Last week the good people at Rock Paper Scissors introduced me to Chieck Hamala Diabate’s upcoming release, Ake Doni Ani.

I always approach new-world/old-world West African albums with care, but on this one things come together nicely. The opening track that we’ll hear today, Den Woulou Lalou, features Corey Harris‘ slide guitar blending well with the n’goni and a riddim feel riding well with the Malian griot sound. The results are very listenable and make a great start to my mid-week morning.

Cheick Hamala Diabate lives in Washington DC but has some big-time musical genes cred: he’s Toumani Diabate’s first cousin and Djelimady Tounkara’s nephew. On this release he teamed up with Corey Harris, some members of Chopteeth and others to produce a distinctly Malian-sounding album with tasteful hints of other influences.

I haven’t been back to Mali since that amazing road trip several years ago and I haven’t been back to DC in even longer.. but hey, I’ll play it like Diabate and stick to what I like from a distance for now.

Speaking of which, many upcoming shows and trips in the mix. August is pretty dead in Paris (in a good way if you ask me) but July and September are chock-a-block with great live African music concerts. Let me know if you’re around for any of these:

Staff Benda Bilili, Konomo No.1 and the Kasai All-Stars on July 15th; Seun Kuti & Fela’s Egypt 80, Amadou & Mariam and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou on September 1st; Hank Jones & Cheick Tidiane Seck, Mahmoud Ahmed and Alémayèhu Eshèté on September 12th.

And if you know anything about the music scenes in Australia or Borneo…

Cheick Hamala Diabate’s latest release, Ake Doni Doni (Take It Slow) will be out on August 11th, 2009, on Grigri Discs.

Cheick Hamala Diabate – Den Woulou Lalou

The Rail Band’s Belle Epoque Vol. 1 is another compilation that arrived in the Stern’s box last week.

Mali’s famous Rail Band is the name given to the many groups who worked at the Buffet Hotel in Bamako, Mali, situated in an old colonial building just off the railway. The band was initially made famous by the singing of Salif Keita, but over the years included other great Malian musicians like Mory Kanté, Tidiani Koné and Djelimady Tounkara.

The track you’ll hear today is from the Rail Band’s “second period” in the mid-70s. At this stage Salif Keita had left the band and one of my favourite Malian musicians, guitarist Djelimady Tounkara, had just joined. Magan Ganessy was the new singer. The track also features some great drumming by Pacheco.

The lyrics translate to, “Mali, our dear country, is now independent. We have to enforce democracy, power cannot rest in the hands of a single party.”

Rail Band – Fankanté Dankélé

Bob Brozman released a great album a few months ago called Lumière.

Every piece is based on an improvisation – he starts with a simple melody and builds on the idea, adding layer upon layer of various forms of stringed instrument. Styles range from classic American blues to calypso to music from the far east.

Normally I wouldn’t like such an ambitious fusion of styles, but he pulls it off on this record. He’s an amazing guitar player for starters, and if you’re at all into instruments the album is a great showcase of a variety of stringed sounds.

As we know here at Benn loxo, no “world music” tour of guitar music would be complete without a nod to Malian blues. I’m left wondering, however, why soukous was left off the list. I guess Bob is too laid back for that arpeggio wall of sound of Congolese electric guitar!

Bob Brozman Orchestra – Bamako Blues

I’m not too tired tonight.. might stay up late. Slept well after days in the sun in Marseille last weekend.

This song from Sublime Frequencies’ Bush Taxi Mali album is perfect for the mood.

From a review at Dusted Magazine,

“Bush Taxi Mali: Field Recordings From Mali is an aural tour through this West African country, a series of audio snapshots, made by Tucker Martine during 1998 as an attempt to capture one of Africa’s greatest cultural legacies. Martine has also been responsible for documenting the sounds of broken-hearted dragonflies in Southeast Asia, which appeared on the same label.”

Thanks again, Alex.

Autorail

Today we break from our Original Music series while I’m away with a guest post from first time Benn loxo contributor, Gerben:

“Some time ago i saw the movie Va, Vis Et Deviens which features the Mahmoud Ahmed song Yaselame Lalo. I had actually forgotten i have it on his album Live In Paris. But i did remember i have a very nice 20 minute live recording from him playing in Amsterdam that i recorded years ago from Dutch radio.

I later digitized the tape, the quality is not very good but the music is great. Apparently the Dutch radio station that broadcast it received the tape from someone who went to this concert.

There are two songs there, the first one is Yaselame. This version is more traditional than on Live in Paris (no saxophone but flutes) and very dynamic. No idea what the other song is but I am curious to find it out and I am also very curious if more if these live recordings of him exist, it tastes like so much more.

The other recording is also a tape transfer from a Dutch radio broadcast and features Super Biton de Segou with I.R.I. and Tere, equally great. Both recordings are somewhere between 15-20 years old, don’t remember exactly when i recorded them.”

This Mahmoud Ahmed track is truly amazing. I would’ve loved to be at that show. I can just see his shoulders rocking out to the rhythms. Thanks for the music, Gerben. If someone can help him out with identifying the music I’m sure he’d appreciate it. -Matt

Mahmoud Ahmed – Yaselame (Live)
Super Biton (Live)

I’ve been scanning hundreds of albums for the last 30 minutes desperately trying to remember the name of a 1960s American rock band. It’s on the tip of my tongue.. I can hear the song.. I can even see the song- an awkward, mid-1960s southern American singer with a high-pitched voice. It’s just not coming to me.

Luckily, Ibrahim Hamma Dicko’s voice also reminds me a lot of Neil Young. (And, by extension, My Morning Jacket, but I’ll leave that for the indie blogs.)

I’m always on the look-out for good mixtape pairings. You know what I mean- when that song slips into the next “like a bee to the motherhive.” Back when I used to take the time to properly mix it was all about levels, style and BPM.. less so now. But the order of the tracks is still very important. I remember a particularly successful mix many years back where The Zombies slid effortlessly into the Thievery Corporation which then fed some French female rnb. Suddenly someone from my father’s generation is grooving to downtempo that they’d otherwise never think to touch.

Similarly, I love the mental transition that happens when, say, I’m listening to Ibrahim Hamma Dicko and feeling like I’m on a bus in the middle of Mali. Suddenly, Heart of Gold comes on and I’m back in my parents car on a 24hr road-trip to the Atlantic for a camping trip. Both great road trips, both now part of my travel memory soundtrack.

What are your favourite African roadtrip tunes? Aside, of course, from “Youssou N’Dour: Live at Bercy”: the unofficial Only Tape Allowed in Senegalese taxis and buses.

Ibrahim Hamma Dicko – Badi Tiba
Neil Young – Heart Of Gold

This past Saturday I went to see Tinariwen at the Bataclan in Paris.

Lo’Jo, the French group who helped setup the Fesitval in the Desert with Tinariwen and others a few years back, were the openers. They were actually quite impressive. Normally I find their music a bit hit or miss, but they proved that they’re great live and that the ‘hits’ are solid. Definitely a unique sound.

By the time Tinariwen got on stage the crowd was ready to rockout. Their set was great and featured lots of songs, most of them extended and changed as live versions should be.

The only downside was Tinariwen’s lead singer, Ibrahim. I know he’s a chilled-out guy but he seemed really subdued.. like somebody had stuck him with a few shots of morphine before the show. There was something strange about having his band members dance around him and engage the crowd as he just stood there in the shadows, never cracking a smile, almost whispering into the mic.

Ibrahim did finally smile when Robert Plant and Justin Adams surprised us by showing up on stage. We were treated to a double-encore of Led Zeppelin hits.. surreal. Robert Plant is looking worse for wear these days but he can still hold it down, especially when he’s flanked by electric guitar playing Touaregs in robes and turbans.

And in case you’re wondering what the Plant-Tamashek connection is: they met at the original Festival in the Desert back in 2003. Plus, their music has a lot in common… hear for yourself below.

Tinariwen – Aldachan Manin (live at the Festival in the Desert)
Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love

From the good people over at Creative Commons, Modiba Productions, Global Beat Fusion and Rock Paper Scissors:

“Vieux Farka Touré–son of the late great African blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré–is doing a remix contest with Creative Commons.

Would you consider announcing this remix contest using Vieux’s song “Ana” (online, in an enewsletter, in print, or on the air)?

Audio elements for remixing are available for download starting today at http://ccmixter.org/vieux. Uploads of finished masterpieces can start on February 7th; contest ends March 7th.”

Ana Remix Contest Sources

James Brown died today. He was 73.

Benn loxo listener, Henri, sent me this Sekouba Diabaté track to post as a tribute. I’ll also post a track by “Ethiopia’s James Brown”, Alemayehu Eshete, to show how far his influence spread.

I can’t say anything positive about James Brown the person, but his music and style influenced multiple generations and forever shaped soul and funk. RIP.

 
Sekouba “Bambino” Diabaté – It’s a Man’s, Man’s World
Alemayehu Eshete – Hirut Beqele

Hey Jozef, thanks for your comment on the last post. You woke me up. It’s been a while since I last wrote – sorry, people. I’ve been busy sorting out a move, working, traveling and fighting back the cold, Parisian rain. If any of you live up around Canal Saint Martin I’m your new neighbour. And hey, if you live in Amsterdam keep an eye out for me this weekend.

I was at a Sarah Harmer and Kelly Joe Phelps show last night. After the show we bumped into Ms. Harmer at the back of the club so I introduced myself and told her the story about how I spent many hours in a car with my Kenyan friend, Aki, listening to her album, I’m A Mountain, on repeat. It was the only disc we had with us at the start of the trip aside from a Kenyan hiphop mix featuring the Xplastaz. I’ll forever associate the tunes on that album with Aki rapping in Swahili, the German autobahn and large crowds of red-faced English and Dutch football fans.

Anyway, all the acoustic guitar put me in the mood for some solid strumming so I dug up a great disc of Malian kora and flamenco, Songhai Vol. 2. The album features the new flamenco stars, Ketama, and Toumani Diabaté. The fusion of guitar, Gypsy-Spanish singing, kora and other Malian elements works wonderfully. I prefer this second volume to the first since I find the recordings much richer.

The disc’s title, Songhai, refers to the Songhai empire. It was one of Africa’s largest and most powerful empires that, at its height in the 16th century, spanned from modern-day Senegal all the way to central Nigeria.

For today’s post I picked my favourite two tracks plus a third, De Jerez à Mali, since it brings back great memories of sipping sherry on a hot day in Jerez this summer with blue and Annie.

…plus a couple bonuses to add some context.

Ketama, Toumani Diabaté & José Soto – De la Noche a la Manana
Ketama, Toumani Diabaté & José Soto – Sute Monebo
Ketama, Toumani Diabaté & José Soto – De Jerez à Mali
X-Plastaz – Msimu kwa msimu
Sarah Harmer – I Am Aglow