Member of:

Faateleku Package

Musician for:

ex-Super Eagles

Language:

Wolof

Genre:

Salsa Mbalax Afropop

Instrument:

Male vocals

Articles:
On Gambian music
The importance of being a jali muso

On the Internet
Super Eagles discography

Biography

As a child, Ismaila Oussou Njie Senor was deeply interested in music, and the courtyard outside the family's house in Banjul, The Gambia, was a gathering place for the musically orientated neighbourhood youth. Ismaila's father died when he was 9 years of age, and his mother had to bring him up alone. In the beginning she was concerned about Ismaila's great passion for music. In the courtyard the young ones discussed music and supported each other, and it wasn't long before some audacious ideas were put into practice. During school hours these developed into small concerts for friends and acquaintances. A few weeks before his final exams at secondary school, young Ismaila ran off to be with his friends in the newly formed band, Eagles.The band consisted of The Gambia's best musicians at that time, 1964, and Ismaila was the youngest at 19. Eagles was the first band from The Gambia that toured outside the country's borders. In 1968 some of the group broke away, Ismaila oussou Njie Senor among them, and thanks to sponsors, bought their own instruments. They formed the Super Eagles
band.
The group became very popular in The Gambia and Senegal, had a few hits, and
recorded several albums. During the years 1968-71 the group toured in The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Togo. They also visited England. Ismaila Oussou Njie Senor was always the vocalist and frontman in The Gambia's first supergroup. After many years of passivity, Njie Senor is again active with the Faateleku Package.

Relevant artists:
Youssou Ndour
Sekouba Bambino
Orchestra Baobab

BEST OF FAATELEKU  
Anonymous Records/2000

A fresh take from the American Anonymous Records. The disk is a new recording of one of the old hits with the Super Eagles group, some of them from as far back as 1968. The recording was made in Yellowgate Studios in The Gambia and the sound quality is very good. The song material has stood the test of time and the substance is catchy with influences from mbalax, salsa and highlife. This is well-arranged, chiefly synthesizer-based, but in large part doesn't sound like it. The ball starts rolling at full tilt on the track "Nooh-Yoou Oussou Njie", a wild, swinging song with a certain soukous influence. The group follows it up well with the salsa song "Suma Rew-Gambia", before throwing themselves into the mbalax-ish "Sosseh". The old hit, "Mandaly", from 1968 is given a new treatment, and makes you remember the laid-back rhythms of Orchestra Baobab, but there's a lyrical electric guitar a la Carlos Santana in here as a bonus. So far, so good. But from here on in it becomes a little bit fussy - the synthesizer stamp is too clearly heard in the arrangements with screeching "brass". Maybe it's that the other songs don't quite reach the same heights as the opener. It goes up and down; it flickers; jazz arrangements are abandoned in favour of a sort of danceband sound. I feel the disk simply fades as it goes on. It makes you feel a little overwhelmed and smothered by all the dance-pop. Apart from that, Oussou Njie Senor is a fine vocalist with a warm voice; if the group would quiet down a bit, this could be the tops.

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Swahili: Francis Chagula (francis.chagula@malvik.kommune.no)
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