Orchestra Baobab formed in Dakar in 1970 as the house band of Club Baobab, a nightclub close to the city’s political and cultural centre. The band came out of a very specific Senegalese moment, but their sound was already looking in different directions: local rhythms, Afro-Cuban influence, Wolof songs, Portuguese Creole vocals.
Pirates Choice was recorded in 1982, later reissued by World Circuit, and became one of those hidden rare records you stumble upon almost by chance.
It sounds like an afternoon drink in good company. Or a hotel bar with sea views. African sounds and Cuban shapes meeting in languages I don’t fully understand, but speaking a music I do.
You can dig into the background, and you probably should, but you don’t need to do that first. You can just press play and let it sit there for a while.
A beautiful record if you want something warm, real and full of travel.
