The 10-piece outfit striding on to the Roundhouse stage with a hearty “bonsoir!” share an uncommon blend of deep roots and fresh blood. Orchestra Baobab, named after the sturdy beauty of the baobab tree, formed in 1970 in Dakar, Senegal’s music hotbed. Their Afro-Cuban folk fusion turned them into one of west Africa’s most iconic musical acts, and their reissued 1982 album Pirate’s Choice and re-formation in 2001 brought them yet greater global fame. Tonight’s lineup spans generations: elder statesman Balla Sidibe (vocals/timbales) is a commanding presence at 74, while 27-year-old guitarist René Sowatche is the youngest member.
Various spirits have passed through Baobab over the decades, and their forthcoming album – Tribute to Ndiouga Dieng – is their first since 2007. It’s named for one of the band’s former vocalists, who died last year, and the show opens with Dieng’s dub-inflected Dée Moo Wóor, with Dieng’s son Alpha on vocals. The band only unveil a few of the new album’s songs, of which the lilting romance of Foulo is a highlight. But there is way too much warmth and vigour in their catalogue for things to feel sombre or overfamiliar. It helps that the veteran saxophonist Issa Cissoko is a born showman: he swishes around in his boubou robe, unleashing extraordinary melodic flourishes and sparring with Sidibe and fellow sax virtuoso Thierno Koité.
Baobab make music for all-night dancing, and a rapt London audience are teased on to their feet by classics such as Bul Ma Miin and Ndiaga Niaw. These seasoned players can still raise the roof while barely breaking a sweat.
• At Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 2 February. Box office: 0141 353 8000. Then touring until 4 February.
