Afel Bocoum, Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabate And Friends - Mali Music
2002

Brought to you by TQMP
The Quality Music Project

Album review ---
Mali Music is based on the recordings made by Damon Albarn on an Oxfam-organised trip to Mali a couple of years ago. Rather than take the usual rushed celebrity approach, the Blur and Gorillaz man stayed for a few weeks and with his melodica in hand, played wherever he could (clubs gigs, village jams, on riverboats and in musicians' compounds) with anyone who would let him join in: Toumani Diabate, Lobi Traore and Kasse Mady to name but a few. The tapes were taken back to his West London studio, things were mixed and added and then it was back to Mali for further additions from the excellent Afel Bocoum. Perhaps surprisingly, this doesn't result in a self-indulgent mess. Albarn is clearly motivated by a love of Malian music but he's not afraid to mess with it when he feels the need. So that while some tracks (the self explanatory 4am At Toumani's for example) are pretty much unmucked around with, others feature twangy guitars, muted synth lines or the deep dubby bass of Junior Dan. Apparently the aim was to create a musical travelogue of Mali, but it's one filtered through a particular laid-back West London sensibility. Albarn mainly contents himself with orchestrating the whole thing and playing simple melodica melodies, with just the occasional understated vocal thrown in. The decision to involve Bocoum is a definite plus and all in all, Mali Music is pulled off with just the right mix of respect and inventiveness. 
--Jamie Renton. fRoots, May 2002.

Tracks
01- Spoons
02- Bamako City
03- Le Relax
04- Nabintou Diakite
05- Makelekele
06- The Djembe
07- Tennessee Hotel
08- Niger
09- 4 AM at Toumani's
10- Institut National des Arts
11- Kela Village
12- Griot Village
13- Le Hogon
14- Sunset Coming On
15- Ko Kan Ko Sata Doumbia On River
16- Les Escrocs

Artwork (300dpi scan), EAC log and CUE sheet included.

Format: FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) 
https://flac.sourceforge.net/index.html 

Enjoy, seed and inhale!

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