Since their formation in 1973, the Gambian group Ifang Bondi has added an entirely new dimension to the music of Western Africa. Once part of the great Manding empire, The Gambia is the historical home of an impressive number of cultures: Mandingo, Wolof, Fula, Jola, Serer and many others, all cherishing their own musical traditions. Digging deeply into this amazingly rich musical heritage, Ifang Bondi has come up with a unique style: the Afro Manding Sound.  

    The music of Ifang Bondi recreates, on modern instruments, the virtuosity and intricate sounds of the kora, The Gambia’s famous 21-string harp-lute; it storms along on staccato tones taken from the halam, the balafon and traditional percussion, beautifully balanced by the melancholy bluesy pitch of the vocals. This is not exactly ‘easy-listening’ music, no comforting murmur of domesticated chords here! Tricky, shifting rhythms and haunting melodies are woven into dense hypnotizing patters that keep both the players and the audience in a powerful grip. The exciting, very African drive of the music sweeps body and soul along beyond the beaten tracks.
    Together with his choice of superior musicians, many of renowned griot stock, innovative and inspiring bandleader Badou Jobe turns each performance into a unique happening. Refusing to blend just another tropical cocktail, Ifang Bondi lives up to the meaning of its Mandingo name: Be yourself. Ifang Bondi is pure African spirit– heady, powerful and very catching.