Blues from Another Continent

The name Ali Farka Touré probably does not ring a bell with many people.  Until a few months ago, I had honestly never heard of him but saw his name appear twice on my album review list.  Internationally Touré is widely known for his musical contributions and collaborations.  He has received awards across several continents for his musical works.

He was born on Halloween in 1939 in Mali and passed away in March 2006.  His given name was Ali Ibrahim Touré and was the tenth son of his parents but first to survive infancy.  His parents gave him the nickname “Farka”, which means “donkey” in Malian, and this seemed to fit his demeanor musically—the donkey is admired for its strength, stubbornness and tenacity, all characteristics he employed in his everyday life.  He grew up as a farmer but was drawn to music at an early age despite his family not having any musical background.  The drawing power of music was so great that he persisted in learning to play despite his family urging him to seek better work.  His first instrument was a homemade djerkel guitar (one-stringed guitar).

As Touré got older, he mastered other native instruments and learned several different Malian languages while working various jobs and performing for different Malian ceremonies.  He began learning the guitar (the six-stringed version we all know) after seeing a guitarist performing with the National Ballet of Guinea.  He employed and modified the techniques he had learned in playing the other instruments to his playing.  All of this musical education he had attained helped him in writing original compositions for himself as well as for larger groups.  He even was able to work for the government in helping to develop Mali’s arts and cultural program after Mali gained independence from France in 1960.

In 1968 Touré along with two other Malian musicians was selected to represent Mali in an international festival to be held in Bulgaria.  It was around that time that a friend of Touré introduced American music, particularly James Brown, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker and Albert King, to Touré.  Touré especially latched onto John Lee Hooker and the blues because he felt the music was the closest to his own music.  He linked Malian music to the blues and realized how strong and important that connection was (and still is).  In subsequent years he released his own records and pioneered three different styles of guitar techniques (Sonraï, Peul, and Tamascheq).  He stayed firmly rooted in the music that had influenced him during his life, choosing to ignore fame.

(I realize I’m giving a book report here, but bear with me.)

Though Touré had been writing music for years, he didn’t record his first album until 1976, and his recording career really didn’t accelerate until the early 1990’s, when he released four albums in a four-year span.  Overall he has recorded 19 albums, won two Grammys (the only African to have one two of these awards), and became more popular after his retirement and subsequent passing.  His album with Toumani Diabate, Ali and Toumani, was released after his passing and is next on my list.

# 41 – Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabate, Ali and Toumani (Metascore = 89)

Touré’s primary backup is Toumani Diabate on the kora, a 21-stringed bridge harp used primarily in West Africa.  Playing the kora sounds a lot like listening to a flamenco guitarist play.  Immediately upon starting the record, you can hear the cousin of the blues in the way Touré and Diabate play on “Ruby”.  The rollicking acoustic playing of Touré sounds reminiscent of the traditional blues music of John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters (minus the singing).  “Sabu Yerkoy”, on the other hand, sounds more like island music, meaning Jamaican or Caribbean music, with its more pleasant tones.  “Samba Geladio” sounds similar to “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Albert King.

Throughout the record the musicianship is first class.  Both Diabate and Touré are masters of their instrument, and that mastery shows throughout.  There are few tracks with vocals, meaning the artists have to cover a lot of ground.  Even with both musicians splitting up in exploring their instruments’ sounds, neither loses sight of the direction the song is moving nor alters the sound that the artists are trying to achieve.  This is truly a pleasing record to listen to from beginning to end.

For some people, a mostly-instrumental album will probably not appeal.  But I urge anyone to give this one a try.  The record is just a pleasant listen all the way through and will introduce you to a new world of music that enriched our own part of the world.