Mississippi to Mali

Corey Harris | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 18, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0000DJZA1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,669 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Blues Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 18-NOV-2003

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite CD, November 27, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mississippi to Mali (Audio CD)

I love Mississippi to Mali. Corey Harris has been a favorite of mine for years, but I am so enthusiastic about this CD I feel like proselytizing from the treetops. While most of us know that the roots of the blues is in W. Africa, I don't think anything so far brings this home so seamlessly and naturally. This is a great CD, close to perfect in the way you hear the rhythms and sounds intertwine and learn something without being told.

The first segment of the Martin Scorsese's PBS series "The Blues," with Corey Harris was wonderful, and this CD comes from that. The segment with Otha Turner was my introduction to fife and drum music and I immediately came to Amazon to find more of it. There is a good helping of it here, not isolated, but in a rich context. Otha Turner passed away before he could be recorded for this album, but his grand-daughter Shardé is on it -- heir to his music and his talent and brilliant on this (I loved the vocal touch). I also love the sound of the njarka (one string violin) and the way these simple instruments and rhythms can hypnotize.

All the music here stays close to the roots of musical expression, not just that of the blues. It is good listening from beginning to end, not academic or intellectualized, but a collaboration of great musicians. An "essential" CD if I've ever heard one.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blues connections, December 26, 2004

By 

twangmon (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mississippi to Mali (Audio CD)

For this celebration of earthy acoustic music, scholar and bluesman extraordinaire Corey Harris trekked to Mississippi and Mali, West Africa, to make a series of modern field recordings. Stateside, Harris cut resonator slide tracks with fife-and-drum musicians; in Mali, his bandmates included the great Ali Farka Toure on guitar. The resulting performances -- a mix of traditional blues and African melodies, songs by Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson, and originals by Harris and Toure -- are as spontaneous and relaxed as a back porch pickin' session. Through his music, Harris reminds us of the rhythmic, melodic, and spiritual connection between traditional African sounds and early American blues. If you're bummed by the slick production values of contemporary blues guitar albums, the dry, present tones and relentless funk of these tracks will set you right.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The Roots of a Tree cast no Shadow, April 26, 2005

By 

Jack Sullivan "Sulli" (Kansas City, Mo The Music Capitol) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mississippi to Mali (Audio CD)

The CD insert has a great quote "the roots of a tree cast no shadow". It is attributed to no one, on the sleeve it simply says, "As they say". I don't know who "they" are but after listening to this CD, "they" are right. The roots are presented exquisitely from "Mississippi to Mali". One can hear it in the notes, the rhythms and the sounds of the instruments and it clearly speaks one word, "Blues".

It starts right out with a beautiful acoustic solo song titled "Coahoma". The sweet guitar picking and slide work are just a peek into what is to come. Roots Blues at its best. The next song has a feel of a front porch somewhere in the south with "Corey" on vocals, guitar, "Bobby Rush" on harmonica and "Sam Carr" on drums performing the traditional "Big Road Blues".

"The idea for this CD came about through my participation in Martin Scorsese"s PBS series, The Blues". "Corey Harris". The African connection begins to make it self known as Corey Harris plays vocals and guitar on the "Skip James" tune "Special Rider Blues" accompanied by "Ali Farka Toure" on njarka (a one string violin) and "Souleyman Kane on percussion. It is a haunting rendition of this classic. The rhythms of the njarka and "Souleyman's" percussion will make your hair stand on end.

"Tamalah" the title of the next track introduces "Ali Magassa" on backup vocal. "Ali Farka Toure" wrote this song. The lyrics are African and the music is blues. There is a sad soulful quality to this track with a solid backbeat.

"Back Atcha" by "Sharde Thomas" the granddaughter and protégé of fife and drum master Otha Turner. The CD is dedicated to him as he passed one week before he was to record for this project. It features "The Rising Star Fife and Drum band with Corey on vocals, guitar and "Sharde" on fife and vocals. This is Mississippi backcountry fife and drum at it's finest.

With "Rokie" the next track we find ourselves back to Mali enjoying sweet rhythms under a tree shaded from the sun. To quote "Corey Harris" "I wanted to demonstrate the living links between African music and African-American music, specifically the blues and its offspring: jazz, funk, r&b and hip hop. The connection has been made and done beautifully.

In the remaining tracks "Le Chanson Des Bozos" the living roots are clearly established. "Mr. Turner" is a slow blues featuring "Sam Carr" on drums and "Bobby Rush" on harmonica with "Corey Harris" on vocals and guitar. This has that old blues feel all the way through.

The traditional "Station Blues" with the "Rising Star Fife and Drum Band" is sure to get your toes tapping with its solid rhythms. Your sure to be impressed with the Africanized version of "Skip James" "Cypress Grove'. The feel of this CD is one of a labor of love and it is clearly evident connection between Mississippi and Mali, more to the point between African and African American music. The roots are there for all to see, if you let the music in.

The album ends with a moving rendition of "Blind Willie Johnson's" "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground" which showcases Corey's acoustic slide skills. This is fine body of work from a most reverent player of the blues.

Jack "Sulli" Sullivan