Ali and Toumani—an album of duets from the late guitarist Ali Farka Touré and kora player Toumani Diabaté—will be released February 23 on World Circuit / Nonesuch Records and is available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with the exclusive bonus track "Kenouna." MusicOMH gives the album four-and-a-half stars, calling it "the most perfectly pitched and unselfish of pairings, a meeting of wonderfully-matched musical minds and skills." NPR calls Touré "one of the most remarkable artists of the past century."
Ali and Toumani—an album of duets from two of Africa’s most distinguished musicians, the late guitarist Ali Farka Touré and kora player Toumani Diabaté—will be released February 23 on World Circuit / Nonesuch Records. In the Heart of the Moon, the duo’s first album together, won a Grammy following its 2005 release.
The album is now available for pre-order in the US and Canada from the Nonesuch Store. In a Nonesuch Store Exclusive, orders include the bonus track "Kenouna," and as with almost all CD orders placed in the Nonesuch Store, include the full album as high-quality 320 kbps MP3s available at no additional cost on release day.
After the success of In the Heart of the Moon, Touré and Diabaté were invited to perform a series of concerts in Europe, before which Diabaté asked World Circuit’s Nick Gold to make studio time for them to record again. Gold, with Moon engineer Jerry Boys, recorded Ali and Toumani over three afternoons at Livingston Studios, London, in mid-2005. Less than a year later, Touré succumbed to a long illness and passed away.
The record includes subtle contributions from Orlando “Cachaíto” López (bass), as well as Vieux Farka Touré (congas and backing vocals), Souleye Kane (backing vocals), Ali Magasa (backing vocals), and Tim Keiper (percussion). Ali and Toumani became the last album recorded by Cachaíto Lopez as well.
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NPR has posted the video of Touré and Diabaté performing the album track "Sabu Yerkoy" at npr.org. There, Bob Boilen, host of NPR's All Songs Considered, calls the late guitarist "one of the most remarkable artists of the past century." Says Boilen: "He was more than the voice of Mali: His music always felt so universal." Read more and watch the video at npr.org/music.
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MusicOMH gives the album four-and-a-half stars, with reviewer Jude Clarke asserting that, even with the stellar line-up of guest performers, "this is very much about Touré's virtuoso guitar and Diabaté's magnificent kora playing."
Clarke calls particular attention to the track "56," describing it as "a complete aural delight," with its "tapestry of dazzling colour, technical proficiency and flat-out lovely sounds."
The reviewer goes on to marvel at how well the two work with one another: "This is one of the most perfectly pitched and unselfish of pairings, a meeting of wonderfully-matched musical minds and skills."
Clark concludes by calling both this latest recording and its predecessor two "awe-inspiring tributes" to the late guitar master.
Read the complete review at musicomh.com.
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