Musical Powerhouse - Contemporary music from Mali

[Chupacabra]

It could just be my own personal music preference being expressed, but I thought I would put it out there anyway.
Is there anyone else here on this forum who is as fascinated as I am with the music coming out of Mali these days? As I look through my ever expanding collection of CDs, particularly those from African performers, it is becoming more and more noticeable how many of these are from Mali; Oumou Sangara, Rokia Traoré, Salif Keita/Super Rail Band, Habib Koite, Ali Farka Touré, Amadou et Mariam, Tinariwen, Toumani Diabaté (catch my breath here) and most recently, Toma Sidibé which I just picked up today. There are more but I think I've made my point!
This most recent CD from Toma Sidibé is just incredible! I actually bought it by accident and am so glad I have it now! This is a real eye opener in the sense of how some of the best of Western musical influences (and others) have made it back to Africa for reverse engineering and woven together with distinctive Malian flavour and crafted into something of profound beauty.
The melodies just seem to float through the air and are generated by a wonderful combination of traditional instruments such as djembe, dunun, tama, kora, flutes with acoustic guitars and bass and numerous other instruments. Wonderful lead and backing vocals are also prominent.
I highly recommend this album to anyone who is interested in African music or looking for something different to enrich their musical repertoire.



Edited By Chupacabra on 1205824748

[zumbi]

naturally, my friend, i love it too!
but i would not limit it to the (colonially imposed) boundaries of present-day mali.
as stated in a different topic, mali is the heartland of mande civilization that expands to several neighboring countries (guinea, cote d'ivoire, senegal ,gambia, burkina faso etc...)
for example you're likely to love guinea's kora and balafon master mory kante', expecially as he returned (like his old time friend-rival salif keita) to acoustic moods in a recent masterpiece like sabou.
also the great voices os kasse madi' and sekouba bambino djabate.
the historical guinea's band bembeya jazz (starring guitar great sekou djabate)
for getting deeper in mande music and culture check any article by lucy duran.
of course some of the artists you quoted are not of mande background but but influenced by it to some degree.
peace & blessings!

[CongaTick]

Okay both you guys are way off my beaten track, but are cracking open a new door for me. Always loved African contempo music, but don't have the deep knowledge you do. OPen the door for me some more and pass on the title of a starter album or tracks/artist I can continue opening my brain/soul with. Even better if they're downloadable off the net. Hit me up!

[OLSONGO]

King Sunny Ade is someone I really enjoy. The Tones of the Talking drums intertwining truly give you a different feel.
When I saw KSA , I said " got to get a talking drum."

Paz
Olsongo

[Roka]

Hi, here is a good resourse African Music Downloads. Check it.

[Chupacabra]

Okay both you guys are way off my beaten track, but are cracking open a new door for me. Always loved African contempo music, but don't have the deep knowledge you do. OPen the door for me some more and pass on the title of a starter album or tracks/artist I can continue opening my brain/soul with. Even better if they're downloadable off the net. Hit me up!

I started exploring the musical frontiers because of my disillusionment of the current state of western popular music culture and the industry that dictates what we listen to. I have been a big fan of American and British blues for a long time and still listen to a lot of the older recordings from past decades. The journey in the realm of African music began when I felt the need to explore the musical connection between the Blues and Africa. I'm still exploring. So far, just by the way of trips to the public library's music section, the internet, learning African percussion rhythms and expanding my circle of friends who have the same interests.
Some of the first recording I purchased were CDs from the "Rough Guide" series, World Music Network, Guinée: Concert de Percussions, CDs from the Shanchie lable, and perhaps the one recording that turned my musical world around completely: Paul Simon's "Graceland".
Does this narrow it down for you?

[zumbi]

rough guides cd's seem to be a good start,
expecialy along their "world music: africa and the middle east" companion book
olsongo, king sunny ade, nigerian juju master, was actually the first musician from the motherland i became aware of, in the early 80's throu a video of his incredible, large band...
peace & blessings!

[zumbi]

peace & blessings!
past night i had the privilege to assist to a toumani diabate solo kora concert.
promoting his latest album, "the mande variations", toumani developed a new tuning system for kora base on egyptian harp tuning.
this gives the kora a higher degree of clarity.
this music, coming from a tradition that is at least 8 centuries old, is at once empowering and lyrical, deeply romantic and highly spiritual.
if he comes perform in a place near you..don't miss it!

[korman]

Congratulations, Zumbi, that's world class! What did you play?

In general this is an interesting thread, I would really like to explore Malian music more. I've heard a couple albums from Toumani DIabate, Afel Bocoum, and ALi Farka Toure, but I'm sure there's loads more to discover (thanks for the clues earlier in the thread!). Mali is also home to great djembe drumming tradition which I haven't explored but would love to.

[Chupacabra]

I really need to go to Mali for no less than 3 weeks, while I'm at it I might as well explore the rest of West Africa! Heck, I might have to take a year's leave of absence just to travel through 5 or 6 countries. After all that I might just have scratched the surface in getting a grip on the musical culture over there.

Zumbi, that might be a once-in-a-lifetime gig to be be able to play with someone of that calibre. To be able to play with him must say a lot about your skill as a musician! Good on you!

[Roka]

Hi all,

This is a great list of Malian music to purchase:
http://www.sternsmusic.com/search_resul ... UBMIT.y=12

Enjoy.

[zumbi]

peace & blessings!
i am not sure why you all guessed i was performing with toumani.
i wrote "assist" to a "solo kora concert".
toumani was alone on stage and i was side-stage with my good friend sekou diabate, organizer of the event and related to toumani himself.
i had a chance to spend some time with the maestro after the show and there could be chance of future collaborations but that was not the case as yet.
i think 3 weeks in mali would not be enough to even begin to scratch the surface.
unless you plan to stay in the capital bamako alone, moving around this huge country takes very long.
one year beetwen a few west african countries seems more like it.

[Chupacabra]

I've just been looking into the link that Roka provided and I must say I'm amazed. There are well over 200 listings of performers from Mali and most of them have audio samples. Looks like I'll be busy for awhile! Thanks Roka!

[Roka]

Chupacabra, chek out other countires as well (upper left corner - search engine). There are lots of beautiful music all over the world.