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CD
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OH 032CD
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Bassekou Kouyate is back on his original label Out Here Records with his fifth studio album, Miri. Miri is an album about love, friendship, family, and true values in times of crisis. Miri means dream or contemplation in Bamana. On Miri, Kouyate travels back to his hometown Garana, a small village at the banks of the Niger river. The instrumental song "Miri" captures that feeling. Miri talks about Kouyate's mother Yakare who passed away. "Deli" is a song about true friendship. "Konya" talks about jealousy a problem that can even destroy families. "Wele Ni" takes you deep into the history of Segou koro (old Segou), once home of the Bamana kings. The song is about a king who thought he didn't need to treat the people around him with respect, and later realizes he is nothing without the people around him. The song features vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate and Bassekou playing slide ngoni with a bottleneck. Like Mali music legend Abdoulaye Diabate, most guests on the album are longtime collaborators. Bassekou's friendship with Habib Koite goes way back to the early days of Symmetric Orchestra. As a trio together with young Toumani Diabate Bassekou played his first concert in Europe in 1989. "Kanto Kelena (She Left Me Alone)" is a song about a man who was left alone by his loved one. Afel Bocoum (Ali Farka Toure) from the same village Niafunke, sings for peace between the Fula, who herd cattle, and the local cultivators of Mali, on "Tabital Pulaaku". A very special guest is a young Kankou Kouyate, the daughter of Bassekou's brother Fousseyni who used to play in Ngoni Ba -- Kankou can be heard on all of the background vocals. Michael League (Snarky Puppy, Bokanté) went out of his way to add some guitar to the song "Konya". Fiddle player Casey Driessen, whom Bassekou met while touring with Bela Fleck, played on the folk ballad "Nyame". Dom Flemons (Carolina Chocolate Drops) plays bones on Bamana classic "Fanga". "Wele Cuba" is an Afro-Cuban jam about Africa's love for Cuban music; Cuba's answer is sung by Yasel Gonzalez Rivera (Madera Limpia). The album pays homage to two great Malian singers that have blessed quite a number of Bassekou's albums: the one and only Zoumana Tereta and the golden voice of Mali, Kassemady Diabate. Also features Majid Bekkas.
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OH 032LP
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LP version. Includes download code of full album; Edition of 500. Bassekou Kouyate is back on his original label Out Here Records with his fifth studio album, Miri. Miri is an album about love, friendship, family, and true values in times of crisis. Miri means dream or contemplation in Bamana. On Miri, Kouyate travels back to his hometown Garana, a small village at the banks of the Niger river. The instrumental song "Miri" captures that feeling. Miri talks about Kouyate's mother Yakare who passed away. "Deli" is a song about true friendship. "Konya" talks about jealousy a problem that can even destroy families. "Wele Ni" takes you deep into the history of Segou koro (old Segou), once home of the Bamana kings. The song is about a king who thought he didn't need to treat the people around him with respect, and later realizes he is nothing without the people around him. The song features vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate and Bassekou playing slide ngoni with a bottleneck. Like Mali music legend Abdoulaye Diabate, most guests on the album are longtime collaborators. Bassekou's friendship with Habib Koite goes way back to the early days of Symmetric Orchestra. As a trio together with young Toumani Diabate Bassekou played his first concert in Europe in 1989. "Kanto Kelena (She Left Me Alone)" is a song about a man who was left alone by his loved one. Afel Bocoum (Ali Farka Toure) from the same village Niafunke, sings for peace between the Fula, who herd cattle, and the local cultivators of Mali, on "Tabital Pulaaku". A very special guest is a young Kankou Kouyate, the daughter of Bassekou's brother Fousseyni who used to play in Ngoni Ba -- Kankou can be heard on all of the background vocals. Michael League (Snarky Puppy, Bokanté) went out of his way to add some guitar to the song "Konya". Fiddle player Casey Driessen, whom Bassekou met while touring with Bela Fleck, played on the folk ballad "Nyame". Dom Flemons (Carolina Chocolate Drops) plays bones on Bamana classic "Fanga". "Wele Cuba" is an Afro-Cuban jam about Africa's love for Cuban music; Cuba's answer is sung by Yasel Gonzalez Rivera (Madera Limpia). The album pays homage to two great Malian singers that have blessed quite a number of Bassekou's albums: the one and only Zoumana Tereta and the golden voice of Mali, Kassemady Diabate. Also features Majid Bekkas.
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CD
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GB 023CD
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Midline pricing. Ba Power, Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba's fourth album (and their first for Glitterbeat Records) is a striking, career-defining record marked by mesmerizing songs, razor-sharp riffs, and full-throttle emotions. Following two years of worldwide touring for the much-heralded Jama Ko (OH 021CD/LP), Bassekou's band, Ngoni Ba, has turned up the volume and dynamics significantly and Bassekou's masterful ngoni playing has achieved a new level of intensity that can only be called: Afro-rock. Distortion and wah-wah and propulsive rhythms now form the defining backbone of his songs and the white-hot vocals of his wife, Amy Sacko, serve more than ever as his passionate and perfect foil. When asked what Ba Power means to him, Bassekou replied, "'Ba,' in Bambara, means 'strong' or 'great' and it also means 'group.' I called the album Ba Power because I think the messages on it are very important and strong, and it is also definitely the album with the toughest sound I've ever made. I want these songs to grab as many people as possible." Ba Power was recorded in November of 2014 at MBK Studios in Bamako, a studio just down the road from the Kouyaté family home in the hills at the edge of the city. Produced by Chris Eckman (Tamikrest, Aziza Brahim), the album began with Ngoni Ba playing together live in a relaxed, intimate space. Features appearances from legendary Songhai blues guitarist Samba Touré on "Fama Magni," soku master Zoumana Tereta on "Fama Magni," vocalist Adama Yalomba "Waati," massively influential composer and trumpeter Jon Hassell on "Ayé Sira Bla," guitarist Chris Brokaw (The Lemonheads) on "Siran Fen" and "Abé Sumaya," and drummer Dave Smith (JuJu, Fofoulah, The Sensational Space Shifters with Robert Plant) on four songs including opener "Siran Fen." Ba Power contains all the swagger, precision, and wide-eyed excitement that the title implies. It is the album on which Bassekou's music engages with the world in unprecedented ways, and the album with which he confirms his status among the 21st century's most relevant musical artists. "I think African music and culture deserve to be spread to the broadest audience possible. That is what I want to accomplish with Ba Power" --Bassekou Kouyaté. Bassekou Kouyaté: lead ngoni; Abou Sissoko: medium ngoni; Mamadou Kouyaté: bass ngoni and backing vocals; Moctar Kouyaté: calebash; Mahamadou Tounkara: yabara, tamani, tamaba; Bina Diabaté: medium ngoni ba; Amy Sacko: lead vocal and backing vocals.
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GB 023LP
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LP version on 180 gram vinyl, with download code. Ba Power, Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba's fourth album (and their first for Glitterbeat Records) is a striking, career-defining record marked by mesmerizing songs, razor-sharp riffs, and full-throttle emotions. Following two years of worldwide touring for the much-heralded Jama Ko (OH 021CD/LP), Bassekou's band, Ngoni Ba, has turned up the volume and dynamics significantly and Bassekou's masterful ngoni playing has achieved a new level of intensity that can only be called: Afro-rock. Distortion and wah-wah and propulsive rhythms now form the defining backbone of his songs and the white-hot vocals of his wife, Amy Sacko, serve more than ever as his passionate and perfect foil. When asked what Ba Power means to him, Bassekou replied, "'Ba,' in Bambara, means 'strong' or 'great' and it also means 'group.' I called the album Ba Power because I think the messages on it are very important and strong, and it is also definitely the album with the toughest sound I've ever made. I want these songs to grab as many people as possible." Ba Power was recorded in November of 2014 at MBK Studios in Bamako, a studio just down the road from the Kouyaté family home in the hills at the edge of the city. Produced by Chris Eckman (Tamikrest, Aziza Brahim), the album began with Ngoni Ba playing together live in a relaxed, intimate space. Features appearances from legendary Songhai blues guitarist Samba Touré on "Fama Magni," soku master Zoumana Tereta on "Fama Magni," vocalist Adama Yalomba "Waati," massively influential composer and trumpeter Jon Hassell on "Ayé Sira Bla," guitarist Chris Brokaw (The Lemonheads) on "Siran Fen" and "Abé Sumaya," and drummer Dave Smith (JuJu, Fofoulah, The Sensational Space Shifters with Robert Plant) on four songs including opener "Siran Fen." Ba Power contains all the swagger, precision, and wide-eyed excitement that the title implies. It is the album on which Bassekou's music engages with the world in unprecedented ways, and the album with which he confirms his status among the 21st century's most relevant musical artists. "I think African music and culture deserve to be spread to the broadest audience possible. That is what I want to accomplish with Ba Power" --Bassekou Kouyaté. Bassekou Kouyaté: lead ngoni; Abou Sissoko: medium ngoni; Mamadou Kouyaté: bass ngoni and backing vocals; Moctar Kouyaté: calebash; Mahamadou Tounkara: yabara, tamani, tamaba; Bina Diabaté: medium ngoni ba; Amy Sacko: lead vocal and backing vocals. Housed in a gatefold sleeve.
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2LP
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OH 021LP
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Gatefold double LP version. Mali's ngoni ace returns. After his celebrated debut album Segu Blue and the Grammy nominated follow-up I Speak Fula, hundreds of concerts all over the globe, performing as headliner in the AfroCubism project and, just a few months ago, stunning appearances at the latest Africa Express events performing with Sir Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Damon Albarn, and many others, Bassekou Kouyaté is back with his new album. Jama Ko means "a big gathering of people." It is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album of the same title. It is a call for unity, peace, and tolerance in a time of crisis: no matter who you are, let us come together and enjoy life, and celebrate the true spirit of Mali. "Jama ko, c'est pour tout le monde," says Kouyate, explaining the title of his third album, "There are over 90% Muslims in Mali, but our form of Islam here has nothing to do with a radical form of Sharia: that is not our culture. We have been singing praise songs for the Prophet for hundreds of years. If the Islamists stop people music-making they will rip the heart out of Mali." The recording of Jama Ko took place in March 2012 in Mali's capital, Bamako. It was recorded with an entirely new line-up, including Bassekou's two sons Madou and Moustafa Kouyaté, ngoni ace Abou Sissoko, and a number of other young talented musicians from Bamako. It became political by accident. In the afternoon of the first day in the studio, the military overthrew the president Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT). It was a shock for Bassekou, as the former president was a great supporter of his music. Somewhere between power cuts, fuel shortages, and the uncertainty of daily curfews, the recording went on. Meanwhile, the situation in the north of Mali was getting worse and worse by the day. In the studio, a musical answer started taking shape: Instead of keeping quiet, Bassekou plugged in his wah-wah pedal, cranked up his amp and let loose. Kasse Mady Diabaté is featured on the Latin-flavored "Sinaly," singing about Sinaly Diarra, a Bamana king famous for resisting forced Islamization in the 19th century. "Kele Magni" is a duet between Amy Sacko and Khaira Arby from Timbuktu, calling for peace in Mali. "Zoumana Tereta" praises the cotton farmers of Mali in Mali Koori with a voice that takes you back into the time of the great Bambara warriors. Jama Ko also features "Poye 2," an incredible duet between Bassekou and Taj Mahal (vocals/electric guitar) and ends with the touching song "Moustafa" by Bassekou's son Moustafa, dedicated to his parents thanking them for all they have done for him. Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Godspeed!, Coeur de Pirate) recorded the album in Mali and ended up mixing and co-producing most of it back home in Montreal. Andrew and Brad Barr (Barr Brothers) added drums and guitar. Mocky Salole (Feist, Jamie Lidell) came up with additional arrangements and played organ and drums.
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OH 021CD
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Mali's ngoni ace returns. After his celebrated debut album Segu Blue and the Grammy nominated follow-up I Speak Fula, hundreds of concerts all over the globe, performing as headliner in the AfroCubism project and, just a few months ago, stunning appearances at the latest Africa Express events performing with Sir Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, Damon Albarn, and many others, Bassekou Kouyaté is back with his new album. Jama Ko means "a big gathering of people." It is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album of the same title. It is a call for unity, peace, and tolerance in a time of crisis: no matter who you are, let us come together and enjoy life, and celebrate the true spirit of Mali. "Jama ko, c'est pour tout le monde," says Kouyate, explaining the title of his third album, "There are over 90% Muslims in Mali, but our form of Islam here has nothing to do with a radical form of Sharia: that is not our culture. We have been singing praise songs for the Prophet for hundreds of years. If the Islamists stop people music-making they will rip the heart out of Mali." The recording of Jama Ko took place in March 2012 in Mali's capital, Bamako. It was recorded with an entirely new line-up, including Bassekou's two sons Madou and Moustafa Kouyaté, ngoni ace Abou Sissoko, and a number of other young talented musicians from Bamako. It became political by accident. In the afternoon of the first day in the studio, the military overthrew the president Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT). It was a shock for Bassekou, as the former president was a great supporter of his music. Somewhere between power cuts, fuel shortages, and the uncertainty of daily curfews, the recording went on. Meanwhile, the situation in the north of Mali was getting worse and worse by the day. In the studio, a musical answer started taking shape: Instead of keeping quiet, Bassekou plugged in his wah-wah pedal, cranked up his amp and let loose. Kasse Mady Diabaté is featured on the Latin-flavored "Sinaly," singing about Sinaly Diarra, a Bamana king famous for resisting forced Islamization in the 19th century. "Kele Magni" is a duet between Amy Sacko and Khaira Arby from Timbuktu, calling for peace in Mali. "Zoumana Tereta" praises the cotton farmers of Mali in Mali Koori with a voice that takes you back into the time of the great Bambara warriors. Jama Ko also features "Poye 2," an incredible duet between Bassekou and Taj Mahal (vocals/electric guitar) and ends with the touching song "Moustafa" by Bassekou's son Moustafa, dedicated to his parents thanking them for all they have done for him. Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Godspeed!, Coeur de Pirate) recorded the album in Mali and ended up mixing and co-producing most of it back home in Montreal. Andrew and Brad Barr (Barr Brothers) added drums and guitar. Mocky Salole (Feist, Jamie Lidell) came up with additional arrangements and played organ and drums.
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2LP
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OH 013LP
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Double vinyl version. After his award-winning album Segu Blue (OH 007CD), Bassekou Kouyate, the ngoni wizard from Mali is back with a new offering, I Speak Fula. The album captures the incredible live energy of Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba and is the next step in the career of one of Mali's most exciting and innovative musicians. For Bassekou Kouyate it has been a long journey that started out in Garana, a small village on the Niger river where he grew up, then took him to the town of Segu, capital of his region, and on to Mali's capital, Bamako. And now it is taking him and his music around the world. In the mid-'80s, young Bassekou Kouyate played a concert in Bamako together with members of the famous Rail Band. During the show, Bassekou suddenly stood up and walked up to the front of the stage. For the first time, a ngoni player strapped his instrument over his shoulder like an electric guitar and was playing a solo standing up. What was new then has long become common practice in Mali today. From his early days in Bamako when he was playing in a trio together with Toumani Diabate and Keletigui Diabate until today, where he is pursuing his own career, Bassekou has transformed the traditional music of the ngoni into the modern world. With his band Ngoni ba, he has created a new line-up as a quartet with a rock band's style of playing. The ngonis they play are still acoustic as in the old days, but Bassekou invented a bass ngoni, even lower in pitch than the ngoni ba (low ngoni), added extra strings to make their instruments harmonically more flexible, or plugs in an occasional wah-wah pedal. In the process, Bassekou opened up the magic of an age-old music to people all over the world. Bassekou Kouyate has become the ambassador of the ngoni. He has brought this ancient instrument back to where it used to be: to the center of Malian music. Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba are now rocking the stages from Bamako to London. I Speak Fula expresses the spirit of openness and tolerance. The music of the griots has always been about building bridges between people. Mali itself is a very multi-ethnic country. "I Speak Fula" is a playful song about the relationship between the Bamana and the Fula. Bassekou Kouyate is Bamana but it is normal for him to play Fula music. The song is played in a local style called Koreduga. If Malians hear a Koreduga song, that means it is time to let their hair down, dance and enjoy. It is a song for everyone and you do not have to speak Fula to join the party. Produced by Lucy Duran and Jerry Boys and containing contributions by Toumani Diabate, Vieux Farka Toure, Kasse Mady Diabate, Harouna Samake, and others. Housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with full color inner sleeves.
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CD
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NA 001CD
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"Malian maestro Bassekou Kouyate is a virtuoso picker and musical visionary whose work blurs the lines between West African and American roots music. Bassekou's instrument, the ngoni, is a 'spike lute' and an ancestor of the banjo, sharing its taut-skinned drum body, percussive attack, and varied picking techniques. Since 2005, Bassekou has led Ngoni Ba, the first-ever group built around not one but four ngonis -- all played by members of his family. Bassekou's longtime friend and booster Lucy Duran (a BBC radio host, record producer, and Mande music scholar) produced the band's debut, Segu Blue. Before long, Bassekou and Ngoni Ba were touring Europe and in high demand. I Speak Fula builds on the success of Segu Blue. Its 11 tracks provide a star-studded tour of pan-Malian music, including collaborations with Toumani Diabaté, griot vocal legend Kasse Mady Diabaté, master of the horse-hair soku fiddle Zoumana Tereta, and guitar phenomenon Vieux Farka Toure, Ali's precociously talented son. The release of I Speak Fula and Ngoni Ba's first U.S. tour mark the latest leg of an extraordinary musical journey. I Speak Fula is the first release on Next Ambiance, a new label founded by Jon Kertzer, host of KEXP's Best Ambiance Radio show, and Sub Pop co-founder Jon Poneman, and the newest addition to the Sub Pop family. Next Ambiance continues the musical exploration of Best Ambiance, with an emphasis on mind-blowing and life-changing artists with no particular regional or cultural bias." Also available as a deluxe gatefold double vinyl version on Out Here records (OH 013LP).
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CD
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OH 007CD
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2007 release, restocked. Major U.S. tour in progress now. Segu Blue introduces the first solo album from Malinese ngoni player, Bassekou Kouyate. Ngoni is the Bambara name for an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa that is plucked with the thumb, much like a 5-stringed banjo. Bassekou was born in a village called Garana about 60 kilometers from Segu, in the remote countryside on the banks of the Niger River. He was raised in a traditional musical environment, his mother a praise singer and his father and brothers exceptional ngoni players. He moved to Bamako when he was 19 years old where he met the young Toumani Diabate. By the late 1980s, Bassekou was part of Toumani's trio and they recorded their first albums together, Songhai and Djelika. Bassekou has collaborated with many musicians in and outside of Mali. He played in the Symmetric trio with Toumani Diabate on kora and Keletigui Diabate on balafon. He was part of the Kulanjan project recorded with Taj Mahal. He is one of the key musicians on Ali Farka Toure's posthumous album Savane which was released July 2006. Now he has put together his own band: Ngoni Ba; the big ngoni: Mali's first ngoni quartet. The ngoni is one of Africa's still-undiscovered secrets: it is the key instrument for Griot culture. Unlike the kora, whose history goes back only a few hundred years, the ngoni has been the main instrument in Griot storytelling way back into the days of Sundiata Keita. The repertoire Bassekou plays is from the region of Segu, the heart of Bambara culture. Unlike mandenka griot music, Bambara music is pentatonic in nature -- music as close to the blues as you can get in Africa. Segu Blue features artists Kassemady Diabate, Lobi Traore, Lassana Diabate and singer Zoumana Tereta. By the way, there is no kora or djembe on the album. Taj Mahal describes Bassekou as "a genius, a living proof that the blues comes from the region of Segu."
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2LP
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OPH 001LP
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Double LP version; CD version is on the Out Here label. Segu Blue introduces the first solo album from Malinese ngoni player, Bassekou Kouyate.
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