following independence, L\u00f4 turned professional playing in one of the large orchestras that chicly expressed the optimism of the epoch. As a member of Orchestre Volta Jazz, Cheikh absorbed Cuban music alongside the rumba of Tabu Ley Rochereau and popular dance tunes of the day. Moving to Dakar in 1978 to work at the Cap-Vert Transport Company (SOTRAC) Cheikh furthered his musical education with Ousmane ‘Ouza’ Diallo at his residency at the Savana Hotel, before accompanying Papa Wemba<\/a> to Paris in 1984 where he began working as a session drummer. During this period he met and impressed producer Ibrahima Sylla, appearing on three albums for the Syllart label. Cheikh longed to record his own music though, and eventually tired of the endless hustle of session work recalling of this time: \u201cFor two years my programme was studio, sleep, studio.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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