Mama Sissoko – Sekechi
https://amf.didiermary.fr/mama-badema-sissoko-sekechi/
In the 1970s, the Malian waves were largely influenced by American music, and Mama Sissoko affirmed his affinity for Blues and Soul music, and in particular that of Otis Redding. He is friends with Ali Farka Touré from the mid-80s, they meet and play together amicably. 20 years later, Ali Farka was a world star […]
Kamele N’goni…
https://amf.didiermary.fr/kamele-ngoni/
J’assiste depuis un certain temps à l’éclosion “soudaine” dans le monde musical, d’un instrument hautement traditionnel, voire mystique, le Kamele N’goni (ou Kamale Ngoni).
Cet instrument traditionnel fait partie d’une […]
Ali & Toumani – Samba Geladio
https://amf.didiermary.fr/ali-toumani-samba-geladio/
Samba Geladio est un extrait de l’album posthume d’Ali Farka Touré avec Toumani Diabaté.
Ce morceau est basé sur l’histoire, ou épopée peule, racontée par les griots du Fouta Toro, du Prince Samba Gueladio Diegui qui dut lutter contre son oncle et ses fils à la mort de son père, pour cause de partage […]
Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder – Talking Timbuktu
https://amf.didiermary.fr/ali-farka-toure-ry-cooder-talking-timbuktu/
Mon correspondant allemand m’a offert cet album, Talking Timbuktu, pour mon anniversaire, il y a des années. Je me suis littéralement forcé à l’écouter, car c’était un cadeau…
Je vais probablement me faire lyncher, mais je n’ai jamais accroché. C’est beau, c’est bien fait, etc.
Le côté guitare et “desert blues" [...]
#AliFarkaToure #Blues #DesertBlues #FullAlbum #Mali #Songhai
Keletigui Diabate Feat. Habib Koite – Summertime at Bamako
https://amf.didiermary.fr/keletigui-diabate-habib-koite-summertime-bamako/
Summertime at Bamako is a track on Kélétigui Diabaté’s album “Sandiya” with Habib Koité on guitar. The master balafonist revisits American composer George Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy & Bess (1935).
Mamani Keita – Gagner l’Argent Français
https://amf.didiermary.fr/mamani-keita-gagner-argent-francais/
“Gagner l’argent français” est un morceau qui parle de la difficulté des immigrés des pays du Sud dans les pays d’Europe, quelle que soit la corporation dans laquelle ils travaillent. Leur ressource économique vient principalement des petits boulots, donc des boulots pénibles (ménages, restauration, bâtiments…..). Un message destiné à la jeunesse africaine, selon lequel [...]
Afel Bocoum – Avion
https://amf.didiermary.fr/afel-bocoum-avion/
Celebrated Malian songwriter and guitarist Afel Bocoum released his studio album “Lindé” in 2020.
The first single taken from the record, titled “Avion,” is a playful and optimistic tribute to air travel. The song really does “take off”, soaring skywards on a beat that’s close to Congolese Soukous, with the guitars of Mamadou Kelly, […]
Afel Bocoum – Alkibar
https://amf.didiermary.fr/afel-bocoum-alkibar/
From the 1999 album “Alkibar” by Malian artist Afel Bocoum. He was a member of Ali Farka Toure‘s band for 30 years. Alkibar is also the name of his own band.
Super Djata Band – Fadingna Kouma/Facia (live)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/super-djata-band-live-fadingna-kouma/
The Super Djata Band from Bamako, Mali, led by the late Zani Diabaté (on lead guitar), who died on January 4, 2011, from their 1984 concert in Angoulême, France.
On balafon Zani Diabaté’s late brother Bakari, and singing, the great (but unfortunately also late) Daouda ‘Flani’ Sangaré and Alou Fané, with Idrissa Magassa. Alou Fané […]
Balimaya Project – For Aziz Feat. Afronaut Zu
https://amf.didiermary.fr/balimaya-project-aziz-afronaut-zu/
The first track from album “When The Dust Settles”, “For Aziz” features Afronaut Zu with Balimaya Project.
See also “Seasons of Baraka” the promo single released a few weeks before.
If Balimaya Project’s debut album emphasised tradition & culture in a collective sense, their second album “When The Dust Settles” addresses the emotional and […]
Tinariwen – Lulla
https://amf.didiermary.fr/tinariwen-lulla/
Lulla is a song about the conflicts in Mali, on Tinariwen‘s album “Imidiwan: Companions” released in June 2009. It’s the fourth studio album by the Tuareg band.
Oumou Sangaré - Kun Fe Ko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDvAP0iiclk
From album Worotan in 1996.
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLetv3SCC-r3b3t5KoEtUi5JuvS3TKID_a
Djelimady Tounkara – Fanta Bourama
https://amf.didiermary.fr/djelimady-tounkara-fanta-bourama/
One of Africa’s most admired guitarists, the virtuosic Tounkara was the longtime lead player in the Rail Band (a.k.a. Super Rail Band), a popular Malian group that was born out of Africa’s midcentury craze for Latin music. On “Fanta Bourama,” a sparkling acoustic track, Tounkara plays a romantic, flamenco-style lead, showing off his chops for […]
Mo DJ – Amadou & Mariam remixed (2008)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/mo-dj-amadou-mariam-welcome-mali-remixed/
“Amadou & Mariam remixed” is an “old gift” in 2008 by my friend Mo DJ (Morike Keita).
He sent me this 1+ hour mix of old tracks, for the release of Amadou & Mariam‘s Welcome to Mali. […]
Rail Band – Kibaru (feat. Salif Keita)
https://amf.didiermary.fr/rail-band-kibaru-salif-keita/
From album “Dioba (Belle époque, Vol. 3)” with tracks by Rail Band recorded between 1970-1983.
The first incarnation of the Rail Band was founded in 1970, sponsored by the Ministry of Information and the railway administration. The Malian government had, since the ’60s, been sponsoring cultural events and groups to promote national traditions.
Tinariwen – Tenere Den
https://amf.didiermary.fr/tinariwen-tenere-den/
From the “Amatssou” album (May 2023) by Tinariwen, this new single “Tenere Den” connects Desert Blues and Country Music. A press release explains that the song “pays homage to the Tuareg revolution in the Kel Adagh region of Mali.” Some people have commented that Tinariwen have always been a country band, albeit a North African […]
Maravillas de Mali – Rendez-vous chez Fatimata
https://amf.didiermary.fr/maravillas-mali-fatimata-mory-kante/
Old tunes can have a 2nd life… Here, “Maravillas de Mali” featuring Mory Kanté in “Rendez-vous chez Fatimata” revisited in 2018. Check the original version!
Before Buena Vista Social Club was conceived, another exemplary – though little-documented – example of pan-continental fusion had taken place, namely Las Maravillas de Mali. The story of [...]
Təlle Talyadt, the new album by Hamouna Isewlan released last Novenber: an ode to the desert mountains.
https://hamouna.bandcamp.com/album/t-lle-talyadt
Adama Yalomba – Live
https://amf.didiermary.fr/adama-yalomba-live-2007/
Adama Yalomba is a singer, composer, and instrumentalist (guitar, n’goni, dan).
He learnt to play the dan (or n’dan) from his father. Adama Yalomba was hailed as the next great Malian superstar after his impressive contribution to the 2003 Festival in the Desert album and his third solo album is fully geared to making those […]
Boubacar Traoré – Duna Ma Yelema
https://amf.didiermary.fr/boubacar-traore-duna-ma-yelema/
Boubacar Traoré (born 1942 in Kayes, Mali), also known as “Kar Kar“, is a Malian singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Duna Ma Yelema (The World Has Not Changed) is an extract from “Je Chanterai pour Toi”, a film by Jacques Sarasin in 2001.
Aratan N’Akalle – Bariz
https://amf.didiermary.fr/aratan-nakalle-bariz/
After fleeing the crisis in North Mali, Aratan N’Akalle (“children of the country”) met in refugee camps in 2012. “Bariz” is a perfect image of the group’s work: a drop of Tamasheq culture which goes beyond the music that these young people want to transmit.
A rhythmic mix of blues and rock, the single sets the […]
Al Bilali Soudan – Djaba
https://amf.didiermary.fr/al-bilali-soudan-djaba/
Al Bilali Soudan are griots from the Tombouctou (Timbuktu) region of Mali. This is a family orchestra of fathers and sons, uncles and cousins, led by Abellow Yattara, a master of the tehardent – the Tamasheq word for the three-stringed n’goni.Yattara has been a prominent figure for over 40 years. He played on Ali Farka […]
Zani Diabaté & le Super Djata Band – Farima
https://amf.didiermary.fr/zani-diabate-super-djata-band-farima/
Zani Diabaté (1947-2011), prominent guitar player in the Super Djata Band, one of the most popular bands from Bamako during the 1980s, joined the Ballet National in 1963, where he sang, danced and played guitar, kora, balafon and percussion.
Connecting Wasulu hunter music, griot praises, Senufo pastoral dances, Fula and Mandingo repertoire [...]
Dee Dee Bridgewater – Un voyage Malien
https://amf.didiermary.fr/dee-dee-bridgewater-voyage-malien/
L’album Red Earth – A Malian Journey de Dee Dee Bridgewater est sorti en 2007, mais un article sur Cheick Tidiane Seck (qui fut au cœur de ce projet) me l’a remis dans l’oreille.
J’ai découvert Dee Dee Bridgewater, comme beaucoup, avec le duo de 1989 “Precious thing” où elle accompagne Ray Charles et l’album […]
Ali Farka Touré “Cherie” Feat. Oumou Sangaré
https://amf.didiermary.fr/ali-farka-toure-cherie-oumou-sangare/
From the posthumous album Voyageur, a collection of previously unheard songs from throughout his illustrious career, “Cherie,” the second single, features Malian diva Oumou Sangaré. The track was recorded in 1995 in London. [...]
