by phil | Feb 8, 2011 | Mali, Music, W. Africa
See Parts I and II for more great music from Mali. This is the last post of the series featuring music from Mali. A few more gems from Northern Mali and then it will be on to Senegal. I think. Maybe. I realize that I have not mentioned Boubacar Traore, Salif Keita, or...
by phil | Feb 2, 2011 | Mali, Music, W. Africa
Click here for part I of this series. The first post of the series was loaded with Wassoulou singers. There will be a few more in this post to go with the mystical music of Northern Mali that I didn’t get to last time. Oumou Sangare Another Wassoulou songstress...
by phil | Jan 30, 2011 | Mali, Music, W. Africa
This is the first part of a series that will highlight some of my favorite genres and artists in West Africa. On my past trip, I collected tapes and CDs, met musicians, and drank raw milk that was poured into my mouth out of a Calabash by Mamou Sidibe at a concert in...
by phil | Oct 11, 2010 | Mali, Music, Stories, W. Africa
In Africa you rarely know how and when things will happen. You may plan to take a trip, but the boat is not running. Maybe it sunk. Maybe it’s broken. You may think you are going to leave by 10AM, but the car is not filled with passengers. Maybe it’s full,...
by phil | Sep 20, 2010 | Cote D'Ivoire, Music, W. Africa
The radio show to listen to in Abidjan is Dj Saturday Night. Two hours of the most popular tunes in the Francophone world, frenetically mixed, no commercials. This post is in the same vein. Ouvrer les frontieres – Tiken Jah Facoly by lionsinthetiles This first...
by phil | Sep 6, 2010 | Mali, Music, W. Africa
Economically speaking, Mali is one of the poorest countries on earth. Culturally, it is one of the richest. Bluesy, hypnotic guitar, soaring vocals, mind-bending melodies – Malian music is some of the most powerful in the world. Here are a few extraordinary...
