Ali Farka Touré

Radio Mali

About this Album

Radio Mali was Ali Farka Toure’s first release after 1994’s Grammy Award–winning collaboration with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbuktu. Released in Europe by World Circuit in 1996, it is a lavishly packaged collection of vintage recordings now being made commercially available in North America for the first time.

Throughout the 1970s, Ali Farka Toure recorded many hours of music for broadcast by Mali’s national radio. It was during this period that he established a formidable reputation in Mali and West Africa as a unique solo artist. Many people, including Toure himself, believe these recordings contain his finest performances—"recorded when I was an absolute fool for the guitar," said Toure. Radio Mali presents the best of these recordings.

Playing acoustic guitar, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by ngoni (traditional Malian guitar) and violin, he turns in some mesmerizing performances. Singing in Sonrai and Peul, Toure reaches into the deep traditions of northern Mali. These are the recordings which made him a star in his native Mali. Although later in his life, Toure worked with musicians like Cooder, Taj Mahal, and Toumani Diabaté, these early recordings have a power of their own. Radio Mali remains pure Farka Toure, a hypnotic master class.

The 36-page full color booklet contains full biography, song transcriptions, and rare photographs.