Blue notes from the desert

Mali, Homeland of the Blues

Paris 

14/01/2005 - 

Be it nomadic, rural or urban, the Malian blues is not just a form of entertainment. This age-old genre records the oral history of the land and the people, and recounts the daily goings-on of the community. Now, with American filmmaker Martin Scorsese pointing up the musical connections between the blues of Mississippi and Sub-Saharan Africa in his documentary From Mali to Mississippi, the music of the ancient Mandingo empire looks set to gain true international recognition.  

From the Songhai of Kanau living on the plains of the Joliba (the River of Blood) to the Tamashek in the North and the Bamanan on the Left Bank of the Niger, the Sahel, and Mali's desert region, have given the world a plethora of talented singers and musicians. Drawing inspiration from their traditional roots, these artists have created an authentic form of blues which is now influencing music stars in the West.

The luminaries of the Malian blues scene - namely Ali Farka Toure, Boubakar Traoré (aka "Karkar"), Tinariwen, Habib Koite, Lobi Traore and husband-and-wife duo Amadou Bagayoko & Mariam Doumbia - play Sub-Saharan blue notes which draw on the pain and joy of their people's history and the tranquil force of the Niger.  In Mali, as in Mississippi, minor chords have played out public and personal tragedies, yearned-for idylls or evoked the endless wandering of the lonely nomad. In Mali, as in Mississippi, ancient and modern troubadours have sung of the difficulties of conquering a hostile environment, have sought to heal the wounds inflicted by slavery or crooned ballads of love and broken hearts.

Each instrument has its own special place in Malian blues. The njarka (folk violon), the kora and the Peul flute recreate ancient epics and legends, whereas the gurkel (small traditional guitar) and the ngoni (four-stringed lute) enhance the exploits of big game hunters or the tragic tales of local Romeos and Juliets. Meanwhile, the pounding beat of the calabash - or tindé - punctuates the journey of the wandering nomad. On Mali's urban blues scene, these traditional acoustic instruments have gradualy been replaced by electric guitars, synthesisers, harmonica and drums or used in conjunction with them.

Legendary Figures on Mali's Blues Scene  

Ali Ibrahim "Farka" Toure, the singer-guitarist who won a Grammy Award for his 1993 album Talking Timbuktu, once declared that music was very important to him, but that his real profession has always been agriculture. And on his successive albums, "Farka" Toure has certainly sought to evoke the spirit of his cherished land, paying tribute to the Niger on The River (1990) and citing his roots on The Source (1991).

Although they have been playing together for over 25 years now, Tinariwen (a Tamashek collective whose founding members are not only musicians but fighters who took part in the Touareg uprising) did not emerge on the international music scene until the release of their album Amassakoul in 2004. This militant and eminently poetic work features a mix of hypnotic guitar riffs, call-and-response vocals, ululations and handclaps and rebel songs such as Amassakoul 'n' Tenere (about the obstacles faced by the desert nomad and his hope for the unification of his people) and Oualahila Ar Tesninam (a song which laments the indolence of the resigned). Ténéré Dafeo Nikchan is a powerful ballad which recounts the tale of a rebel fighter revisiting scenes from the past.

Nostalgia also plays a central role in the songs of Boubacar Traoré, aka "Karkar." The veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist, who scored a huge hit in his homeland with Mali Twist in 1963, specialises in enigmatic and atmospheric recordings tinged with more than a hint of melancholy. Since the tragic death of his wife, Pierrette, his music has been one long litany of pain and suffering. Jacques Sarasin's film Je chanterai pour toi paints a poetic, elegaic portrait of the Malian musician, the camera following him as he returns home after many years of French exile.

Blind singer and guitarist Amadou Bagayoko got his start with Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako (later known for launching supertstar Salif Keita on the world scene) and his nifty riffs proved an instant hit with Malian music fans. Amadou attended the Institute for the Young Blind where he met singer Mariam Doumbia, who would become his partner in real life as well as on stage. In 1998, the "Blind couple from Mali" emerged on the French airwaves with their single Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma chérie. However, Amadou & Mariam recently moved away from their bluesy image on a new album, Dimanche à Bamako (released in November 2004). The album, produced by Manu Chao, introduces catchy electric guitar riffs over a rural groove.  

Last, but very much not least, singer and guitarist Lobi Traore (who developed his "Bambara Blues" on the local bar circuit and who recently jammed with Blur's Damon Albarn) and Habib Koite (the winner of RFI's Découvertes Award in 1993) - make up the 'young guard' in the family of Malian bluesmen. Both musicians have performed extensively worldwide, playing at major international festivals.

Ali Farka Toure Red & Green (re-release World Circuit) 2004
Amadou & Mariam Dimanche à Bamako (Corrida) 2004
Lobi Traore Mali Blues (Dixiefrog) 2004
Tinariwen Amassakoul (Island/Universal Music) 2004

Ali Farka Toure on stage,  29th january 2005, in Bozar theatre, Brussels

Solo  Soro

Translation : Julie  Street