With a professional career spanning over 40 years, singer Nahawa Doumbia is one of the prominent performers of the south Malian Wassoulou style of music. A passionate advocate for peace, justice and women’s rights in her own country, the singer has also long been the voice of the Malian community living abroad and especially in ... [Continue Reading]
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Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet: Ladilikan
Opening the record, Trio Da Kali’s balafon (a wooden xylophone), bass ngoni (a traditional lute) and vocals clearly transport the listener to West Africa. But the introduction of Kronos Quartet’s classical strings a minute into “Tita” triggers an unexpected yet uplifting musical shift, thus unveiling an extraordinary fusion ... [Continue Reading]
Rokia Traoré: Titati/Africa Unite
Malian singer songwriter Rokia Traoré’s “Roots” project emerged as a continuation of the Desdemona multimedia collaboration she contributed to in 2011. Written by American novelist and 1993 Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison and staged by experimental theatre director Peter Sellars, [amazon text=Desdemona&asin=1849433895] is ... [Continue Reading]
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba: Jama ko
Bassekou Kouyate (b. 1966) is a Malian musician who burst onto the World music scene in 2007 with the international release of [amazon text=Segu Blue&asin=B000LSA8HG]. Over the years, he has also played and toured extensively with Toumani Diabate, Ali Farka Toure and Taj Mahal. [amazon text=Jama Ko&asin=B00AWB7B3G] is ... [Continue Reading]