Diré
"Diré" is a town on the left bank of the Niger river in the 333 Saints of Timbuktu region of northern Mali. It is there that the legendary Malian singer-songwriter, guitarist and master of the kamalen n'goni Idrissa Soumaoro met his wife and where his late first daughter was born. It also happens to be the title to his long-awaited and recently released third full-length that has been a long time in the making, maybe even a lifetime. Initiated by Marc-Antoine 'Marco' Moreau (former producer and manager of Amadou & Mariam) in 2012, Idrissa Soumaoro began recording for the album at Bamako's Studio Manjul. However, work on the album came to a halt when Moreau suddenly passed in 2017. Then the global pandemic hit and further delayed the album's completion, before arrangements and orchestrations were finally finalised in France alongside Amadou & Mariam's Climax Orchestra.
Long story short, good things come to those who wait and we dare say, that in this particular case, time was not of the essence. Despite being an absolute "force on the Malian music scene" – who was "awarded the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mali for his contribution to Malian culture and music" – Idrissa Soumaoro "has devoted his life to helping others by becoming a music teacher for the blind" and that in itself speaks volumes. His latest album brings us "ten highly original compositions" rooted in traditional Malian music yet introducing many more influences to the mix. One might say that "Diré" is the musical culmination of Soumaoro's life experiences and storied career: "My inspiration generally comes from the donso n'goni, a Bambara instrument played by and for hunters throughout Mali. This is a pentatonic instrument, similar to the blues exported to the Americas by black African slaves. I've also spent so much time playing a variety of music that my music also reflects [such as] rumba, salsa (as well as Bamanan blues and a few derivatives: jazz, country, soul, rhythm and blues) etc. I have looked for and hope to have found my own form of expression from these influences," he describes.
Released at a time when his native Mali faces serious challenges, "Diré" to Soumaoro is not just a nostalgic homecoming tribute, but also a powerful statement presented in a strong, crystal-clear voice with lyrics in French, Bambara and English. It commemorates a Mali that was still in tact and at peace, while reassuring listeners that hope always remains. Sonically, "Diré" is pure bliss, brimming with emotion, soothing instrumentation and intricate stylings. There is an undeniable maturity inherent to each of the songs, tying them together one by one, revealing a true master at work. It is an album that you can have quietly strumming away in the background and also one that you can really hone in on, listening intently to every minute detail and melodic twist and turn, nodding in awe and approval. Soumaoro and his supporting cast impressively demonstrate that in some cases humility does come with greatness after all.
More posts
Congo Guitar
There is a particular beauty inherent to the distinct stylings of the Congolese guitar, the boleros, rumbas, soukous and similar 'slow music' styles which, despite their laid-back form, have a certain swing to them that is undeniably infectious. When we saw that Brighton's Hive Mind Records was about to drop a release simply titled "Congo Guitar", we had a feeling we were in for a treat. And, having previously familiarised ourselves with the genre via a handful [...]
Marzipan
But why marzipan? The title to the first contemporary full-length on Habibi Funk, released two months ago to the day, is enough to spark our curiosity. Sweet indulgence...that must be it. Soft, sugary, rich, filling, the taste of honey and almonds, a wonderful amuse bouche. Release number 023 brings us to Lebanon, where multi-instrumental producer extraordinaire Charif Megarbane (Cosmic Analog Ensemble, the Free Association Syndicate, Monumental Detail) has [...]
Beauties
Fans of Ethiopian grooves and those to be best listen up: Today, we bring you an absolute "gem of a record," originally released in 1976 on Kaifa Records and now reissued in full for the first time by Brooklyn-based imprint Mississippi Records. You might call it "a lost classic of the Ethiopian Golden Age," but more importantly it is a testament to two leading voices of the era. Fittingly titled "Beauties", this ten-track collection sees two of Addis Ababa's [...]
Upopo Sanke
"Let's sing a song," is the translated meaning of "Upopo Sanke", the second album of Ainu artist Umeko Ando (1932-2004). The Ainu, in case you didn't know (because neither did we), are an indigenous people of Japan, the earliest of the northern island of Hokkaido, "whose lands once spanned from northern Honshu [on the Japanese mainland] north to Sakhalin and the Kuril islands [now a disputed part of the Russian Federation]" (read more here). And Umeko Ando is [...]
History
We don't need no e-du-ca-tion! Um, wait, that didn't come out the way it was supposed to. What we meant to say was that education and Western education in particular as well as the way that a certain view on history is taught by those with a well-known colonial past, is and has been insufficient to say the least. Or as the release notes to Chicago-based producer/beatmaker Lapgan's latest sonic epic state: "Western education is often a sanitised account of [...]
Davorio
Every once in a while, we come across a project that is truly about making a difference through musical collaboration. Back in 2019, Florence-based "polyhedric composer" Samuele Strufaldi followed an invitation by his friend, the local djembe player Pêrmlay Boris Pierrou, to travel to the latter's home village of Gohouo-Zagna in the Guemon region of the Ivory Coast and collaborate on some music. As he settled into his new surroundings, Strufaldi became aware [...]
Piconema
Rain in Berlin is so heavy these days, it feels like we've gone coastal. And so coastal is our choice for soundtrack of the week, as we direct our attention to Barcelona's Rocafort Records and their recently released various artists compilation, inviting listeners on an Afro-Caribbean tour of the Colombian coast. "Piconema: East African Hits on the Colombian Coast" brings us nine gems of East African heritage, "showcasing the best of Kenyan Benga music – a [...]
A New Dawn
One day ends, another one begins. The transition is fluid yet always heralded by a new dawn, a moment so magical that few things ever get close to capturing its allure. Most recently, two rising stars of the global scene raised the curtain on their debut collaborative LP, released on Barcelona-based imprint Canela En Surco. Fittingly titled "Un Nuevo Amanecer" ('A New Dawn'), Portuguese multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ Pedro Ricardo – who delivered his [...]
When The Dust Settles
Remaining both in the UK and in West Africa after recently reviewing the new album of experimental UK dub project African Head Charge "A Trip To Bolgatanga", we now turn to London's Mandé jazz ensemble Balimaya Project. Formed by composer, arranger and djembe player Yahael Camara Onono back in 2019, the group fuses the musical experiences and rhythmic traditions of the diverse West African diasporas and identities with influences from London's contemporary [...]
A Trip To Bolgatanga
Right on time for a new generation of listeners to become acquainted with their broad palette of psychoactive sounds, African Head Charge are back with another album on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound. With a discography reaching back to the project's mind-bending 1981 debut LP "My Life in a Hole in the Ground" – playing on "both the title and concept of David Byrne and Brian Eno's "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" – their latest feat follows a twelve-year [...]
MLDVA & Çınar Timur
To say we've been eagerly awaiting this release would be somewhat of an understatement. Five years after releasing their debut single "Gül Ahmet", which also featured on the strictly limited "Saz Power" compilation by Ironhand Records, Kraków-based outfit MLDVA and Turkish instrumentalist Çınar Timur unveil their debut LP on Shapes of Rhythm. Presenting their unique take on Turkish psychedelia with a definitive nod the psychedelic rock movement of the [...]
O Yinne!
Oh happy day! Bringing joy to the world since their 2016 debut single and subsequent 2019-released debut album "Mam Yinne Wa", Northern Ghana's Frafra gospel stalwarts Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy return to Max Weissenfeldt's (Poets of Rhythm, Whitefield Brothers) Philophon imprint with album number two and a fresh batch of joyous grooves. Heralded by a 7-inch vinyl release at the tail-end of 2021 (which we covered here), their sophomore effort is an even [...]