Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder - Talking TimbuktuAli Farka Touré & Ry Cooder - Talking TimbuktuThis Grammy-winning 1994 collaboration, recorded in Los Angeles, is the easiest door into Malian guitar for blues listeners. Ry Cooder's slide and the guest playing of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown stay in the background, so Ali Farka Touré's rolling, hypnotic guitar and low voice lead. Diaraby, a…0
  2. 2Toumani Diabaté - KairaToumani Diabaté - KairaToumani Diabaté recorded this in London in 1987, still in his early twenties, and it was promoted as the first album of solo kora. On his own he plays bass lines, melody and ornamentation at once across the instrument's 21 strings, so it can sound like more than one player. Choose it for pure…0
  3. 3Salif Keita - SoroSalif Keita - SoroThe voice entry. Salif Keita, from a noble family who became a singer against tradition, has one of Africa's most piercing and expressive voices, and this 1987 Paris album, produced by Ibrahima Sylla with keyboardist Jean-Philippe Rykiel, set it in glossy synth and horn arrangements that made him…0
  4. 4Oumou Sangaré - MoussolouOumou Sangaré - MoussolouOumou Sangaré's 1989 debut, first released on cassette in Mali, was a huge local hit and made her the voice of Wassoulou music. Her singing is commanding and her lyrics took on polygamy and forced marriage. Underneath, the kamalen ngoni, a small harp-lute, and acoustic guitar give a bouncing,…0
  5. 5Tinariwen - AmassakoulTinariwen - AmassakoulTinariwen, Tuareg musicians whose story runs through exile and rebellion, made their second international album in Bamako, and it is the clearest statement of their desert blues. Interlocking electric guitars circle around call-and-response vocals and handclaps. Chet Boghassa is the track to start…0
  6. 6Rokia Traoré - WanitaRokia Traoré - WanitaRokia Traoré was not born into a griot family, and her second album, from 2000, shows her building her own style from Malian instruments. Ngoni, balafon and acoustic guitar make a light, chamber-like setting for her clear, delicate voice. It is the most intimate album here. Choose it if you like…0
  7. 7Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal - Chamber MusicBallaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal - Chamber MusicKora player Ballaké Sissoko and French cellist Vincent Segal recorded this duet album in Bamako, and it is the string lover's pick. With no percussion and no singing, the two instruments trade melody and bass in quiet, intricate conversation, sitting somewhere between Malian tradition and European…0
  8. 8Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba - Segu BlueBassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba - Segu BlueBassekou Kouyaté built a band, Ngoni Ba, around several ngonis of different sizes, turning an old griot lute into a full ensemble with bass, rhythm and lead parts. This 2007 debut, produced by Lucy Duran, also features the strong voice of his wife, Amy Sacko. Choose it to hear Malian strings played…0
  9. 9Boubacar Traoré - Kar KarBoubacar Traoré - Kar KarBoubacar Traoré was a radio star in Mali in the 1960s with songs like Mali Twist, then faded from view for years before being rediscovered around 1990. His records from that comeback are spare: his own guitar, picked with a blues-like feel, and a weathered, soulful voice. Choose it for the most…0
  10. 10Fatoumata Diawara - FatouFatoumata Diawara - FatouFatoumata Diawara's 2011 debut pairs her own acoustic guitar with a voice rooted in Wassoulou singing, and it is the most modern singer-songwriter album here. She writes about migration, women's lives and, on Boloko, female genital cutting. Bissa and Sowa are good first tracks. Choose it if you…0