Mamoutou Bembele - Djeliya (feat. Amkoullel)

Sabou

FR-9W1-12-16707

Aboubono

Sona Jobareth Kemet

Anansy Cissé’s souped-up guitar distortions re-work the West African Desert Blues genre with a new, agitated attitude. Featuring the soku fiddle playing of Zoumana Tereta and accompanied by ngoni, bass and calabash, Cissé’s sound harnesses musical traditions and spits it out anew, taking us into Mali Overdrive.

For further information, please visit www.worldmusic.net/anansycisse

When Cissé’s recording ‘Bala’ landed on our website via World Music Network’s online ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition, we were immediately taken by his gutsy guitar style that plays on tradition by matching it with the direct influence of 1960s and 1970s psychedelic-flavoured rock and roll. 

The story begins in late 2012, when Anansy was forced to dismantle the recording studio he ran in Diré following the invasion of Mali’s northern regions by militant Islamists, many of whom are opposed to secular music-making. His poignant track ‘Gonmi’ calls for peace across Mali and is a reminder of the despair felt by many at the concerning political divisions and connected social reverberations caused by religious tension in the Northern region. Forced to relocate further south, Anansy headed to the beating heart of Mali’s capital city and is now resident blues bad-boy in Bamako.

In Bamako Anansy met Philippe Sanmiguel who is now his percussionist and manager. Anansy soon called on a few more friends to add to the musical pot: esteemed ngoni player Djimé Sissoko laid down some riffs, Abdramane Touré took to the bass and Mahalmadane Traoré found time to slap and smack his calabash. 

Presently Anansy lives in the Faladié district of Bamako and consistently and is steadily working on more material. In the corners of his house, vast towering piles of old-school vinyl peer down on  visiting musicians providing a clue to Anansy’s inspirations: The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd and CSN&Y are all represented. His close appreciation of rock music is heard distinctly via the anthemic guitar riff of the track ‘Fati Ni Koye’. Equal stimulation for his songs, text and rhythm is drawn from traditional Fulani and Songhai music. ‘Sekou Amadou’ pays tribute to the leader and founder of the Fulani Empire of Macina. ‘Horey’ is a takamba song from Gao and Timbuktu. The rhythm is historically linked to the Songhai nobility but electrified and re-energised in Anansy’s version. 

In the often polarised world music community, young African musicians are often either too hastily dismissed as local pop stars who have no international appeal or as authentic saviours in a misplaced quest for authenticity. Now, proudly ramping up the volume and fearlessly taking Malian music into rock overdrive is Anansy Cissé – a pioneer of new music that champions ancient tradition and uncharted modernity at once. 

Anansy Cissé: Fati Ka (taken from the album Mali Overdrive)

Track #9 from a compilation called "Under African Skies" by the BBC (1989). Of all samples, this is my fav.

Orig. title: "Music Class St Joseph's School (Chichuwasha)"

So why do people sing?

Samba Touré - Ago Djamba. 
From the album ALBALA. Glitterbeat Records 2013

Samba Touré - Ago Djamba

Born out of an impromptu studio session in New York, Touristes brings together Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré with American vocalist Julia Easterlin. 'A B'ashiye' is one of the album's most powerful illustrations of Touré's reputation as the 'Hendrix of the Sahara' and Easterlin makes no qualms in letting it take centre stage. 

Read more: http://www.stampthewax.com/2015/10/29/premiere-vieux-farka-toure-julia-easterlin-a-bashiye-its-alright/
Listen on Youtube: http://bit.ly/a-bashiye
Buy: http://www.touristesmusic.com/sounds/

Follow:
@sixdegreesrecords

Vieux Farka Touré & Julia Easterlin - A'Bashiye (It's Alright) (STW Premiere)

projet acoustique "Roots" de Rokia Traoré

ROKIA TRAORE - Guéndé Africa Unite (ROOTS)

Five Great Guitars - African Blues Tour
Live recording 2011

Special guest: Habib Koité
Zoumana Diarra: guitar, kora, balafon, n'goni
Mousse Pathe M'Baye: percussion
Dramane Diarra: percussion

Sound: Neil Denholm

Five Great Guitars - Wassiye

Total respect to the singer who died unexpectedly in June 2010.

http://thequietus.com/articles/05041-lobi-traor-rainy-season-blues-review :

When Malian guitarist Lobi Traoré stepped into a Bamako studio last August to record the tracks on this album he did not know it was to be his final recording session. After four hours work, he took a break for lunch and then left to attend a friend's wedding, where he played a further five hours. Later still, he was at a regular club haunt in town where he played long into the night.

There was no fuss. As a jobbing musician he simply fulfilled his engagements for survival as much as anything else. As he said: "This is the only thing that I do." But on June 1st this year, Traoré's life ended at the age of 49, and a certain poignancy inevitably imbues what became his final statement. Themes of redemption, mortality and peace among men run deep throughout Traoré's lyrics. Lines such as "To every single thing his time," on 'Hiné (The Pity)' or "The life of a man is a brief stay... All which stands up will lie down one of these days," from 'Alah ka bo (God is Great)' are especially moving given his untimely demise.

The sparse recordings were captured entirely in one take, with vocals sung live alongside the lone guitar. No overdubs were necessary, and it makes for a haunting listen as every breath, every loose string pick and every stamped foot rings out as the intricacies of Traoré's accomplished playing come to the fore. 

Although the songs on the album average around three and a half minutes they give a glimpse into the extended trance-like explorations Traoré was known for playing live. Repetitive corkscrew patterns weave in and out, the insistent, yet loose, tempos reinforced by fills of improvised phrasing. The voice is always deeply soulful, whether singing, or in spoken passages. The music gradually builds from a distinctly African take on the blues to the final couple of tracks which have a drive reminiscent of Canned Heat, particularly the romp through instrumental track 'A Lamén'.

A snapshot of a morning's work the album may be, but on Rainy Season Blues the soul of a man is captured for posterity with devastating effect. It was by chance that the session even took place at all. American producer Chris Eckman (of the Walkabouts) had been in town to record Tuareg desert rock band Tamikrest. As he hoped to record an album, Traoré had been in email contact with Eckman before his visit, and had supplied him with some recent home demos. Eckman, a fan of Traoré's previous electric output, was taken aback by these acoustic solo pieces, and they set aside a day to record. There had been no prior discussion as to what material, or how much Traoré would aim to record, and he breezed through the 10 numbers here before he had to leave.

But was Traoré a bluesman? The rolling chords may resemble something recognisable as bluesy. John Lee Hooker rock musicians from Cream and Jimi Hendrix to AC/DC were acknowledged influences, so it is interesting to read Traoré's own definition of the music: "I listened to a lot of blues," he said. "Maybe I was inspired by that. Maybe the blues was inspired by Africa. Maybe the resemblance is just a coincidence. But listen, for me the music I play comes from me, from my place. Someone who hears my music and says it's the blues, well, to me blues is American music. We don't even have that word. Each place has its arts. It wasn't me who came up with the idea of Bambara blues. People kept saying, 'Bambara blues, Bambara blues'. In the end I accepted it. But I don't think the blues is our music."

Whatever it is, Traoré was certainly feeling it that drizzly morning within the shelter of the studio. Through this wonderful music, Lobi Traoré lives on and, to paraphrase his lyrics on 'Melodie de Bambara Blues': "Take and taste!"

Lobi Traore - Djougouya Magni

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba return with a new single, new album and live dates

Mali's ngoni ace returns. After his celebrated debut album Segu Blue and the Grammy nominated follow up I speak fula, hundreds of concerts all over the globe, an appearance headlining the AfroCubism project and, just a few months ago, stunning appearances at the latest Africa Express events performing with Sir Paul McCartney, Damon Albarn and many others, Bassekou Kouyate is back with his new album.

Jama ko means 'a big gathering of people'.  It is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album of the same title. It is a call for unity, peace and tolerance in a time of crisis: no matter who you are, let us come together and enjoy life, and celebrate the true spirit of Mali.

“Jama ko, c’est pour tout le monde”, says Bassekou Kouyate, the celebrated ngoni player, explaining the title of his third album, “There are over 90% Muslims in Mali, but our form of Islam here has nothing to do with a radical form of Sharia: that is not our culture. We have been singing praise songs for the Prophet for hundreds of years. If the Islamists stop people music making they will rip the heart out of Mali.”

The recording of Jama ko took place in March 2012 in Mali's capital Bamako. It was recorded with an entirely new line-up including Bassekou's two sons Madou and Moustafa Kouyate, ngoni ace Abou Sissoko and a number of other young talented musicians from Bamako. It became political by accident. In the afternoon of the first day in the studio the military overthrew the president Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT).  It was a shock for Bassekou as the former president was a great supporter of his music. Somewhere between power cuts, fuel shortages and the uncertainty of daily curfews the recording went on. Meanwhile the situation in the north of Mali was getting worse and worse by the day. In the studio a musical answer started taking shape: Instead of keeping quiet Bassekou plugged in his wah wah pedal, cranked up his amp and let loose: Ne me fatigue pas: don't wear me out. You can hear the heartbeat of Malian music pulsing in this music.

Kasse Mady Diabate is featured on the Latin-flavoured Sinaly singing about Sinaly Diarra, a Bamana king famous for resisting forced Islamisation in the 19th century. Kele Magni is a duet between Amy Sacko and Khaira Arby from Timbuktu, calling for peace in Mali. Zoumana Tereta praises the cotton farmers of Mali in Mali Koori with a voice that takes you back into the time of the great Bambara warriors. Jama ko also features an incredible duet between Bassekou and Taj Mahal (vocals / electric guitar) and ends with the touching song Moustafa by Bassekou’s son Moustafa dedicated to his parents thanking them for all they have done for him.

Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Hotel 2 Tango) recorded the album in Mali and ended up mixing and co-producing most of it back home in Montreal. Andrew Barr (Barr Brothers) and Max Weissenfeldt (Poets of Rhythm) added drums. Mocky Salole (Feist, Jamie Lidell) contributed to the production and played organ and drums.

Jama ko digital single out now 19 November 2012
Jama ko album out in the UK on 28 January 2013
Live in the UK: 26 January 2013 - Barbican, London + 27 January - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of Celtic Connections (Sahara Soul triple bill with Tamikrest and Sidi Touré)


Watch preview video:
http://youtu.be/lfU4rxQL4Dw


Jama Ko
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/outhererecords/bassekou-kouyate-ngoni-ba-jama
YouTube: http://youtu.be/lfU4rxQL4Dw

Bassekou Kouyate online:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bassekoukouyate
Twitter: @Bassekou http://twitter.com/Bassekou
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bassekoukouyate

Out Here Records online:
http://www.outhere.de
http://www.outhere.de/jamako

So why do people sing?

jke

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