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We are proud to share that both of our new albums are finished and ready for your enjoyment. A Tous Les Enfants De La Terre (To All The Children Of The World) and J'aime Mon Ecole (I Love My School).
The ablums feature the sweet sounds of kalimba (African thumb piano) and ngoni (African harp) in unique configurations you won't find anywhere else. On this album my composing grew from my focus on developing my ngoni-playing skills which has allowed me to do something that I’ve never done before; build my melodies on my ngoni without relying on a guitar or bass to lead or reinforce. I’ve often used my ngoni in the past as a rhythm instrument, but not as the lead melodic line. My new songs also have arrangements that feature the ngoni and kalimba together, and some songs that have three kalimba parts (traditionally in Cameroon, there is 1 to 2 kalimbas only). I love working with multiple kalimbas to build a complex and layered sound that can really make people move.
My lyrics come from my heart, and my melodies are memorable and singable. To give you a flavour of some of the songs, here is a brief summary of a few selected tracks.
From A Tous Les Enfants De La Terre
- Pardonne Moi - This song is about you and me learning to forgive our trespasses in life. Before you love out, you need to love inside your own house first.
- Marchons - This song is a call to everyone on our planet to join hands together and recognize that love is exactly what all of us need.
- Ô Mama - This is a song that I wrote to say thank you to my mother, and to all the mothers around the world. The last time I spoke with my mom, she told me that if something is better than love, it is actually love, and she begged me to me to stay on the path of love.
- Proverbes - This song is one that I recommend to everyone to listen. This includes some of the oldest African proverbs (and some of my own) that bring us back to the right path in life.
From J'aime Mon Ecole (I Love My School)
- Bonjour Maman, Bonjour Papa - I live in an English province, and this beautiful song is to encourage children to learn French by starting with a simple love song for mom and dad.
- J'aime mon École - School should not be an institution, but a community place where children feel like they belong and can thrive. This song celebrates togetherness and community.
We'd like to take a moment to talk about where you can buy Njacko's music. Some of you may already be aware that artists are not well paid by streaming platforms (you can read more about that from artist Danny Michel here). We are paid a fraction of a penny per play - we need more than 250 plays to make $1. However, we know that streaming is very convenient for some folks. Please remember that you can always reach out to an artist to offer a contribution if you are enjoying their music on a streaming platform. From our perspective, here is the best way to purchase Njacko's music, in order of descending compensation for us...
▪Buy a CD direct from us (at a show, or reach out to us via email or social media and send us an e-transfer and we can mail (or email) you the music)
▪In Toronto, you can also go to African Drums and Art Crafts in Kensington Market (618 Dundas St. W.)
▪If you are looking for our digital music, go to our online CD Baby store for Njacko Backo and Kalimbas At Work, or for Njacko's previous releases
▪Of course, you can also look us up on your favourite streaming platform
Also, you can take advantage of borrowing Njacko's music for free from the Toronto Public Library.
Stay tuned for more details about the CD launch party coming up on February 29th!
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