Habib Koite

Selecting music to review is always a challenge. My last review of
Toumani Diabate leads me into the next review.

There is another musician from Mali, who has been one of
my favorites for many years. Unlike Toumani Diabate, Habib Koite
plays guitar. (Anyone who knows me, knows that guitar is my
favorite instrument.) Habib Koite is probably the biggest pop star
in his native Mali; he is becoming much more widely known in the
United States.

He is a virtuoso guitar player, as well as a wonderful singer and
composer. His guitar playing is an interesting combination of
Western and Malian styles, giving him a unique sound.

I recently found out that these two artists are playing some
concerts together in the United States; including a stop in
Princeton, New Jersey, in April of next year. I have seen Habib
Koite and his band in concert several times; the shows have always
been excellent. This is my first opportunity to see these two
sensational artists together.(Since I live in New Jersey, I will
definitely be at that concert. In fact I have already pre-ordered
tickets.)


Habib Koite and Bamada also have a new album out; it is called Afriki,
and comes with my highest recommendation. Baro and Ma Ya are two of his
earlier albums, which are also excellent. Ma Ya is the first of his
albums I heard, I became a fan on the first hearing.


I recently read a quote from Bonnie Raitt which said
"First there was Hendrix, then Stevie Ray, and now
Habib." I think the praise is well deserved.

Toumani Diabate-Kora Master

Toumani Diabate is a Kora player from Mali. (The kora is a sort of African harp.)
He comes from a line of griots (traditional musicians, singers and storytellers, similar to the European bards)and has been recording since the late 1980's. (His father released what may have been the first kora album around 1970.)

I first heard of Toumani Diabate and the kora when he recorded with a group called Songhai. They combined the traditions of flamenco with Toumani's kora to produce some incredible music, and I have been a fan ever since.

His reputation has been growing internationally, in fact his latest release, The Mande Variations, was recently reviewed in the New York Times.

It is an album of solo kora, with no overdubs. The Times review used terms like "cascading counterpoint" and "filigrees...precisely weighted" in an attempt to describe the music.

It is exceptional music, and comes with my highest recommendation. (Also try listening to Songhai, or any of his other collaborations. I especially liked the album he did with Ali Farka Toure, In The Heart of The Moon.)