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 record. Commissioned by the Aga Khan Music […]
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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, Desdemona is a play imagining a dialogue between Othello’s wife Desdemona and Barbary, the African nurse and […]
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 Segu Blue. Over the years, he has also played and toured extensively with Toumani Diabate, Ali Farka Toure and Taj Mahal. Jama Ko is the musician’s third recording released in January 2013. Bassekou Kouyate’s […]
