The Original Sound Of Mali 2

Groove Africa, Arabic, Asia

24,17 €

2 left

Label

Mr Bongo

Release date

February 21, 2025

Conditions

New

Vinyl

Black

Following the success of ‘The Original Sound of Mali’ compilation, we return with another
explorative delve into the wonders of Malian music compiled by French writer, journalist
and Grammy-nominated compiler Florent Mazzoleni and Mr Bongo’s very own David
Buttle. Restoring, reissuing and contextualising iconic tracks from Ousmane Kouyaté &
Ambassadeurs Internationaux, Rail Band, Les Messagers du Mali, Mystère Jazz de
Tombouctou and many more, the second compilation in this series dives ever further into
the richness of post-independence music emanating out of Mali. One in which traditional
foundations and instrumentation, blended with modern musical advances and influence.
Following Mali’s independence, after ten years of maturation, the 1970s saw
modern Malian culture revealed to the world through musical anthologies and overviews of
national and regional productions. It was a remarkably fertile period of the country’s
musical history, with state-sponsored bands and orchestras now able to be documented
and recorded by sound engineers.
Mali has always had a diverse storytelling tradition through music, with each province and
ethnic group having its own unique character and nuances. As influences and sounds from
the West drifted over the Atlantic, Malian musicians began hearing artists like John Lee
Hooker, Wilson Pickett, Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz and James Brown. Elements and
ideas from blues, soul, rock and funk led to bands covering artists they’d heard from these
genres. The Tjiwara Band de Kati’s raw cover version of Pickett’s soul / R&B classic ‘In The
Midnight Hour’ and the James Brown funk-channelling cut ‘Get Up James’ from Les
Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, are two such examples featured on this compilation.
Most bands also relied on playing in hotels in Mali’s capital, Bamako, which naturally
became where they honed their sound. With guests wanting to hear the influence of
foreign styles and modern instrumentation becoming more available, this fusion of
Western ideas with traditional Malian rhythms and organic instruments led to a one-of-a-
kind musical excellence.

1. Ousmane Kouyaté & Ambassadeurs Internationaux - Kefimba
2. Bouba et Sokona Sacko - Mamaniya
3. Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako - Get Up James
4. Allata Broulaye - Moussokéléyato
5. Tentemba Jazz du Mali - Yayoroba
6. Tjiwara Band de Kati - Kogola
7. Rail Band - Massaré Mousso
8. Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako - Matou
Kagni
9. Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou - Sidi Yahia
10. Allata Broulaye – Yayoroba
11. Les Messagers du Mali - Diamana Diarra
12. Tjiwara Band de Kati - Midnight Hour