Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra at Dakota Jazz Club on 3/21/07

By: Joe Lang

I swear, white people just can’t groove sometimes. After sitting for a short time at the bar waiting for the first set of Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra, one by one, the band made their way to the stage: one vocalist, two, a drummer, bassist, sabar player (African drum), guitarist, balafon (African xylophone/vibes). The band warmed up on a bright Malian groove where the sabarist would smash out syncopations in percussive flurries, and the rest of the band would take small leads during the piece, but no real fireworks were happening, and it wasn’t clear what the two guys at the front of the stage (the vocalists) were doing, because they weren’t singing. 

Then, draped in a long green garb, Diabaté came to the front of the stage after the first song and seaed himself. From the second Diabaté plucked the kora, it was obvious who the star of the show was. After hearing Diabaté play, it’s kind of obvious why the guy has played with flamenco guitarists, and classical harpists. Using only the 21 strings of the instrument, Diabaté ripped lighting fast runs, or “Biriminting,” while playing Ostinato riffs or “Kumbeng.” While Diabaté wasn’t playing everyone else off the bandstand, the main vocalist, draped in white, would sing in the characteristic super intensity of much African music. The band would groove, and the singer would breathe and in shout in key some Malian vocals while dancing, gesturing and pointing at patrons in the front row, but usually smiling. Midway through the set, the Djembe player, Boubacar Diabaté, who already had a kind of wild man vibe going, draped in primitive looking cloth brown cloth (in contrast to the elegant garb of the other players), began running about the stage like some wild man contorting his face, squatting and whacking out more percussive syncopations. Run to a different part of the stage, squat, contort, bang. Repeat. Fun stuff.

Then the balafon player, Fodé Lassana Diabaté, got to mess around. Easily one of the most interesting textures in the band, the smooth but percussive runs were always a little welcome glazing to the rhythms. In the middle of one of the marathon pieces, Toumani played a blazing line, and Fodé would try to follow it, seemingly lagging behind. The audience gave a resounding applause but one of the lead singers shook his hand and wagged his finger. Again, Toumani played a line and Fodé followed. Applause again, met with ribbing from the lead singer. Finally after Fodé picked up the slack and came pretty damn close to Toumani’s run, the groove recommenced and got back on track. 

Diabaté delivered a speech before leaving the stage soon after. He first acknowledged his English isn’t stellar (Bamako, his home, was a French, not British, settlement), but then said “Some people say it’s English, some people say French, but I say music is the universal language!” Finally, the band went back to the green room, sans one African flute player who harmonized his lines as he sang, powering the notes of the flute with his singing. 

There were only two problems with the show: the venue and the brevity. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Dakota. It might be my favorite venue in the Twin Cities, but it just ain’t the right place for a huge African band playing rhythms made for dancing. The patrons of the Dakota? I’m pretty sure most of those people aren’t the “dancing type.” I should know, I’m not either.

Also, even though the band put on a good set, I know some people were bummed the show was barely an hour, if that. That can be forgiven, being that the band played the Louvre just days before, but next time they come through, I hope they have some more rest and play a venue more suitable, like the Guthrie.

Location Info: Dakota Jazz Club
Artist Info: Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra

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