Mali

Kandja Kouyate et L'Ensemble Instrumental du Mali

This first one is almost supernatural. Traditional Malian instrumentation (including the kora http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kora_%28instrument%29) in minor keys, with beautiful, mysterious female vocals. The sound is a bit hazy, which adds to the supernatural, otherworldly feel of this album.

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Boubacar Traore - Mariama

This album is a classic. Almost perfect in every way. Premier African blues, with that touch of the desert. This one is from brilliant guitarist and performer Boubacar Traore. Sounds like sitting along the banks of the Niger river, listening to a man bare his soul. Soul-cleansing.

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Various Artists / African Pearls - Mali 70: Electric Mali

The 70's were basically Africa's golden age of music, so much amazing shit came out of that time period, and of course Mali was no exception. This compilation collects some fantastic, hypnotic music. I can't say enough about the African Pearls series. I'll probably put more stuff by them up at some point.

Dusty Groove has this to say: "Magical music from the 70s scene in Mali -- work that's often quite different than some of the more familiar modes that have hit the mainstream in recent years! As you'd guess from the titles, a good number of these tracks have a strongly electric vibe -- mostly on the guitars, which are often played with unusual phrasings and rhythms -- but also on keyboards that are included on some tracks, handled in some cool spacey styles that are totally great! There's also lots of off-kilter horns -- played with weird tones and angular edges that remind us of 70s Ethiopian music -- and the overall range of material here is really strong, a surprisingly wide range of musical expression -- but all unified in its freshness and experimental sounds."

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