Ali and Toumani, the second and last album pairing of kora master Toumani Diabaté and the late guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Touré, was released at the start of the year on World Circuit / Nonesuch Records to great critical acclaim, with Pitchfork describing it as "uncommonly beautiful" and NPR calling it "breathtaking." As the year comes to a close, the accolades continue, with the album making The Huffington Post list of the Top 10 Albums of 2010 and being named the No. 2 Album of the Year in the fRoots magazine Critics Poll. All of this comes as Ali and Toumani was just nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album.

In the Heart of the Moon, the previous pairing from Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, won a Grammy Award in the same category in 2005. Later that year, Ali and Toumani was recorded over three afternoons at Livingston Studios in London, with contributions from Cachaíto López on bass. Less than a year later, Touré succumbed to a long illness and passed away.

To mark the success of Ali and Toumani this year and its recent Grammy nomination, we're offering a free download of the album track "Sabu Yerkoy." You can listen to the song and download it here:

Readers in the United States and Canada can pick up a copy of Ali and Toumani and In the Heart of the Moon in the Nonesuch Store, where all CDs, LPs, and DVDs are now 33% off as part of the store's 3rd anniversary sale. For those of you outside of North America, please visit worldcircuit.co.uk.