Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is magic., February 26, 2008
The West African kora is one of the most seductive instruments on the planet - a sublime concoction of calabash gourd, cowskin and fishing line. And Toumani Diabaté, from a hereditary family of musicians in Mali, is its greatest exponent.
With filigree, rippling melodies, the music is soft, elegant and profound.
As the title suggests, this is a sort of classical kora album revisiting some classic tracks, but also laying down improvisations which sound experimental even if you've never heard a note of kora music before, such as his homage to his friend and fellow musician Ali Farka Touré.
Never has the Malian kora harp sounded so beautiful as in this new record by its greatest living master.
Toumani is said to descend from 70 generations of kora players, stretching back to the golden age of the medieval Mande empire.
He's always experimented alongside the traditional Malian modes, and his collaborators have included Björk and Damon Albarn and winning a Grammy in tandem with Ali Farka Touré for "In the Heart of the Moon" was just his latest exploit.
And now comes this CD.
Blissfully devoid of any amplification, electronic tampering, or accompaniment, it weaves a spell which is powerfully reinforced by the sheer quality of its recording.
The instrument sings with extraordinary resonance, in an acoustic so sensitive that we hear every creak of its wood and sinew; the music itself is rapt and reflective, and the tracks are luxuriously long.
What's most interesting is the way his stylistic inflections are starting to resemble those of North Indian raga music.
The new album, entitled "The Mandé Variations", has no backing musicians, no overdubbed Western stars like Björk, just the unadorned sound of the kora, an exotic-looking 21-string harp made from a halved calabash shell covered with cow-hide and "spiked" with a wooden pole.
This, cooed the letter, would make it appealing to me because it was more "classical".
As with all powerfully affecting music ("classical" included), Diabaté's is rooted in primitive things.
For a start there's the rich, resonant thrumming of the kora, which must be among the most sheerly seductive sounds of any instrument in the world.
Then there's the pleasure to be had from the dizzying virtuosity of Diabaté's playing.
He'll take the end of a melodic phrase and spin it into a whirling Catherine-wheel figuration out of sheer joie de vivre.
Two titles, "Elyne Road" and "Cantelowes", are named after streets in London although the music takes you to another place, another world.
In the Heart of the Moon
Boulevard de l'Independance
Savane
Stereo Spirit
Aman Iman: Water is Life
Segu Blue
Rokku Mi Rokka
Afriki
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warning - highly addictive, June 14, 2008
Toumani Diabaté, the kora guru of Africa, has outdone himself with this collection of solo instrumental pieces. The virtuosity in fingering the kora, the richness of the rhythms and range of melodies is unmatched by anything this Malian musician has done previously. I enjoyed his earlier solo collection, "Kaira", produced twenty years ago and his "New Ancient Strings" (1999), with which he and the younger Ballake Sissoko paid homage to their fathers' musical genius. Yet now, with this CD he has reached a level of maturity, depth and musicality not previously achieved. For fans of the West African kora, this is a must in their collection; for the "newbies", this is a great introduction into a mesmerizing aspect of Malian music and treat to enjoy over and over again. It will very likely become addictive. This is music to lose yourself in.
Toumani Diabaté comes from a long line of Malian musicians. His father was the most famous kora player of his time and Toumani often pays credit to him through his music. Nonetheless, the younger Diabaté has refined the abilities of the instrument and enriched the playing techniques over the years. Elements of these could already be detected in the award winning "In The Heart of the Moon", a collaboration with the legendary guitarist, the late Ali Farka Touré. Toumani, being largely self-taught, has been open to experimenting with this traditional instrument, without abandoning its unique sound and complex harmonies. As he traveled the world, he absorbed and learned from other musical cultures, such as Indian classical music, flamenco and blues. The compositions on this CD harmoniously integrate such influences with melodies and rhythms of the past. All are his, or presented in his adaptation. Soft melodies that seem to tell gentle stories alternate with more vivacious and energetic pieces. Not surprisingly, a special homage is included for Ali Farka that he would have treasured. Toumani's extraordinary technical skill lets him expand the fingering to incorporate the bass line as an accompaniment creating the impression that two koras are playing. Furthermore, recently Toumani has been experimenting, successfully as the pieces here exemplify, with two differently strung koras, one for the traditional melodies and harmonies, the other for his more "modern" compositions. The photos in the included booklet show the details of the finger settings. The explanations of the background to the two kora stringings and insights into the stories behind each piece are written by the musician himself. A beautiful gift to yourself or for people you care deeply about. [Friederike Knabe]
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible, March 18, 2008
I brought this home and listened to it four times running; then ordered 4 more CDs by Toumani Diabate.
It's hard to believe that this is only one person playing. The rhythms are complex, but every note glows.
The only other performer I have ever heard with this level of musicianship is Andres Segovia.
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~ Charlie Haden
~ Sonny Rollins
~ Toumani Diabate
~ Ballake Sissoko
~ The Hold Steady
by Toumani Diabaté 
