Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté "Ali & Toumani" (2010)

Ali & Toumani
release date: Feb. 23, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

2nd and final album for the collaboration work of Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The album was actually recorded in June 2005 shortly after the release of the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon (2005) but somehow the album wasn't released until 2010 - four years after the death of Touré.
The album follows closely in the footsteps laid out on the debut by partly containing traditional Mandé folk songs arranged by either of the two or together, and also songs composed by Diabaté and Touré. Altogether, Ali & Toumani is yet another beautiful collection of songs by these two wonderful artists.
[ Uncut Magazine review ]

Toumani Diabaté "The Mande Variations" (2008)

The Mande Variations
release date: Feb. 25, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

Track highlights: 1. "Si Naani" (4 / 5) - 2. "Elyne Road" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Ali Farka Toure" - 4. "Kaouding Cissoko" (4 / 5) - 5. "Ismael Drame" (4 / 5) - 6. "Djourou Kara Nany" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "Cantelowes" (4 / 5)

Studio album by Toumani Diabaté released on World Circuit is a mighty fine solo album featuring Diabaté's wonderful kora play. The style is close to the collaboration works with Ali Farka Touré, which may also be seen in the reference in the homage track #3.

Toumani Diabaté "Boulevard de l'Indépendance" (2006)

Boulevard de l'Indépendance
release date: Jul. 25, 2006
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

Studio album by Toumani Diabaté released under the name of Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra is the third and final of three albums on World Circuit in the "Hotel Mandé Sessions" series initiated by the fabulous collaboration album In the Heart of the Moon (2005) by Ali Farka Touré and Diabaté - and like that, this is also produced by Nick Gold.
The music is energetic, full of drums and horns, and seems quite similar to that of another great Malian musician: Salif Keita. It's rather far from his works with Ali Farka Touré. Here the kora plays a secondary part as a rhythm and / or background instrument to orchestrated music featuring vocals, brass and traditional instruments of the Mandé folk tradition.

Best of 2005:Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté "In the Heart of the Moon" (2005)

2021 vinyl reissue

In the Heart of the Moon [debut]
release date: Sep. 13, 2005
format: cd / 2lp vinyl (2021 reissue)
[album rate: 5 / 5] [4,88]
producer: Nick Gold
label: World Circuit - nationality: Mali

Tracklist: 1. "Debe" (5 / 5) (live in Brussels) - 2. "Kala" (4 / 5) - 3. "Mamadou Boutiquier" (5 / 5) - 4. "Monsieur le Maire de Niafunké" (4 / 5) - 5. "Kaira" (4 / 5) - 6. "Simbo" - 7. "Ai Ga Bani" - 8. "Soumbou Ya Ya" - 9. "Naweye Toro" - 10. "Kadi Kadi" - 11. "Gomni" (4 / 5) - 12. "Hawa Dolo"

G R E A T! That's what this is. It's the collaboration debut by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, two Malian musicians. The music is delicate, surreal and haunting. What rhythm, and what wonderful dreamy tunes these guys produce! Splendid music - and highly addictive. Play it when you drive to or from work, or just anywhere, when you read, or when you make love - just play it, and listen. It's extremely soothing for body and mind. I give it my warmest recommendations, and… I only need more of that kind! On this, Touré plays guitar and Diabeté plays the 21-stringed African kora, which is responsible for the spiderweb-like strings on this amazing release. The album received world-wide recognition and led to a World Live Tour with the two playing in Europe and USA.
Touré had been politically engaged and became mayor of the local town of Nianfunké in 2004, and although there are 25 years between these two musicians and they do sound as if having played together for years, when in fact the album was recorded without initial rehearsals and without Touré and Diabeté had played together for more than 3 hours in total over a span of 15 years.
Diabaté was 40 and Touré 65 years of age when this album was released, and most sadly, Touré died Mar. 2006 as a 66-year-old, only just experiencing the international acclaim this album was attributed. The album is the first in a series of three albums commonly known as the "Hotel Mandé Sessions" - the second would be Tourés last solo album Savane (released posthumously, Jul. 17, 2006) and Diabeté's Boulevard de l'Independence (credited Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra was released Jul. 25, 2006).

EDIT Jan. 2022:
I only just received a vinyl copy of the album. Alas, the album wasn't released on vinyl until 2012. The vendor sold it filed as a 2012 issue, but it turns out, it's a 2021 re-issue. Anyway, the album is for me a cornerstone in 'world music' and simply is one of those must-have releases I wish more people knew of.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

2005 Favourite releases: 1. Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabeté In the Heart of the Moon - 2. Sigur Rós Takk... - 3. Kent Du & jag döden

original CD front

Toumani Diabaté

~ ~ ~

Toumani Diabaté: (born Aug. 10, 1965, Bamako, Mali); aka: Toumani Diabate, Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra. Diabeté is a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional folk music of Mali, he has also been involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles. In a collaboration work with Ali Farka Touré the two made a world-wide appraised album In the Heart of the Moon (2005) with Malian mandé folk music.

~ ~ ~

Ali Farka Touré

~ ~ ~

Ali Farka Touré: Touré is a multi-instrumentalist but is mainly known for playing the guitar. Ali Farka Touré died in 2006 (from bone cancer) but has released a number of acclaimed albums (including Talking Timbuktu, 1994, as a collaboration with Ry Cooder), and he became known as Africa's blues man or John Lee Hooker of Africa, anyway, a man of the blues. In a collaboration work with Toumani Diabaté, the two made a world-wide appraised album In the Heart of the Moon (2005) with Malian mandé folk music. Interesting music from Mali seems like an endless pot. I'm not saying it's the only interesting country in Africa but it's really amazing how much music has come from Mali, and these two are the exquisite artists of Malian mandé music.

~ ~ ~

Michael Olatuja "Lagos Pepper Soup" (2020)

Lagos Pepper Soup

release date: Jul. 31, 2020
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Michael Olatuja
label: Whirlwind Recordings - nationality: Nigeria

Track highlights: 2. "Lagos Pepper Soup" (feat. Angélique Kidjo) - 4. "Soki" (feat. Dianne Reeves & Lionel Loueke) - 5. "Ma Foya" (feat. Brandee Younger) - 6. "Brighter Day" (feat. Laura Mvula) - 7. "Shadows Fade" (feat. Onaje Jefferson) - 9. "Home True" (feat. Becca Stevens & Robert Mitchell)

2nd album by London-born, Lagos, Nigeria-raised, New York-based electric and acoustic bassist / composer / bandleader Michael Olatuja.
Musically, this is one big blend of genres and styles, although, the overall sensation is one of jazz. It contains instrumental parts that are primarily jazz-founded, it contains vocal jazz and soul pop compositions and it's full of afrobeats (popular African rhythms), but also reveals a strong bond to traditional jazz composers of a you could call a New York tradition.
Aside from well-known studio musicians the album feature a bunch of starring musicians, which include Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, Laura Mvula, Onaje Jefferson, Becca Stevens, Lionel Loueke, Robert Mitchell, Grégoire Maret, Brandee Younger, Joe Lovano, and Regina Carter.
Production-wise it's a warm and solid collection of beautiful compositions that also showcase the instrumental virtuosity of Olatuja.
The cover illustration seem a bit out of sync with the content as you might expect more traditional African folk music. I guess, Olatuja only hints at his roots, because it might as well have been entirely displaying Autumn leaves in his hometown of New York.
Anyway, I really enjoy this, it's gooood.

Bombino "Nomad" (2013)

Nomad

release date: Apr. 1, 2013

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]

producer: Dan Auerbach

label: Nonesuch - nationality: Niger

Track highlights: 1. "Amidinine (My Friend)" (4 / 5) (live - live - acoustic live) - 3. "Azamane Tiliade (The Era of Young Girls)" - 6. "Adinat (People)" - 7. "Her Tenere (In the Desert)" - 9. "Aman (Water)" - 11. "Tamiditine (My Darling)"

2nd international studio album by Omara 'Bombino' Moctar (aka Goumar Almoctar) following his 2011 album Agadez. Bombino was born in Niger and fled with his father and grandmother to Algeria when he was ten, where he initated his musicial upbringing before returning to Niger in '97 and his professional career started. When the Tuareg Rebellion erupted in 2007 he moved to Burkina Faso until the conflict settled in 2010 and he once again returned to his homeland. Bombino's playing style reflects his musical upbringing listening to cassettes with Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler, reggae-influenced African contemporaries as well as the stylistic impressions from Tuareg guitarist Haja Bebe, who has been a musical teacher of his.

Nomad is a warm and beautiful mix of Western musical influence and a variety of African tradition - it's smooth and meandering and it comes with a solid flavour of the blues.

Bombino "Agadez" (2011)

Agadez [debut]

release date: Mar. 2011

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Ron Wyman

label: Cumbancha Discovery - nationality: Niger

Track highlights: 1. "Ahoulaghuine Akaline (I Greet My Country)" - 3. "Adounia (Life)" - 4. "Kammou Taliat (You, My Beloved)" - 8. "Assalam Felawan (Peace to You)" - 9. "Tebsakh Dalet (A Green Acacia)"

International debut by Omara 'Bombino' Moctar (aka Goumar Almoctar) following some appearances on local recordings as well as the album Agamgama 2004 (2010). Bombino was born in Niger and fled with his father and grandmother to Algeria when he was ten, where he initated his musicial upbringing before returning to Niger in '97 and his professional career started. When the Tuareg Rebellion erupted in 2007 he moved to Burkina Faso until the conflict settled in 2010 and he once again returned to his homeland.

The album here appears more laidback and with bolder meandering compositions than the successor Nomad from 2013. This means also, there is more room for Bombino the guitar instrumentalist, which can be both nice and enchanting but also less structured with traits of improvisation.

I didn't come around to this one before listening to his fine 2013 album, and I think that have me prefer the other to this, although, Agadez surely has its moments. It's more of a simple structured album with less emphasis on the arrangements - but to say is a lesser album is a hard verdict, it's more like I'm more into his later albums, which also bridge to traditional Western strucuring of compositions. That said, I think Bombino is a wonderful and original guitarist and vocalist.

Hadja Kouyaté & Ali Boulo Santo "Manding-Ko" (2001)

Manding-Ko
release date: 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Jeff Sharel, Frédéric Galliano
label Frikyiwa - nationality: Senegal

Studio album of Mandé folk music by vocalist Hadja Kouyaté and kora-instrumentalist and singer Ali Boulo Santo. The music is not far from that by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, only I find this less mesmerizing, less musically vivid and simply less interesting.

Salif Keita "Folon" [The Past] (1995)

Folon [The Past]
release date: 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Wally Badarou
label: Mango Records - nationality: Mali

Track highlights: 1. "Tekere" (5 / 5) - 3. "Africa" - 4. "Myanyama" - 5. "Mandela" (4 / 5) - 6. "Sumun" - 7. "Seydou" - 8. "Dakan-Fe" - 9. "Folon"

4th studio album by Salif Keita released on Mango (sub-label of Island Records) and produced by Wally Badarou (Jean-Philippe Rykiel produced tracks #5 and #9).
The album was one of the first I listened to with Keita. The track "Tekere" is absolutely great and has the same wonderful up-tempo African / Mandé style that I had discovered on various releases from the early 1980s with African traditional folk music. Keita doesn't play any instruments himself but composes and sings, and he has a brilliant and warm singing voice, which sounds like... no one else. Most often his music is referred to as world music, which I consider an extremely poor label to music produced and / or released in Africa, Asia, Scandinavia, or South America. Keita makes Mandé folk music and African popular music inspired by local traditions and western popular culture, and combining elements from jazz, reggae, blues and folk-based singer-songwriter. On top of that, he often adds a style variation of dance. Now why is there no musical style labelled 'folk dance'? Because that's really what this is... also. Despite being an album with (African, Mandé) lyrics that I absolutely do not understand any word of, I've read that the wonderful track "Tekere" is a song "about jealousy, about too much jealousy is easy turning into maliciousness". Anyhow, the music here is quite original and absolutely wonderful.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Mokoomba "Rising Tide" (2012)

Rising Tide
release date: May 2012
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Poney Gross
label: Igloo Records - nationality: Zimbabwe

Track highlights: 1. "Njoka" - 4. "Mwile" - 5. "Misozi" - 8. "Ndundule"

Studio album by Afro-funk, jit and urban grooves band Mokoomba from Zimbabwe. This is truly music with many sources. You can spot African traditional folk, reggae, funk and a mix of r&b with hip hop and parts of jazz making it sheer fusion music, but the term fusion often refers to popular music in a Western tradition - this is really not, although, the term would be suited here if not it was so undefinable, like an umbrella term used when you can't really tell exactly what it is. Afro-funk seems more precise, and from my perspective, this is better than traditional funk, which is a genre I have never liked much.

Angélique Kidjo "Djin Djin" (2007)

Djin Djin
release date: May 1, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: Razor & Tie - nationality: Benin

Track highlights: 1. "Ae Ae" - 2. "Djin Djin" (feat. Alicia Keys & Branford Marsalis) - 3. "Gimme Shelter" (feat. Joss Stone) - 4. "Salala" (feat. Peter Gabriel) - 5. "Senamou (C'est l'amour)" (feat. Amadou & Mariam) - 7. "Sedjedo" (feat. Ziggy Marley) - 8. "Papa" - 10. "Awan N'La"

10th studio album by Angélique Kidjo is a very fine but totally overlooked release. I think a lot of people only think of her 90s hit "Agolo" when hearing the name Kidjo. This is just better. Iconic producer Tony Visconti (Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Lou Reed) has produced - in addition several prominent gueats star on the album, including Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Branford Marsalis, Amadou & Mariam, Carlos Santana, Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel, and Ziggy Marley. The album gave Kidjo a Grammy for "Best Contemporary World Music" album and a *"NAACP Image Award" for Outstanding World Music album.
*(National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Lira "Return to Love" (2011)

Return to Love
release date: Jan. 31, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Robin Kohl
label: SME Africa - nationality: South Africa

Track highlights: 1. "When I Dance" - 3. "Call Me" - 4. "Love to Love" - 11. "Get Into Action"

4th studio album by South African (model and) pop artist Lira, who makes music in a more traditional contemporary jazz-inspired r&b and pop-style. Her second album Feel Good from 2006 was met as a great success in South Africa, where she was nominated in 5 categories at the Grammy Music Awards in 2007. Lira has a crisp, soulful, and velvet-like singing voice, not unlike that of Sade, and she varies the single compositions from singing in African tongue and English, which seems her preferred singing language.

Angélique Kidjo "Oyaya!" (2004)

Oyaya!
release date: 2004
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,05]
producer: Alberto Salas, Steve Berlin
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Benin

Track highlights: 1. "Seyin Djro"

9th studio album by Angélique Kidjo is a another combo of fon music - African pop and vocal jazz, just without the truly fine tracks one will find on her 2002 album.

Angélique Kidjo "Black Ivory Soul" (2002)

Black Ivory Soul
release date: Mar. 19, 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Bill Laswell
label: Columbia Records - nationality: Benin

Track highlights: 1. "Refavela" - 2. "Tumba" - 3. "Les enfants perdus" - 6. "Iemanja" - 7. "Afirika" - 13. "Iwoya" (feat. Dave Matthews) (live)

8th studio album by Angélique Kidjo who continues her fon music, which has become less orchestrated (except from on the title track) or perhaps less pop-minded, at least seen from a Western perspective. This has a nice warm vocal jazz feel to it, and I I generally like this more than her Ayé dance-pop, which tended to be a little over the top - production-wise.

Cesária Évora "The Magic of Cesária Évora" (2011)

The Magic of Cesária Évora (unofficial) (compilation)
release date: Dec. 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: various

label: Chinese Dragon Music - Cape Verde

An unofficial [bootleg] best of compilation album with Cesária Évora of Cape Verde, Africa issued on the bootleg label Chinese Dragon. The album was probably released shortly after her death (Dec. 17, 2011).

It contains 18 tracks and has an extensive running time for 1 disc albums at just above 77 mins.

This is a very fine collection of the wonderful Évora. I only have two original studio albums with her, and two best of compilations, and the compilation albums does what they do so fine: they introduce and showcase more of her repertoire. Only, I prefer original studio albums.

Cesária Évora "Radio Mindelo (Early Recordings)" (2008)

Radio Mindelo (Early Recordings) (compilation)
release date: Dec. 5, 2008
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Lusafrica - nationality: Cape Verde

Compilation album with the subtitle "Early Recordings" by Cesária Évora with music from six early recording sessions. This is just one of dozens of beautiful compilations with music by with Évora. I don't know anything about the selected songs but it's a fine collection of the Cape Verdian morna and coladeira she's so famous for. Some of the recordings seem like live recordings and poorly mixed early takes but nonetheless, the music lives extremely vitally.

Cesária Évora "Cafe Atlantico" (1999)

Cafe Atlantico
release date: Aug. 1999
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

Studio album by Cesária Évora and the follow-up to Cabo Verde (1997). I really enjoy the former album but I think this one even surpasses it. Before this release, she wasn't internationally an unknown artist, as she had already harvested some broad recognition for both her 1988 album La diva aux pieds nus, and Miss Perfumado (1992), however, in 1996 she was nominated Best World Music Album for the first time at the Grammy Awards for her album Césaria. This release only underlined her status as one of the most renowned African artists as it was also nominated Best World Music Album at the 2000 Grammy Awards. The album also received 4,5 stars from 5 stars at allmusic.com (her highest ranked album here). The music on this album is rather close to that of her musical 'cousins' Cuban Susana Baca and Peruvian Omara Portuondo making it a beautiful cocktail of latin jazz, vocal jazz, and African jazz.

Cesária Évora "Cabo Verde" (1997)

Cabo Verde
release date: Mar. 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: José Da Silva
label: Lusafrica / RCA / BMG - nationality: Cape Verde

Tracklist: 1. "Tchintchirote" - 2. "Sabine Largá'm" - 3. "Partida" - 4. "Sangue de Beirona" (4 / 5) - 5. "Apocalipse" - 6. "Mar é Morada de Sodade" - 7. "Bô ê di Meu Cretcheu" - 8. "Coragem irmon" - 9. "Quem Bô ê" - 10. "Regresso" - 11. "Zebra" - 12. "Mãe Velha" - 13. "Pe di Boi" - 14. "Ess pais"

Studio album by Cesária Évora originally released on French record label, Lusafrica, founded by the album's producer, José Da Silva.
This is beautiful African music from Cape Verde. Cesária Évora didn't make a great number of albums in her lifetime, although she lived to be 70 years old (born 1941). At the age of 47, her studio debut album is as late as 1988, and unfortunately she passed away in 2011 having by then released about a dozen studio albums. There's many more live and compilation albums with her fine melancholic singing voice, and her music continues to live on, and this album is a fine place to start. The music is African morna, or maybe more specifically coladeira (a faster style developed from the slow and more monotonous morna). I think, it's world vocal jazz and much in family with latin jazz, at least more so, than i.e. African mande folk, and frankly, I think, the music is somehow closely related to the music of Susana Baca of Peru and the music of Cuban grand lady Omara Portuondo. Without knowing the exact sources, one could imagine a musical relationship due to historical origins of Portuguese and Spanish folk and its effect on local music in both Peru, Cuba, and Capo Verde. Anyway, the music is original and B-A-Utiful. It's music I will always return to, and I cannot imagine that I should ever dislike it. I only need more of this.
Highly recommended. [ here's more ]