Magay Niang

Salsa and Afro-Cuban rhythms were fused using the music customs of Senegal by Magay Niang and his sibling Prosper. Developing a music group, Xalam, called after a Senegalese lute, in 1969, both brothers centered on the funk and jazz-influenced aspect of their repertoire. Relocating to Paris in 1973, the group continuing to tour throughout European countries and Africa. In 1975, they toured Africa with South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela and vocalist Miriam Makeba. Four years afterwards, they performed in European countries, capping their tour by earning a major prize on the Berlin Jazz Celebration. The group was included within a Disney-produced documentary on African music and collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as the Rolling Rocks. Immediately after the tragic loss of life of Prosper Niang in 1989, Xalam disbanded.