Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté - In The Heart Of The Moon

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 23 / 7 / 2005

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Review

In Mali and in the whole of the West-Sahara recording opportunities prove to be scarce. The meeting of Mali's greatest blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré with Toumani Diabaté was in a Paris studio. The 'In The Heart of The Moon' session features surprisingly little of Ali Farka Touré's vocals. This session's star is Mali's greatest kora player Toumani Diabaté rather than the singer. On the track 'Kaira' Touré and Diabaté completely get to grips with each other. Touré's slides over the snares, as if par naturel, following Diabaté's path over the snares belonging to his kora. Dozens of echoes from both Touré's and Diabaté's music are heard throughout this CD on World Circuit. Yet when, by the album's seventh track 'Ai Ga Bani' Ali Farka Touré has found sufficient confidence to test his voice, Diabaté catches the pace of Traoré's picking. The following 'Soumbou Yaya' is a perfect match. The closing tracks 'Gomni' and 'Hawa Dolo' rejoice in full effect to how Traoré in the grandest Ry Cooder tradition performs, as the backing orchestra for Diabaté's most epic contribution on this CD. Seemingly traditional as this session started off, as freshly new this Touré rendez-vous with Diabaté ends. Just through the aid of a slight reverb from the deeper tones from snares, the sound is one of a steamliner on which a great new duo has just embarked.

Track Listing:-

1 Debe
2 Kala
3 Mamadou Boutiquier
4 Monsieur Le Maire De Niafunké
5 Kaira
6 Simbo
7 Ai Ga Bani
8 Soumbou Ya Ya
9 Naweye Toro
10 Kadi Kadi
11 Gomni
12 Hawa Dolo

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