Radio Mali

Amazon.com
Previously available as a 1996 import on the World Circuit label, this nearly 72-minute collection of recordings were originally made for radio broadcast between 1970 and 1978. As a single collection, this is the finest yet of Toure's slow-burning music, characterized by nimble, expressive guitar playing and strong, expressive singing. Lyrically, the songs are mostly devotionals, praising a loved one, Allah, and various government initiatives (including Radio Mali itself). Half the tunes feature Toure alone on guitar and vocals; elsewhere he is backed by the ngoni's beautiful rattle-buzz, a full choir, a smattering of percussion, and a violin player whose sliding, high-pitched notes echo the fiddle playing of Appalachia. Throughout, Toure's singing has a wider range than you'd expect (considering that he's known as the "African John Lee Hooker") and his bluesy guitar playing is always melodic, modal, and meditative. Toure repeats musical phrases over and over again, subtly changing them. But he never gets fancy for its own sake--his style (which adapts Sonrai, Peul, and Tamascheq techniques) sounds as natural as a babbling brook. Strands of sing-songy, seemingly simplistic melodies wrap around each other, coming together and unwinding like strands of RNA. This is some mind-blowing stuff. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description
One of the most internationally successful West African musicians of the last decade, guitarist and singer Ali Farka Toure was approaching the age of 50 when his self-titled album came to the attention of the world music audience in the late '80s. Since then, he's toured in North America and Europe and recorded with artists such as Taj Mahal and members of the Chieftains. But it was his Grammy-winning 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder, "Talking Timbuktu," that won him on a larger scale. Inspired by African rhythmic and musical traditions extending back for generations, this album features materials originally recorded for broadcast on Radio Mali from 1970-78, and loaned by the station's archive. It was these tapes that introduced Toure's unique guitar style to the attention of his countrymen. Once available in France on vinyl, these were among the very first commercial records of Malian music. Available briefly as an import CD, this treasurable collection comes to the U.S. at last with major distribution, and arrives as his latest release on Ryko hits the #1 spot on the CMJ world chart.

Radio Mali,Ali Farka Toure,Nonesuch,Africa,African,African Folk,Int'l & World Music,Mali,Pop,World Fusion,World Music

Radio Tisdas Sessions
Average customer rating:

Strongly addictive blend

hypnotic

Fans of Ali Farka Toure, check this out...!!

Desert Sands: Beautiful Notes on the Wind

One of the best albums 2002

Radio Tisdas Sessions
Tinariwen
Manufacturer: World Village
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amassakoul

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Festival in the Desert

In the Heart of the Moon

Macire

ASIN: B00006RYAW
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Tracks:

Le Chant des Fauves
Nar Djenetbouba
Imidiwaren
Zin Es Gourmeden
Afours Afours
Tessalit
Khedou Khedou
Mataraden Anexan
Bismillah
Tin-Essako (Live)

Amazon.com

Word of Tinariwen, or rather one of its members, first spread in 2001 when Lo'Jo played a festival in Mali. When the sound system was stolen en route to the festival site, Tinariwen guitarist Kheddou--a celebrated desert warrior--found the bandits and made them give it back. The band actually formed in 1982 in Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi's rebel camp, but these desert warriors soon concentrated on their Malian homeland. As with their countrymen Ali Farka Toure and Boubacar Traoré, there is a direct line between Tinariwen's desert songs and the blues. Composed of six guitarists-vocalists, a percussionist, and three backup singers, the group plays hypnotic blues figures that fit nicely next to galloping local rhythms. The singers take turns telling their stories, often in call-and-response style. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

Strongly addictive blend.......2005-10-29

I am a person with extremely catholic taste in music. But, up 'til now, I've reacted to so-called "world beat" music as I would if I'd seen a coffee stand advertising fair trade shade-grown organic blend: I'd conclude their heart's in the right place, then run quickly in the other direction.

I stumbled upon Tinariwen completely by accident. Robert Plant had compiled a music CD for a British music magazine, and along with his old blues favorites, he included "Imidiwaren." The track was not only a stand-out favorite, it was a total earworm. I broke down and ordered Radio Tisdas Sessions, and several months later, it's still at the top of my playlist. Somewhere along the way, I also picked up Tinariwen's other CD, Amassakoul (also incredible), and am currently obsessively seeking out any track I can possibly find from this incredible band.

What can I say about the music? I know next to nothing about the band itself, and actually learned a lot by reading several highly informed reviews here. Needless to say, I can't make heads or tails of the band's lyrics (though at this point, I'd love to find a lyric sheet, so I can sing along). It's haunting, but funky, with crazy danceable rhythms and badass electric guitars. I'm also very taken by the call-and-reponse style vocals--it sounds like virtually everone in the band sings at one point or another. Think Sly and the Family Stone without that chick who can only scream. All I can say is, when we visited Tunisia a few years back, I was desperately hoping to encounter music like this (though we were in actuality confronted by sublimely terrible Eurodisco music at every point).

Oh, and I also found this completely righteous organic coffee blend....

hypnotic.......2003-02-25

Hypnotic, fabulous sounds from this Taureg group. I admit to having a huge sweet spot for their guitar work, and have played the cd obsessively since purchasing it. The blend of guitar and North African-like sound is steady, but never boring. The Radio Tisdas Sessions cd is probably my most successful gamble on an unknown artist. Where do I find more?

Fans of Ali Farka Toure, check this out...!!.......2003-01-09

Slow, hypnotic West African music, very much in keeping with the griot-pop crossovers of Ali Farka Toure and Toumane Diabate. These guys have a colorful back story: apparently the bandmembers are all originally part of the Tuareg guerilla movement of their native Mali. They met in a military training camp, and somehow made the transition into music, winning acclaim with critics in Europe and, presumably, getting some good press for their political cause as well. I'm not so enamoured of the shoot-'em-up aspect of their history, but their record is alright. As with much of the music in this style, I found this disc to be a bit on the monotonous side -- it's very pretty, but not very dynamic or varied. Still, if you're a fan of Ali Farka Toure, then you should enjoy this album quite a bit -- it doesn't cut any new roads, but it's got a modern sound and is very mellow and nice to chill out to.

Desert Sands: Beautiful Notes on the Wind.......2003-01-08

This CD is a mix of modern and traditional music created by a nomadic tribe from the Sub-Sahara desert. The tribe officially lives in the country of Mali but at the turn of the century the French occupied their land. The fierce independent nature of the people is expressed through their music. The liner notes are required to understand the theme of the songs: methods to achieve freedom and independence under restrictions and occupation. This group was not popular under the French occupation at the turn of the century nor while Mali became a country; they did not accept the "status quo", of other people placing artificial borders on their lifestyle. The music reflects their free spirit: it is ambient, uninhibited, natural,
and does not possess the over-powering percussion often associated with nomadic Arabic people. There are male vocals with a great guitar rhythm and melody ... sometimes there is a female chorus that responds to the male vocals. This is traditional music called "Tishoumaren" or "Ishumar" for short that is in the "new style" accompanied by guitar instead of the traditional lute ... The group was influenced by modern guitarists & pop musicians such as Bob Marley, John Lennon, & Bob Dylan (the liner notes inform us). While there is an Arabic sound to the language, the language is called "Kel Tamashek".

There is a plaintif quality to the vocals, reminding one of the struggle for rights and freedom while being overpowered by outside influences. They basically sing about the right to survive and exist ... During rebellious times, the music was banned in Mali and Algeria in the 1980s - even selling it on the black market resulted in beatings or worse by the authorities. In every sense this is a historical recording of the struggles for freedom and the ability to stay alive of a nomadic people, who are threatened essentially by modern politics and civilization: this is what the vocalists are singing about. The tribe has been marginalized by the ability of outsiders to swallow up their land and territory ... We can thank a French musicican and British recording studio mix master for going to Kidal, mali and recording sessions at Radio Tisdas for our listening pleasure. This is a valuable recording on many levels: spiritual, political, and mostly human level. It is music that represents a dream for independence that may always be just out of reach --- these musicians and many tribesmen went to Libya with the hope of gaining help in their cause, when in essence they themselves were used as foot soldiers (per the liner notes). Now: they have settled down to a more mundane existence but they express their needs through this great music. It is worth hearing and remembering their cause! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

One of the best albums 2002.......2003-01-02

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this CD up. It is one of the most different and wonderful recordings I've ever heard. It sounds like wandering the Sahara by camel should sound like.

I work in a cafe and play this often while at work. I always have people stop and ask, who is this? Where are they from? Where did you find it?

Radio Mali
Average customer rating:

Solid Stuff

Great Ali Farka Touré CD...but have your hand on the volume!

The original Ali Farka Toure

Lost recordings of a world music fave

Ali Farka Toure will not let you down

Radio Mali
Ali Farka Touré
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Africa | International | Styles | Music
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Ali Farka Toure

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The Source

ASIN: B00001QEOM
Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

Njarka
Yer Mali Gakoyoyo
Soko
Bandalabourou
Machengoidi
Samariya
Hani
Gambari
(njarka) Gambari
Biennal
Arsani
Amadinin
Seygalare
Terei Kongo
Radio Mali
Njarka (excerpt)

Amazon.com

Previously available as a 1996 import on the World Circuit label, this nearly 72-minute collection of recordings were originally made for radio broadcast between 1970 and 1978. As a single collection, this is the finest yet of Toure's slow-burning music, characterized by nimble, expressive guitar playing and strong, expressive singing. Lyrically, the songs are mostly devotionals, praising a loved one, Allah, and various government initiatives (including Radio Mali itself). Half the tunes feature Toure alone on guitar and vocals; elsewhere he is backed by the ngoni's beautiful rattle-buzz, a full choir, a smattering of percussion, and a violin player whose sliding, high-pitched notes echo the fiddle playing of Appalachia. Throughout, Toure's singing has a wider range than you'd expect (considering that he's known as the "African John Lee Hooker") and his bluesy guitar playing is always melodic, modal, and meditative. Toure repeats musical phrases over and over again, subtly changing them. But he never gets fancy for its own sake--his style (which adapts Sonrai, Peul, and Tamascheq techniques) sounds as natural as a babbling brook. Strands of sing-songy, seemingly simplistic melodies wrap around each other, coming together and unwinding like strands of RNA. This is some mind-blowing stuff. --Mike McGonigal

Album Description

One of the most internationally successful West African musicians of the last decade, guitarist and singer Ali Farka Toure was approaching the age of 50 when his self-titled album came to the attention of the world music audience in the late '80s. Since then, he's toured in North America and Europe and recorded with artists such as Taj Mahal and members of the Chieftains. But it was his Grammy-winning 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder, "Talking Timbuktu," that won him on a larger scale. Inspired by African rhythmic and musical traditions extending back for generations, this album features materials originally recorded for broadcast on Radio Mali from 1970-78, and loaned by the station's archive. It was these tapes that introduced Toure's unique guitar style to the attention of his countrymen. Once available in France on vinyl, these were among the very first commercial records of Malian music. Available briefly as an import CD, this treasurable collection comes to the U.S. at last with major distribution, and arrives as his latest release on Ryko hits the #1 spot on the CMJ world chart.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Stuff.......2005-05-27

Radio Mali was the first Ali Farka Toure release I had ever bought or heard. At the time I was listening a lot to Blind Lemon Jefferson and found some interesting parallels between the two musicians. I like the dry, intimate, non-produced, straight to the microphone sound of Radio Mali. Like Lemon Jefferson, Ali Farka Toure has a deep, resonant and booming voice that equals or betters his guitar playing. My brother noted that some of the songs are akin to Celtic music in that they are built from a single melody line that is repeated with variations. Simple but subtle. I'd use the word pastoral to describe this music, since it is very relaxed in feel and rhythm. For a guitarist, Radio Mali is an endlessly fascinating (and at times, frustratingly hard) batch of songs to play along with. Like Lemon Jefferson, Toure is an extremely deft fingerpicker who relies on just a few basic chord positions (open C in particular) and independent bass and melody to sketch out a very full arrangement with just six strings. His rhythmic sense, and use of some very offbeat rhythms (most likely traditional Malian rhythms) add a great deal of depth and complexity that rewards repeated listening. I just really like this stuff and am glad it was recorded and is available.

Great Ali Farka Touré CD...but have your hand on the volume!.......2004-12-23

I have listened to a lot of Ali Farka Touré, primarily his later works, and especially Niafunké. I must say that this CD was both refreshing and a tiny bit dry. The first track is like a cup of strong coffee first thing in the morning, with Ali and another musician playing a little duet on njarka violins, with Ali suddenly speaking very rapidly and loudly. It sounds like he's introducing himself, as one hears 'Mali' followed by 'Bamako.' There are some REALLY good tracks on this CD, especially Machengoidi, Samariya, and my favorite, Hani. All of the tracks are good, but Niafunké is still my favorite AFT CD. I understand that these are old recordings, and perhaps the mixing isn't the best, but I would really recommend that you have your hand on the volume control while listening to this CD. Ali's voice seems to have gotten better with time. On Niafunké, his voice is a smooth, velvety, deep baritone. On Radio Mali, however, it is significantly more nasal, is somewhat grating, and lacks the beefiness that you hear in Niafunké. The vocals seem to be far too loud in comparison to the instruments, and anyone who is familiar with AFT's music knows that he's not shy about using his voice. On many tracks, the guitars' introduction lull the listener into a trance, only to be violently shaken out of it by Ali's younger, much more nasal voice attacking a high note. This happens several times throughout the disc, and I've often found myself reaching for the volume knob. The music tends to get somewhat redundant. With a whopping 16 tracks, the same instrumentation (usually two acoustic guitars, with an occasional ngoni [not the kamalengoni of the Bambara, but an instrument more similar to the Tuareg tahardent lute]), and Ali's habit of not utilizing more than a few keys, the songs begin to sound very similar. Perhaps the CD just hasn't grown enough on me....but I agree with one of the other reviewers of this CD that this is best appreciated by one who has heard other Ali CDs. I am well accustomed to VERY diverse and unique music, and this CD actually began to bore me a little bit near the end. I think this CD is great for die hard Ali fans. And for those of us less dedicated Ali fans, it's a very interesting compilation of his earliest recordings. Great music to relax to.

The original Ali Farka Toure.......2002-11-19

This is row music, the most traditional of Farka Toure's recordings. when I first heard him, on "The Source", I too thought of John Lee Hooker. This impression gradually faded on "The River" and completely disappeard when I heard this cd.
Farka Toure is an original, and in this cd there is only one track that may be influenced by the blues, which is Hani (track 7).
The rest of the cd is hauntingly beautiful, and rewards each listening with fresh discoveries. In AFT I found a rare instance where a musician's voice and guitar playing rival each other for beauty and skill, with both coming up as winners.
I agree with those who say this cd is better appreciated after hearing other AFT cd's, or for people who have listened to other Malian musicians. I would also like to draw attention to the beautiful liner notes and to AFT's remarkable story of how he became a musician.

Lost recordings of a world music fave.......2001-10-29

Confirmed fans of Mali's famous blues griot should go ga-ga over this treasure trove of his earliest recordings, which spans 1970-1978. And, as someone who has a long-confirmed dislike of Ali Farka Toure, even I have to admit I enjoyed this record a lot. ...I'm not sure what it is about his other albums that put me off -- partly it's just that I find them a bit dry and boring. I suspect what I really don't like, though like is the sense that Farka Toure finds *himself* to be a master musician, and sounds a little stuffy because of it -- sort of like a West African version of Richard Thompson. Of course, I've never met the guy, and he could be a real sweetheart, but that's just the feeling I get from listening to his records. Not this one, though. Among other treats, this disc includes all the tracks off his first album, along with other tracks he made while working as an engineer at Mali's national radio station. What I hear in these earlier recordings is a sense of unsureness, an eagerness to succeed, without being sure how far his efforts will take him -- which comes off as much more endearing than his current status as a "world music legend". There's something to be said for going back to the roots -- even of a roots musician.

Ali Farka Toure will not let you down.......2001-09-28

Fans of Talking Timbuktu will find this to be a rather different experience. While it isn't polished in the way that Timbuktu is, it is thoroughly enjoyable nevertheless. Very much a feeling that one is listening to the sounds of western Africa and Toure's roots as a guitar master. The songs are pleasant and relaxing, though again not as entirely upbeat perhaps as Timbuktu. If you don't have Talking Timbuktu already buy both discs and treat yourself to a variety of Ali Farka Toure!