Mali

Music

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Rough Guide to the Music of Mali
(amazon.com) - USA   (amazon.co.uk) - Europe
From Wasulu songstress Oumou Sangare and the rocking desert blues of Tinariwen, to the acoustic blues of BBC Award winner Bassekou Koyate and the international stars Amadou & Mariam The Rough Guide To The Music Of Mali explores this thriving and evolving musical dynasty.

Mali Koura Issa Bagayogo (Artist)
(amazon.com) - USA   (amazon.co.uk) - Europe
popular music environment of the post-colonial 70s where high-life found fenders and branched out into a mind-expanding brew of African rhythms and funk. The most notable monument of that era is Fela Kuti's Afropop movement, but artists like Ify Jerry's Crusade and the Peacocks Guitar Band are proof that other Nigerians were putting out credible offerings in the Afro-psychedelic period.

Lobi Traoré Group   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
- by Lobi Traoré
This retrospective of the legeGuitarist Lobi Traoré plays deep blues from his homeland in Mali, east of that other River of Song -- the Niger.

Talking Timbuktu   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
a groundbreaking record that vividly illustrates the Africa-Blues connection in real time. Ali Farka Toure, one of Mali's leading singer-guitarists, has a trance-like, bluesy style that, although deeply rooted in Malian tradition, bears astonishing similarity to that of John Lee Hooker or even Canned Heat. It's a mono-chordal vamp, with repetitive song lines cut with shards of blistering solo runs that shimmer like a desert mirage. .

Kaira   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Toumani Diabate - Audio CD
This is a groundbreaking work establishing the 21-string kora as a solo instrument of great subtlety and range. Toumani Diabate is a virtuoso player and he delves into the classical West African kora repertoire with his masterful technique. The result is music that is both absolutely contemporary and totally timeless. The songs include the title track "Kaira," which means peace, and "Jarabi," which translates as passion. Peace and passion are key words pointing to why this album is so successful.

Ko Sira   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Oumou Sangare - Audio CD
The world knew Malian singer Oumou Sangare was special when her debut Moussoulou became a bestseller across Africa. With Ko Sira, she's outdone herself. Not only does she again sing about the modern West African woman's experience, but she sings in a voice as beautiful as the Congo itself and with a dose of hearty, centered soul that's magnetic and musically vibrant.

Radio Mali   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
Half the tunes feature Toure alone on guitar and vocals; elsewhere he is backed by the ngoni's beautiful rattle-buzz, a full choir, a smattering of percussion, and a violin player whose sliding, high-pitched notes echo the fiddle playing of Appalachia. Throughout, Toure's singing has a wider range than you'd expect (considering that he's known as the "African John Lee Hooker") and his bluesy guitar playing is always melodic, modal, and meditative.

Kulanjan   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Taj Mahal & Toumani Diabate - Audio CD
Friends who had never heard of Taj Mahal were stopped in their tracks and asked for the volume to be turned up so that they listen more closely to the fantastic sounds. (Reviewer: a listener from Cranleigh, England)

Macire   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Boubacar Traoré - Audio CD
Boubacar Traore has taken my understanding of the blues, and to music in general, to a higher level. Together with Habib Koite, another Malian pioneer, this album is about as tight as I've ever heard. The recording is sharp, the solos and vocals hold nothing back, and it can be played for all occasions. The overall tone of the album is subdued and patient. (Reviewer: a listener from Somerville, MA)

Moussoulou   (amazon.com) - USA
by Oumou Sangare - Audio CD
Long difficult to find in the Western world, this reissue of Moussoulou, Sangare's 1989 debut, is the jewel that put the Malian pop star on the map, selling an astonishing number of copies and broaching subject matter progressive for that of her native country. Though the language barrier prevents most American listeners from grasping the full meaning of Sangare's discourse on moussoulou ("women"), the singer's expressively clear intonation and range coupled with complex acoustic arrangements speak across the divide with earthy strength and sublime beauty.

Nangape   (amazon.com) - USA
Yaya Diallo
"delightful exploration of the traditional music of Mali in general, and of the use of the balafon in particular.” (The American Review of Jazz & Blues)

The Wassoulou Sound: Women of Mali   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Various Artists - Audio CD
This captivating CD presents nine tracks by five female vocalists from Mali's Wassoulou region. One track is by Oumou Sangare with the others being sung in similar (but not identical) styles. The sound is a unique synthesis of west African and northern African influences from a country on the southern edge of the Sahara. Exotic but soulful. Also includes some fine instrumental work. Nicely recorded. (Reviewer: A music fan from Temecula, CA, USA)

Mansa   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Super Rail Band - Audio CD

Niafunké   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
Ali Farka Toure's "Niafunke" is one great album, showcasing the West African approach to the guitar, and proving that Toure is getting better with each passing year. It was genius to avoid the homogenization of "world" music by recording this CD in Mali, near home, with local musicians. The music can be described as a sort of "Sahara blues", a mix of North and West African traditional music and American blues, but there's much more to it than that. (Reviewer: a listener from Washington DC)

The Source   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
Baaba Maal mixes it up with a fantastic contemporary sound, electronics and all, and traditional Senegalese music. What a gem. In the trancelike guitar lines you can almost hear the seeds of the blues, musical ideas that would travel from West Africa to the Southern U.S. and change music history. Ali Farka Toure takes us back to the source. Beautiful. (Reviewer: a listener from West Virginia)

Dombaa Folee: Minianka Medicine Music Of Mali   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Yaya Diallo - Audio CD
Yaya Diallo, author of The Healing Drum, shares the tribal medicine music of his youth with us here. Rhythmic and at once both gentle and compelling, this music reaches into the soul to soothe and harmonize. This is his gift for us, and a reminder that perhaps Western medicine still has a few things to learn. (Reviewer: listener from Toledo, OH USA)

Folon   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Salif Keita - Audio CD
Every one of these 13 tracks is a delight, and while it's nice to hear the insinuating tones of Youssou N'Dour and the sweetly melodious sound of Cheikh Lo and his band, the more recherche tracks are much more interesting. My favourite is a song from the Gambian griot Tata Dinding Jobarteh, whose kora playing--on the West-African cross between harp and lute--comes from a graceful, pre-electronic age. by Various Artists - Audio CD

Soro   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Salif Keita - Audio CD
Soro is the album that brought Salif Keita international stardom though he was already well-known in West Africa from his work with The Rail Band and Les Ambassadeurs. Keita's voice is in peak form, soaring and swooping with awe-inspiring power. For these sessions, Keita has gathered an all-star band that is innovative, solid, and turn-on-a-dime tight. The production, state of the art in 1987, sounds just as bright and fresh today. This CD draws its strength from the rich traditions of Malian culture, melded with cutting edge musical technology, and a global outlook.

The River   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
This 1990 recording contains one of the best African blues tunes ever recorded, and a classic Ali Farka Toure moment. As the electric guitar roars in at the opening, punctured by a darting harmonica line, "Heygana" lays out the roots and branches of the blues in its journey from west Africa to the Americas, and more importantly, back again. Sung in the Songhai language, pushed by a vaguely reggae groove and pulled along by a sometimes idiosyncratic percussion line on a calabash, it pretty well epitomizes what Toure is about. The sound is stripped down, with the guitar and voice working a bare minimum groove

New Ancient Strings   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Toumani Diabate - Audio CD
Listening to Toumani Diabate's NEW ANCIENT STRINGS is the next best thing to sitting in the audience of one of his concerts in Bamako (the capital of Mali and Toumani's hometown). The melodies have been passed down from the rich traditions of Malian music and are newly interpreted by Toumani. Both he and Ballade Sissoko, who accompanies him, are sons of two outstanding Malian musicians, revered till today across all of West Africa. (Reviewer: listener from Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Papa   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Salif Keita - Audio CD
Mali's Salif Keita might possess one of Africa's great voices, but in the past there have been times when his material hasn't done him real justice. That's not the case here--Papa is as close to brilliance as he's likely to get, with enough of a real roots feel to bring out his emotive qualities.

The Rough Guide to the Music of Mali & Guinea   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Various Artists - Audio CD
If you love the blues, you'll love the music on this Rough Guide compilation. It's melodically and rhythmically vital; it cuts to the core of one's humanity. It is beautiful, poignant, and rocking all at once. Legions of songsmiths currently live in this part of the world, and here is a superb introduction to some of their potent magic. Crank up the volume and bask in the bounty! (Reviewer: A listener from Emmaus, PA USA)

Frikyiwa Collection, Vol. 2   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Various Artists - Audio CD


Jatigui   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Tata Bambo Kouyate - Audio CD
Listen to samples on-line

Djelika   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Toumani Diabate - Audio CD
Malian kora virtuoso Toumani Diabate, a collaborator in the Songhai and Kulanjan projects as well as the New Ancient Strings album, might just be the best player in the world on his 21-string, harplike instrument. Here, accompanied by Keletigui Diabate on balafon (a kind of xylophone) and Basekou Kouyate on ngoni, he tackles original and traditional material in beautiful fashion. Notes fall in rippling cascades from his fingers, whether on the dainty court song "Marielle" or the title track.

Ali Farka Toure   (amazon.com) - USA
by Ali Farka Toure - Audio CD
This self-titled debut is an amazing collection, spotlighting the Malian guitarist in his full solo acoustic glory for a beautiful, intimate music that recalls American blues. The beauty of Ali Farka Toure lives in Toure's light, nimble touch on the strings as well as his flexible, reedy voice, which both perfectly complement his gentle, ambling rhythmic style

Amen   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Salif Keita - Audio CD
Listen to on-line samples

Sa Golo   (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Baboucar Traore - Audio CD

Kar Kar   (amazon.com) - USA
by Boubacar Traore - Audio CD
KarKar from 1992 finds Traore in great voice in an upbeat recording of excellent production quality. His jazzy, bluesy guitar work is wonderful. The mix of western and Malian is evident. And it's as good as Toure or Boucoum. (Reviewer: A listener from Buffalo, NY United States)

The Mansa of Mali...A Retrospective   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Salif Keita - Audio CD
Culled from the first three solo records (Soro, Ko-Yan, and Amen) by the albino singer from Mali, this offers a snapshot of the man before he was a major international star, still coming to grips with his music. At times the hi-tech production on some tracks can be overwhelming, but Keita's remarkable voice, one of the world's unique instruments, can conquer any obstacle.

Divas of Mali   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Various Artists - Audio CD
Divas of Mali is an outstanding collection of Mali's greatest female singers from the jali or musician caste, including Kandia Kouyate (Kita Kan), Nahawa Doumbia, and Ami Koita. Several cuts feature the kora, a lovely harplike instrument dominant in traditional Malian music, and balafon, a xylophone, also common to Malian music.

Message by Alpha Yaya Diallo   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Alpha Yaya Diallo - Audio CD
Listen to samples on-line

Drums of Mali   (amazon.com) - USA    (amazon.co.uk) - UK
by Various Artists - Audio CD

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