Habib Koite - Batoumambe

Batoumambe

A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
Ma bien aimée sirène
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
Gné bolo da sï kan, Sin na diyatê
Sin na diyatê, Si tigi la diya do
Kan bolo da Kanna, Kanna diyatê
Kanna diyatê, Kan Tigui la diya dôn
Je passe mon bras autour de ton cou parce que j'aime être avec toi
ou, ou , ou, ou
Gné bolo da bolo kan bolo la diyatê
Bolo tigui la diya dôn
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
(Instrumental balafon)
Kawa gnon fai Segou, Sirala diyaté
Segou diyaté I fait tama le diya dôn
Ka gnognai kôdala dji la diyatê
Dji la diyatê I fait Baro de diyadon
ou, ou, ou, ou
Kan bein ponni kan banconi ponni kan
Ponni diyaté I yé ile diyadôn
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
(Instrumental balafon)
ou, ou, ou, ou
Péré pé pé (x 4)
(Instrumental balafon)
ou, ou, ou, ou
(Instrumental balafon)
Péré pé pé (x4)
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé
A Batoumanbé wï koro Batoumanbé

Batoumambe is a woman of a fishing tribe of Mali. She is loved by a man of another tribe. But, being of different tribes, they can never be married. He says, "If I put my hand around your neck, it is not out of desire but out of love for the owner of the neck." Their impossible romance inspired the Malian proverb, "Not all love ends in marriage."

By Naomi DeBruyn
This review is for Baro (Audio CD)

Habib Koite is a musician straddling the past and the future. Together with his band, Bamada (which translates to - in the mouth of the crocodile - and is a nickname for the inhabitants of Bamako), Habib is creating wonders in the world music genre. He comes from a noble line of Khassonke griots, and learned his unique guitar style while accompanying his griot mother. However, Habib's passion is accredited to his Grandfather who played the djelly n'goni (a traditional instrument which is linked with the
hunters of the Wassolou region of Mali).

As I mentioned above, Habib has a unique style of guitar playing. He tunes his guitar to the pentatonic scale, and plays upon open strings. At times he sounds bluesy, at others more Latin and flamenco style, but it is a very distinctive and extremely pleasing sound which Habib has brought to light. His vocals are soothing, warm and inviting -- the perfect complement to his guitar style; and quite unlike the griot style! On this album, Habib and his band are joined by Keletigui Diabate on the balafon (a wooden-keyed
xylophone originating from West Africa).

The accompanying booklet is a delight, filled with pictures and the lyrics in three languages, one of which is English, thankfully allowing me to fully understand the meaning behind the beautiful and haunting melodies found on the disc. However, it doesn't compare with the music!

The track opens with Batoumambe which translates to - name of a woman from the Bozo fishing tribe - . The incredible rhythms in this track will not allow you to just sit still, while the lyrics tell a sad tale. Two people from different worlds find themselves in love, a love which cannot be fulfilled for neither can cross the differences between them. "Not all love ends in marriage..."

Toroya - Issa Bagayogo - From Joyjit Deb Roy

Toroya - Suffering

You only get out what you put in,
only work frees a person,
So, it is worth paying tribute,
to Malian artists,
to Malian youths,
to Malian women,
to Malian men who strive to improve their living condition

You only get out what you put in,
Work takes away from us vice, need and worries

You only get out what you put in,
let's pay tribute,
to the youths of Wassoulou,
to the youths of Karadougou,
to the youths of Briko,
to the youths of Ganadougou

You only get out what you put in,
welcome Moussa Koné,
welcome my charming guitarist Boua,
welcome Sidibé Mamou,
welcome Issa from Korin

A restless worker is always rewarded,
you only get out what you put in,
the sun shines again after the rain

Issa Bagayogo (born 1961) is a Malian musician. He has released four full-length albums all under the record label Six Degrees Records. Bagayogo lends his voice and plays the kamele n'goni (a six-stringed West African instrument similar to a banjo, while Yves Wernert is the producer and keyboardist.

Bagayogo blends his native Malian traditions with western pop music and has drawn comparisons to some of the great Malian musicians such as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté.

Sya, originally released in 1998, was the first album released under Six Degrees Records. The second album is titled Timbuktu, after the ancient city in Mali. The album covers issues such as racial tolerance, regional pride, and drug abuse among youths. Bagayogo continues his fusion of his native African style music with electronic beats on this album.
In 2004, Bagayogo released his album called Tassoumakan, which means "voice of fire", followed by Mali Koura in 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9tmZGLQOw&NR=1
Saye Mogo Bana

Diogal à la Cigale

Salif Keita & Cesária Évora - Yamore - From Joyjit Deb Roy

Yamore

Je t’aime mi amoré menebêff fie
Ene le arabylyla to much

Namafiye, namafiye guni yerela ba namafiye Niere a ná nifon
Ye namo kofue nerum silê don kile le, ina kola ahaha
Rile enela munuku mo sô
Nienama kofiye, soro falê é mo sonho mana osi koté
Nanana nekona, dê I lêlê fon

Je t’aime mi amoré menebêff fie Nê comf fop ach ari
Ene le arabylyla to much Xurin né bi feu J t’aim

Un tem fé, si un tem fê
No também viver sem medo e confians
Num era mais bisonho
Olhar de nos criança ta a tornar brilhar de inocença
E na mente CE esvitayada
Temporal talvez ta mainar
Na brandura y calmaria
Nosso amor ta vins cansando
De ser luta e resitencia
Pa sobreviver nas tormenta
Na brandura y calmaria
Nosso amor ta vins cansando
De ser luta e resitencia
Pa sobreviver nas tormenta

Je t’aime mi amoré menebêff fie Boi nhat zefiu, ermãos
Ene le arabylyla to much Boi etud nhiafieu, la paz

Xeritava pá, beru kuyê mobiliko yoi nhÊ
Ahaha rilê ene La munuku mo sô
In deburu ieu kordaine
Sank é noite a namo a cantor
Ê enela mulnuku mo sol
Yo sakenem mo sol

Un tem fé, si un tem fê
No também viver sem medo e confians
Num era mais bisonho
Olhar de nos criança ta a tornar brilhar de inocença
E na mente CE esvitayada
Temporal talvez ta mainar


Cesaria Evora, popularly known as Cize, was born in 1941 in the port town of Mindelo on the Cape Verde island of Sao Vicente - one of her albums is called Sao Vicente. She became internationally famous when she was in her late 40s and has recorded around 15 albums. To understand the style of her music one should read about the history of the islands:
The Portuguese arrived on these 10 uninhabited islands in 1460, populated them with Africans and Europeans, and governed harshly. The islands are in the Atlantic Ocean, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal (it takes 2 hours to go by air), were one of Africa’s first slave ports, and became one of its last nations to achieve independence in 1975. All this explains why the melancholy morna, sung in Creole-Potuguese about love, loss and sadness, is very much part of the Cape Verdean national identity and Cesaria is a true ambassadress.
Cesaria’s father was a violinist and though she does not remember him because he died when she was 7, her grandmother says that Cesaria used to sit on his lap while he played. Surrounded by music, she grew up singing with her friends in the suburbs of Mindelo. When she was 16, a boyfriend who played guitar convinced her that she had an exceptional voice and encouraged her to pursue music as a profession. After that Cesaria recorded some songs for the national radio station, and began to build a reputation. She idolized Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holliday and fado singer Amalia Rodriguez.
In the colonial times Cesaria developed a modest career performing in bars and restaurants, and sometimes in the homes of wealthy Portuguese colonialists. After Cape Verde achieved independence in 1975, many of the Portuguese aristocracy fled the new socialist government so Cesaria had very few occasions to perform.
Then in 1985, a Cape Verdean women's organization asked her to record 2 songs for a compilation CD. She went to Paris to record, and while there played some concerts. Her success in Europe was absolutely phenomenal.
Cesaria performs with closed eyes and bare feet, which she calls part of the 'national costume' of Cape Verde. She says that when she sings, memories play in her head transporting her to other times and places.

Evora has a certain fondness for cigarettes and whiskey, paying no attention to any claim that these might harm her voice. "I've had plenty of time to ruin my voice," she says. "And since it's not ruined yet, I'm going to continue." Cesaria is also the queen of the morna. Her songs are filled with longing and sadness with the acoustic sounds of guitar, cavaquinho, violin, accordian, and clarinet.
"Morna is like the blues because it is a way to express life's suffering in music." Cesaria is known as the barefoot diva because she appears on stage in her bare feet in support of the disadvantaged women and children of Cape Verde. Another of her albums is La Diva aux Pieds Nus, made when she was 47. Understanding her lyrics is not necessary because one can sense the emotions in her performances. Now a grandmother, Cesaria continues to record and tour and is happy about her worldwide popularity,
"... in all those years when I sang in bars and in front of strangers I sometimes had an idea I might someday be successful outside my country. The thought never stayed with me for very long, but here I am."
Her songs appear on numerous album compilations including 'Quem pode' with Teofilo Chantre (her guitarist) on Drop the Debt. There seems to be a strong link with Angola, perhaps because of Portuguese, for example Bonga sings one of Cesaria’s well-known songs, 'Sodade' (meaning Nostalgia). Cesaria has dueted with Salif Keita for the song 'Yamore' on the album Moffou and on her album Rogamar (2006) Ismael Lo joins her for 'Africa Nossa'.


Salif Keïta (born August 25, 1949) is an internationally recognized afro-pop singer-songwriter from Mali. He is unique not only because of his reputation as the Golden Voice of Africa, but because he has albinism and is a direct descendant of the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. This royal heritage meant that under the Malian caste system, he should never have become a singer, which was deemed to be a griot’s role.
Keita was born in the city of Djoliba. He was cast out by his family and ostracized by the community because of his albinism, a sign of bad luck in Mandinka culture.[1] He left Djoliba for Bamako in 1967, where he joined the government sponsored Super Rail Band de Bamako. In 1973 Keita joined the group, Les Ambassadeurs. Keita and Les Ambassadeurs fled political unrest in Mali during the mid-1970s for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and subsequently changed the group's name to Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux. The reputation of Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux rose to the international level in the 1970s and in 1977 Keita received a National Order award from the president of Guinea, Sékou Touré.
Keita moved to Paris in 1984 to reach a larger audience. His music combines traditional West African music styles with influences from both Europe and the Americas, while maintaining an overall Islamic style. Musical instruments that are commonly featured in Keita's work include balafons, djembes, guitars, koras, organs, saxophones, and synthesizers.
Keita found success in Europe as one of the African stars of world music, but his work was sometimes criticised for the gloss of its production and for the occasional haphazard quality. However, shortly after the turn of the Millennium he returned to Bamako in Mali to live and record. His first work after going home, 2002's Moffou, was hailed as his best album in many years, and Keita was inspired to build a recording studio in Bamako, which he used for his album, M'Bemba, released in October 2005.
Keita's latest album, La Différence, was produced around the year end of 2009. The work is dedicated to the struggle of the world albino community(victims of human sacrifice), for which Keita has been crusading all his life. In one of the album's tracks, the singer calls others to understand that "difference" does not mean "bad" and to show love and compassion towards albinos like everyone else:"I am black/ my skin is white/ so I am white and my blood is black [albino]/... I love that because it is a difference that's beautiful..", "some of us are beautiful some are not/some are black some are white/all that difference was on purpose.. for us to complete each other/let everyone gets his love and dignity/the world will be beautiful."
La Différence is unique in that for the first time Keita has clearly and boldly combined different melodic influences to produce a highly original musical feel, with a wide range of appeal. The album was recorded between Bamako, Beirut, Paris, and Los Angeles. This unique musical feel is reinforced by soulful pitches in the track "Samigna" emanating from the trumpet of the Libanese great jazzman, Ibrahim Maaluf.
La Difference won Keita one of the biggest musical awards of his career: the Best World Music 2010 at the Victoires de la musique.

Soundiata - Boubacar Traore

Boubacar Traoré

He was born in Kayes, in 1942, in the Bambara region of Mali. His nickname, Kar Kar was given to him when he was the local school football (soccer) star. It means "the one who dribbles too much" in Bambara. Kar Kar is a self taught musician. He began to compose music at an early age, influenced by American blues and kassonké, a traditional music style from the Kayes region. Kar Kar's older brother spent eight years in Cuba studying music and, once he returned to Mali, he helped his brother learn how to play the guitar.
In the early 1960s, Mali won its independence and the people of Mali awoke each morning to the sound of Kar Kar's melancholic voice on the radio which sang of independence. Every person in Mali from his generation remembers having danced to his hits "Kar Kar Madison", "Mali Twist" and "Kayes Ba," in which he encouraged his fellow citizens to return and build the country.
Despite his radio success, Kar Kar could barely support himself. He earned a living as a tailor, shop keeper and agricultural agent. During the evenings he trained orchestras and sung for his friends.
After a twenty-year absence from the stage, in 1987, Boubacar Traoré was invited to perform for Malian TV and many people couldn't believe their eyes. Unfortunately, two years later, life took a tragic turn when Boubacar's wife, Pierrette, died. Dazed and heartbroken, Kar Kar left Mali to work in France. During the weekends he performed for his fellow immigrants until a British label, Stern's, discovered him and produced two CDs. This led to European and North American tours.
Boubacar Traoré has risen from the ashes and still sings better than ever. Faithful to his roots, for the recording of his album "Sa Golo," he sought out Baba Dramé, a childhood friend, in his hometown of Kayes, to accompany him on the calabash. On the title song "Sa Golo", they are in the Kayes of the past where magicians in clanging outfits made the night air resonate.
The film, Je chanterai pour toi, about Boubacar's life was released in 2001 and is now available on DVD.
Boubacar Traoré is one of these solid men who reflects the history of a country, the hopes and the despairs of a people.

Discography:

Mariama (Stern's, 1990)
Kar Kar (Stern's, 1992)
Les Enfants de Pierrette (Revue Noire, 1995)
Sa Golo (Label Bleu/Indigo LBLC 2534, 1996)
Maciré (Label Bleu/Indigo LBLC 2564, 1999)
Je chanterai pour toi (Marabi 46803)
Kongo Magni (World Village 468051, 2005)

Allah Uya - Ali Farka Toure

Ali Farka Touré

Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese’s often quoted characterization of Touré’s tradition as constituting "the DNA of the blues"[1]. Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”[2].

"l knew the spirit who gave me the gift very well. And I remember that night in Niafunke (Toure's home village). A night I'll never forget. I was about thirteen years old. I was chatting with some friends. l had a monochord (single string guitar) in my hand. l was wandering playing ordinary songs, just like that. It was about 2.00 am. l got to a place where l saw three girls standing like steps of stairs, one higher than the other. l lifted my right foot. The left one wouldn't move. l stood like that until 4.00 am. Next day l walked to the edge of the fields. l didn't have my instrument with me. l saw a snake with a strange mark on its head. Only one snake. I still remember the colour. Black and white. No yellow, no other colour, just black and white. And it wrapped itself around my head. l brushed it off, it fell and went into a hole and I fled. Since then l started to have attacks."

"I entered a new world. It's different from when you're in a normal state; you're not the same person you know. You don't feel anything anymore, whether it's fire, water or if you are beaten. I was sent to the village of Hombori to be cured and l stayed there for a year. When l felt better, I returned home to my family. There l began playing again and l was very well received by the spirits. I have all the spirits. I possess all the spirits and l work with them. I was born among them and grew up among them."

The Niger is the greatest river that flows through the desert of Mali; a shimmering piece of silver where life seems to go on unchanged, as it has done for centuries. When you travel by boat to Niafunke (Ali's home town in the North West of the country), there's a sense of timelessness. Long narrow pirogues sail low on the water, heavy with fishing nets, trading goods and passengers, the boatmen forcing their way in the shallows between islands of low bush and yellow grasses. On either side, on an endless scorched horizon of sand, rock, steppe and scrubland, extends out the Sahel; Hazy blue skies, yellow and red earth, grey mud-brick villages, black rocks dotted with patches of brilliant green fields painstakingly irrigated by local farmers. Ali is one of these farmers and this is what constitutes the colour of his music.

The Niger has its own life. At the height of the dry season it shrinks down to a snake-like curl between wide sandy banks that measure up to half a mile-or more. During the rainy season the placid waters flood the plains, forming lakes that can rage like the ocean. The once silent river suddenly comes alive with howling winds and torrential storms, bringing the much needed-rain like a vengeance, covering the banks with a temporary coat of emerald grass.

To get to Niafunke, where Ali lives with his family on his farmlands in the north of Mali, you can either travel by car in the dry season or for short periods of the year by steamer from Koulikoro (east of Bamako). During the slow and arduous drive in the sweltering dry heat the scrubland landscape is intermittently interrupted by the hazy sight of a tiny village or, on the horizon, a huge herd of cattle. After the rains the steamer stops at the beautiful river towns of Djenne and Mopti, chugging along the majestic mud-brick mosques with their wedding-cake like turrets and creamy surfaces,the flotilla of pirogues painted with red, white, blue and green abstract designs, the young girls washing clothes on the banks., the women selling pottery, fruit and vegetables and the fishermen casting nets... The muezzin's call to prayer drifts downstream. It's an unhurried journey, time to reflect on the strength, diversity, and natural rhythm of local culture, in which Ali's music is so firmly rooted.

Ali was born in 1939 in the village of Kanau near Gourma Rahous on the banks of the River Niger in the north west of Mali. He was the tenth son of his mother but the only one to survive to infancy. "I lost nine brothers of the same mother and father. The name I was given was Ali Ibrahim, but it's a custom in Africa to give a child a strange nickname if you have lost the other children." The nickname they chose for Ali was 'Farka' meaning donkey, an animal admired for its strength and tenacity. "But let me make one thing clear" he says, "I'm the donkey that nobody climbs on!"

When Ali was still a child his father died while serving in the French army, then the family moved south along the river to their present home Niafunke. With a population of over twenty thousand people, Niafunke is one of the larger villages scattered on this sparse, arid semi-desertic region. The lack of electricity and telephone lines contributes to the tranquil atmosphere and there is always the cooling breeze from the river. People make their living by farming, cattle herding and fishing and a great deal of work is spent irrigating the land. Touré enjoys life there where he lives a peaceful existence with his wife and eleven children.

Niafunke evolves around the trade generated by the quay, which wakes up from its usual sleepiness whenever the steamer pulls in, springing to frenzied pitch with the shouts of traders, hawkers and travellers. As the steamer departs, the monotony of life in a small Sahelian town settles back in. Music is mostly performed at weddings, christening ceremonies and circumcision parties, held in the open courtyards and wide sandy streets, with musicians playing a variety of graceful dance styles, like the Takamba and Touareg Hekkam. Music is also heard on radio and cassette and the preference here is still for local music. Mostly, though life in Niafunke is taken up with the arduous business of farming the land.

Ali is Niafunke's most famous citizen. Although internationally known as a musician he regards himself as a farmer. In Mali, music, although it is prized above anything else, is mostly the monopoly of castes of hereditary musicians, whose special role, for centuries has been to perform the praises and genealogies of noble families and to recite noble deeds and proverbs. Ali comes from a noble background. There is no tradition of music in his family. But early in his life, he was attracted by the force of music. He was born "child of the river".

In Niafunke, as in most of Mali, the dominant religion is Islam and Ali is a devout Muslim. But in this part of the world Islam co-exists with a much older indigenous belief system connected with the mysterious power of the Niger. People believe that under the water there is a whole world of spirits called Ghimbala - male and female djinns with their own character and history and symbolic colours and ritual object; all this is vividly portrayed in the local mythology .These djinns control both the spiritual and temporal world. When the harmony of this two worlds goes wrong , as it inevitably happens in this harsh, unpredictable climate, when there are unexplained illnesses or sudden natural disasters, then people get together to hold spirit ceremonies, in which music and dance are the central activity. Then thanks to music, spirits may accept the gifts, and if so, it is considered as an auspicious sign. Those who have the ability to communicate with the spirits are called "children of the river."

Ali had no formal schooling and his childhood was marked by farming. But he was also mesmerised by the music played at spirit ceremonies in the villages along the banks of the Niger. He would sit and listen with amazement as musicians sang and played the favoured instruments of the spirits: jurukele (single string guitar), n'jarka (single string violin) and n'goni (four string lute). His family did not regard music as a worthy occupation and the boy's interest was not encouraged. He was however a fiercely independent and self-determined young boy and at the age of twelve he fashioned his first instrument, a "jurukele" (single string guitar that he presented as a gift to Ry Cooder many years later).

Ali learned very easily and naturally to play guitar even if he suffered of illness caused by his contact with the spirit world. He was sent away to be cured and when he returned he quickly became recognised for his power to communicate with the spirits. Ali was greatly influenced by his grandmother Kounandi Samba who was famous in the area as a priestess of the Ghimbala. But after her death, he was dissuaded to take over her. "Because of Islam, l don't want to practice this type of thing too much...these spirits can be good to you or bad, so l just sing about them, but its our culture, we can't pass it by ." Many of his songs are about the spirits and he always travels with his n'jarka violin as well as recordings of spirit music which he listens to whenever it's possible.

As a teenager Ali worked as a taxi driver and car mechanic and he also spent some time as a river ambulance pilot. He travelled widely in these jobs and continued to play music in ceremonies and for his pleasure, with small groups and accompanied some singers. By his early twenties he was able to speak seven Malian languages fluently and had mastered the n'goni (traditional four string lute), n'jarka violin and Fulani bamboo flute. He learned a vast repertoire of music and legend from the various masters he encountered on his travels. "I had to use the experience of the heroes of music, both of those who are still alive or those who are dead, to become a good musician. This experience gave me the opportunity to know the culture of this music, its biography, legend and history."

Ali is Sonrhaï, ethnic group which form the majority of the population of Niafunke, but there are also many other languages spoken in the region: Peuhl (the language of the Fulani nomadic pastoralists), Bozo, Bambara, Dogon, Zarma and Tamascheq (the language of the Touareg). Touré sings in all these languages but the majority of his repertoire is in Sonrhaï and Peuhl.

In 1956, during his travels, Ali saw a performance of the National Ballet of Guinea featuring the great Malinke guitarist Fodeba Keita. "That's when l swore l would become a guitarist. l didn't know his guitar but l liked it a lot. l felt l could do the same and that I could prove it." He began to borrow guitars to practice and found that it was very easy to transpose his traditional guitar technique to the Western instrument. At about the same time he added percussion, drums and accordion to his musical skills (even making a few appearances performing Charles Aznavour repertoire!).

Upon Mali gaining independence from the French in 1960 the new government under President Modibo Keita initiated a policy to promote the arts and cultural troupes were formed to represent each of Mali's six administrative regions. From 1962 Ali worked with the Niafunke district troupe. He composed songs, played guitar and rehearsed singers and dancers in a troupe numbering a hundred and seventeen people. He was extremely proud of the troupe which was successful in the biannual competitions held in Mopti throughout the 1960's. Ali also won numerous athletic prizes. "I did my best to see adoptive village awarded. I'm very found of my village!"

In 1968 (the year Modibo Keita was overthrown by Moussa Traoré),Ali made his first trip outside Africa because he was selected (along with guitarists Kelitigui Diabate and Djelimadi Tounkara) to represent Mali at an international festival of the arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. They performed arrangements of traditional music with Ali on guitar, flute, djerkel and njarka. It was in Sofia on April 21st ,1968 that he bought his first guitar.

In 1970, Ali's work took him from Niafunke to Mopti and later to the capital, Bamako. Here he began a decade working for National Radio Mali as an engineer. He also played as part of Radio Mali's Orchestra until it was dislocated in 1973. In the 1960's Toure became well-known as a great traditional musician through his broadcasts on Radio Mali playing flute and n'goni. Throughout the 1970's he brought his unique guitar style to the attention of the country in further broadcasts. In the advice of a friend who is journalist, he sent a number of recordings of these broadcasts to the SonAfric record company in Paris. A few months later, the first album of Ali Farka Touré (amongst the very first commercial records of Malian music) was released. The four songs of that album are included in this collection. He continued to record in Bamako and send the tapes to Paris and a total of seven albums were released. The first five of them are now extremely rare.

The 1970's was a period of intense musical activity in Mali. It's at this period that a rich mixture of musical styles arrived for the first time in Bamako. First, there was the wealth of Mali's own diverse musical traditions; and hen, there were foreign styles that were making an impact on local dance orchestras.

The major influences on Mali at the time were dance music from Cuba, rumba from Zaire, the guitar styles from neighbouring Guinea and the music of African American singers like James Brown, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. Ali is still a great fan of all these - partly as he says because he hears so much of his own music in them.

Of all these music's the one which struck him as most similar to his own was the blues. In 1968 a friend who was studying in Bamako played him records of James Brown, Jimmy Smith, Albert King and John Lee Hooker. He was immediately struck by the thought that "this music has been taken from here". ln Hooker's music especially he heard echoes of Tamascheq music. Recordings of Otis Redding and John Lee Hooker are still very popular in Niafunke. Although Touré was very impressed by Hooker's music he says he was not influenced by it. More, it served to confirm to him the value and international aspects of his own traditions.

Throughout the 1970's, Ali established himself a formidable reputation in Mali as a solo artist. He pioneered the adaptation of Sonrhaï, Peuhl and Tamascheq styles to the guitar. Even today, few have followed his path. His charismatic person, his fine voice and intricate flowing guitar technique, his good looks and enigmatic character, have all contributed to give him prestige. He remains uncompromisingly wedded to his traditional music, refusing to "go commercial". His songs celebrate love, friendship, peace, the land, the spirits, the river and Mali; all expressed in dense metaphors.

ln 1987 for the first time since the Festival of Sofia in 1968, Touré travelled alone outside of Mali to play his first concert. Showing no signs of nerves or unfamiliarity with his surroundings and with absolute and supreme confidence in his music he played a masterful series of shows winning audiences everywhere. In the same year his first recording with the small independent U .K. label World Circuit was an instant success. Since then he has undertaken extensive tours of Europe, U.S.A. Canada and Japan and has recorded four more albums for the label. His recent recordings have been made with more advanced recording technology and he has collaborated with international artists such as Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal. But his early recordings, "when I was absolutly crazy of guitar", says Toure, have a power and ambiance of their own.

Yala

In many of her songs, Mali’s great diva Oumou Sangare refers to herself as 'Sangare kono', meaning Sangare the songbird. To do so is a special priviledge of musicians from Wasulu in the south of Mali.
The wisdom in Oumou’s powerful lyrics springs from her experiences growing up in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Her difficult childhood was the result of her mother being abandoned by Oumou’s father when Oumou was just 2 years old, a very traumatic event. Oumou’s father abandoned the family and took a second wife and Oumou remembers her mother being extremely depressed, weeping a great deal. Oumou’s mother was a professional musician: as a sumu she would sing at weddings and baptism celebrations. After her husband left her Oumou’s mother was sometimes too downhearted and tired to participate. However when she did, Oumou accompanied her and from age 5 began to join in and was able to help her mother earn some money. Oumou enjoyed these occasions and was very passionate about Wassolou music. When her stunning voice was heard at a sumu when she was 16, Oumou was recruited to become a member of the group Djoliba Percussions and had the chance to tour Europe. She was their lead soloist and then went on to form her own band. A few years later aged 21 Oumou recorded her first album, Moussoulou (Women), released in 1990. It caused a great stir because of the subjects in the lyrics which were not usually publicly expressed, most notably her big hit 'Diaraby Nene (The Shivers of Passion)', and also her chosen rhythm. Oumou's songs use the resonating jittery sound of the kamalengoni - the youth version of the hunter's harp. The radical mission of her songs is to highlight the issues that women in Mali face, especially polygamy.
Further albums in the 1990s were Ko Sira and Worotan. A double CD simply entitled Oumou (2003) includes notes on the songs provided by Oumou herself. It is a 20-track compilation of 12 songs from her existing CDs plus 8 tracks not previously on CD. DJs promoted 'Yala' as one of the best dancetracks on the album. A few of the songs give advice to young people, such as 'Djorolen' and 'N'Guatu'. You don’t have to look very far to find one of Oumou’s songs on African music compilations – Empresses of Africa and Africanesque are just a couple. Several of Oumou’s songs feature on the soundtrack of the powerful movie Beloved (1998).
Since 2000 Oumou has concentrated on producing music for the Malian market and a few other projects, including the building of a hotel called Hotel Wasulu, supporting an orphanage in Bamako and touring countries in Africa. As the UN Ambassador for the F.A.O. she campaigns against world hunger.
In January 2003 Oumou participated in Festival in the Desert in the northern part of Mali, her presence was notable because of the recent civil war in the North. Her song 'Wayena' is on the festival CD. Later the same year Oumou was at international summer festivals including WOMAD festival in Reading UK. She was in London for the Jazz Festival in November 2003 as part of a major international tour.
Six years since her last CD, Oumou's new CD Seya (2009) has songs with messages and rhythms that appeal to her fans in Mali and worldwide. Well-known musicians who play on some tracks are Bassekou Kouyate and Benego Diakite.
Oumou’s performances on stage are truly spectacular as she and her dancers spin calabashes in the air.