WOMAD

Oumar Sow

From France, Senegal, United Kingdom

OUMAR SOW was born in Dakar in 1959. When he was still a student, Oumar formed a small group called Bataxal with Pape Dieng as kit drummer and Jean Pierre Senghor on keyboards. They performed at the Club Mediterranee in Senegal and when in 1979 the Club organized a Jazz Festival inviting jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Jimmy Owens, Darryl Washington, Oumar had the opportunity to jam along with several of them.In 1980 Oumar went to Paris to study at the Centre d`Instruction Musicale under Pierre Cullaz. On his return to Dakar he joined Idrissa Diop and Seydina Wade to form an acoustic trio, Tabala. They recorded an album “Yoff” and toured in Europe. In 1985 and 1986 Oumar toured with Youssou N`Dour and the Super Etoile before returning to the hotel circuit on the Petite Cote in Senegal and the Gambia. He gradually become more involved in music production working with producer Robert Lahoud on albums by Cheikh Lo, Coumba Gawlo Seck, Souleymane Faye and Pape Djiby Ba. Oumar toured in Europe and USA with Ismael Lo in 1991 and with Super Diamono and Oumar Pene between 1991 and 1995. He produced an album by Ouza for Jololi productions and was the arranger on Cheikh Lo`s much acclaimed disc “Ne La Thiass”.During 1997-98 Oumar toured extensively in Europe and USA with Cheikh Lo and the Ndigel Band. His strong stage presence and talent were noted on the Africa Fete tour of America by the journalist Will Hermes: “The MVP was guitarist Oumar Sow, a striking gent and N`Dour affiliate who gave the album “Ne La Thiass”s gentle lines a serration that made me thing George Benson`s problem was never so much his phrasing as his tone.”In June 1998, Oumar showed his true colours as an exceptional jazz musician playing with the newly formed group “Harmattan” who surprised and delighted punters at the Saint Louis du Senegal Jazz Festival. In October 1998 the World Food Organisation FAO organized a Gala evening in Dakar that was televised live to over sixty countries around the globe. Oumar was musical director for the group of musicians who accompanied the star names in Senegalese music including Youssou N`Dour, Cheikh Lo, Ismael Lo, Afsana, Pape Niang, Thione Seck, Omar Pene, Coumba Gawlo Sec, and Baaba Maal.In 1999, Oumar played guitar on Cheikh Lo`s album “Bambaye Gueej”, arranging many of the tracks. Oumar worked as an assistant producer with Nick Gold on the album “Specialist In All Styles” which Orchestra Baobab recorded in London in November 2001.In March 2002 he was one of four Senegalese musicians who took part in a music workshop entitled “Senegal to Donegal”, a collaborative experience with leading Irish musicians Cathal Hayden, Mairtin O`Connor, Desi Wilkinson and Trevor Stewart. The group appeared at the Rhythm in the City festival in Belfast in August that year. He formed a group “Tangana” to play at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast and gave music workshops at Queens University and in a community center in Dundonald.At Peter Gabriel`s Realworld studios, Oumar played guitars on Pape and Cheikh`s album “Mariama” and on its release in October 2002 he accompanied them on a UK tour which included a much lauded appearance on “Later With Jools”.Oumar Sow and Seydina Wade both original members of the group “Tabala” performed together again after some twenty years, and to much critical acclaim, on a short tour in Ireland in May 2003In July and August 2003 Oumar toured in the UK with Pape & Cheikh (Africa Oye Festival in Liverpool, Jazz Café, London, Womad Festival, Reading) and in the US and Canada (Edmonton Folk Festival, Salmon Arm Festival, SOBs New York, Hot House, Chicago, and other dates in Seattle, Boston and San Francisco.