Orchestra Baobab’s Balla Sidibe, a ‘giant’ of music, dies.

Balla Sidibe, a founding member and singer of the legendary Senegalese group Orchestra Baobab, has died in Dakar.

Sidibe died in his sleep “after a very full day of rehearsals with his musical comrades”, Senegal’s music association said in a statement, adding that it had lost “a father, a sage and a friend”.

Local media said Sidibe, who was also a percussionist, died after “a short illness”, without giving further details. He was in his 60s.

Established in 1970, Orchestra Baobab fused Cuban rhythms, soul and jazz with traditional music from Senegal and other parts of Africa to become one of the most successful groups to emerge from the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADRIod6b690