Balla et ses Balladins

Established in Guinea during 1964, the Balladins began as a seven-piece unit drawn from an earlier 25-piece government ensemble that had divided into separate outfits, one of which became Keletigue And His Tambourinis. Trumpeter Balla Onivogui directed the new group, whose roster included trombonist and saxophonist Pivi Moriba—both men having worked previously as teachers after studying music together in Senegal, where they earned the nickname ‘Intellectuels de la Musique Folklorique’—alongside vocalist Kanté Manfila, cousin of the more widely recognized Guinean singer and guitarist bearing the identical name. By 1967 the ensemble, then stationed at Jardin de Guinee in Conakry, had expanded to fifteen members, though seven soon departed to join Miriam Makeba. Onivogui quickly assembled replacements, restoring the Balladins to live performance within three months. In 1970 a dispute over finances prompted the minister overseeing state-supported bands to revoke Onivogui’s leadership role, yet President Sekou Toure, an admirer of the group, ordered his return after encountering a radio broadcast that billed the musicians as Pivi Et Ses Balladins. Government subsidies ended in 1984, leading to the Balladins’ dissolution. Reminiscin’ In Tempo With Balla Et Ses Balladins gathers material spanning multiple periods of the band’s existence, all marked by the relaxed swing that remained its signature trait.