WMI Tours
Bambara Music from Mali
Bassekou Kouyate & NGoni Ba
"both ancient and contemporary - like some African answer to Hendrix..."
- The Guardian (UK)
"A genius, living proof that the blues comes from the region of Segu (Mali)"
- Taj Mahal
An outstanding new voice from the West African country of Mali, Bassekou Kouyate was showered with praise during his recent tour of Europe. His instrument, the ngoni, an ancient skin-faced lute that is the ancestor of the banjo, has been, since time immemorial, the accompanying instrument for West African griots (oral historians and praise singers).
The music that Bassekou and his three ngoni accompanists coax from this simple instrument is extraordinary - intricately woven lines, crisp bluesy riffs and funky ostinato patterns, along with wild rocking solos. Added to this are lilting melodies from Ami Sacko, Bassekou's wife, who is known as the "Tina Turner of Mali".
The music that Bassekou and his three ngoni accompanists coax from this simple instrument is extraordinary - intricately woven lines, crisp bluesy riffs and funky ostinato patterns, along with wild rocking solos. Added to this are lilting melodies from Ami Sacko, Bassekou's wife, who is known as the "Tina Turner of Mali".
