Radio Mali

Artist: Ali Farka Toure
Label: Nonesuch
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 075597956924
EAN: 0075597956924
ASIN: B00001QEOM

Release Date: 1999-09-28

Related Categories:

General

| Africa | International | Styles | Music

Mali

| Africa | International | Styles | Music

General

| International | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

Listmania:

25 Eclectic Discs for a Desert Island
The sounds of Africa
essential brainfood - for people with more than two ears
African music staples, vol.1
Jewels of Malian sound
Blues for Mali

Tracks:

Njarka
Yer Mali Gakoyoyo
Soko
Bandalabourou
Machengoidi
Samariya
Hani
Gambari
(njarka) Gambari
Biennal
Arsani
Amadinin
Seygalare
Terei Kongo
Radio Mali
Njarka (excerpt)

Similar Items:

Red & Green
Ali Farka Toure
Talking Timbuktu
In the Heart of the Moon
The Source

Customer Reviews:

Solid Stuff.......2005-05-26

Radio Mali was the first Ali Farka Toure release I had ever bought or heard. At the time I was listening a lot to Blind Lemon Jefferson and found some interesting parallels between the two musicians. I like the dry, intimate, non-produced, straight to the microphone sound of Radio Mali. Like Lemon Jefferson, Ali Farka Toure has a deep, resonant and booming voice that equals or betters his guitar playing. My brother noted that some of the songs are akin to Celtic music in that they are built from a single melody line that is repeated with variations. Simple but subtle. I'd use the word pastoral to describe this music, since it is very relaxed in feel and rhythm. For a guitarist, Radio Mali is an endlessly fascinating (and at times, frustratingly hard) batch of songs to play along with. Like Lemon Jefferson, Toure is an extremely deft fingerpicker who relies on just a few basic chord positions (open C in particular) and independent bass and melody to sketch out a very full arrangement with just six strings. His rhythmic sense, and use of some very offbeat rhythms (most likely traditional Malian rhythms) add a great deal of depth and complexity that rewards repeated listening. I just really like this stuff and am glad it was recorded and is available.

Great Ali Farka Touré CD...but have your hand on the volume!.......2004-12-22

I have listened to a lot of Ali Farka Tourý, primarily his later works, and especially Niafunký. I must say that this CD was both refreshing and a tiny bit dry. The first track is like a cup of strong coffee first thing in the morning, with Ali and another musician playing a little duet on njarka violins, with Ali suddenly speaking very rapidly and loudly. It sounds like he's introducing himself, as one hears 'Mali' followed by 'Bamako.' There are some REALLY good tracks on this CD, especially Machengoidi, Samariya, and my favorite, Hani. All of the tracks are good, but Niafunký is still my favorite AFT CD. I understand that these are old recordings, and perhaps the mixing isn't the best, but I would really recommend that you have your hand on the volume control while listening to this CD. Ali's voice seems to have gotten better with time. On Niafunký, his voice is a smooth, velvety, deep baritone. On Radio Mali, however, it is significantly more nasal, is somewhat grating, and lacks the beefiness that you hear in Niafunký. The vocals seem to be far too loud in comparison to the instruments, and anyone who is familiar with AFT's music knows that he's not shy about using his voice. On many tracks, the guitars' introduction lull the listener into a trance, only to be violently shaken out of it by Ali's younger, much more nasal voice attacking a high note. This happens several times throughout the disc, and I've often found myself reaching for the volume knob. The music tends to get somewhat redundant. With a whopping 16 tracks, the same instrumentation (usually two acoustic guitars, with an occasional ngoni [not the kamalengoni of the Bambara, but an instrument more similar to the Tuareg tahardent lute]), and Ali's habit of not utilizing more than a few keys, the songs begin to sound very similar. Perhaps the CD just hasn't grown enough on me....but I agree with one of the other reviewers of this CD that this is best appreciated by one who has heard other Ali CDs. I am well accustomed to VERY diverse and unique music, and this CD actually began to bore me a little bit near the end. I think this CD is great for die hard Ali fans. And for those of us less dedicated Ali fans, it's a very interesting compilation of his earliest recordings. Great music to relax to.

The original Ali Farka Toure.......2002-11-19

This is row music, the most traditional of Farka Toure's recordings. when I first heard him, on "The Source", I too thought of John Lee Hooker. This impression gradually faded on "The River" and completely disappeard when I heard this cd.
Farka Toure is an original, and in this cd there is only one track that may be influenced by the blues, which is Hani (track 7).
The rest of the cd is hauntingly beautiful, and rewards each listening with fresh discoveries. In AFT I found a rare instance where a musician's voice and guitar playing rival each other for beauty and skill, with both coming up as winners.
I agree with those who say this cd is better appreciated after hearing other AFT cd's, or for people who have listened to other Malian musicians. I would also like to draw attention to the beautiful liner notes and to AFT's remarkable story of how he became a musician.

Lost recordings of a world music fave.......2001-10-29

Confirmed fans of Mali's famous blues griot should go ga-ga over this treasure trove of his earliest recordings, which spans 1970-1978. And, as someone who has a long-confirmed dislike of Ali Farka Toure, even I have to admit I enjoyed this record a lot. ...I'm not sure what it is about his other albums that put me off -- partly it's just that I find them a bit dry and boring. I suspect what I really don't like, though like is the sense that Farka Toure finds *himself* to be a master musician, and sounds a little stuffy because of it -- sort of like a West African version of Richard Thompson. Of course, I've never met the guy, and he could be a real sweetheart, but that's just the feeling I get from listening to his records. Not this one, though. Among other treats, this disc includes all the tracks off his first album, along with other tracks he made while working as an engineer at Mali's national radio station. What I hear in these earlier recordings is a sense of unsureness, an eagerness to succeed, without being sure how far his efforts will take him -- which comes off as much more endearing than his current status as a "world music legend". There's something to be said for going back to the roots -- even of a roots musician.

Ali Farka Toure will not let you down.......2001-09-27

Fans of Talking Timbuktu will find this to be a rather different experience. While it isn't polished in the way that Timbuktu is, it is thoroughly enjoyable nevertheless. Very much a feeling that one is listening to the sounds of western Africa and Toure's roots as a guitar master. The songs are pleasant and relaxing, though again not as entirely upbeat perhaps as Timbuktu. If you don't have Talking Timbuktu already buy both discs and treat yourself to a variety of Ali Farka Toure!

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