Mamar Kassey - 7 - LIVE at Afrikafestival Hertme 2008

Performance - 6 July 2008
The band Mamar Kassey was formed by Yacouba Moumouni in 1995. Yacouba's history as an artist starts when he left his village of pastoralists for Niamey after his father's death and a conflict with his elder brother. Aged 10, he walked about 200 km to Niger's capital. In 1979, he met the singer Absatou Danté, sister of the director of the Ballet National du Niger, Alhassane Danté. She taught him the musical traditions of his country. He learnt the Seyse, the flute of the Peul (Fulani), and after seven years of training, he was adopted in Absatou Danté's band, and later in the Ballet national. In 1990, he became one of the singers of Orchestre Takeda, the house orchestra of the newly opened musical academy Centre de formation et de promotion musicale in Niamey. At the CFPM, he met Abdoulaye Alassane, guitarist, and band leader of Orchestre Takeda. Alassane had created Super Kassey back in 1983, a band which name was changed in l'International de la Capitale. This band, which was the house band of the night club Gaskama, broke up in 1988. When Mamar Kassey was created, Yacouba called in the best musicians of country, some of them he met at the CFPM, among them Abdoulaye Alassane. The music of Mamar Kassey has a distinct West African flavour, comparable to the music of Mali, but uses instruments and musical styles from Niger. The lyrics are in Songhai or Peul