Ballake Sissoko Sene

It says much for Malian music that two of its greatest players, kora masters Toumani Diabaté and Ballaké Sissoko, are among its most determined innovators. Not content with weighty family legacies (the two are cousins), they have won international recognition for their instrument, the 21-string west African harp, in part through cross-culture collaborations. Diabaté’s latest, with the London Symphony Orchestra, is imminent, while here Sissoko has sought out an assortment of guests. Among them is cellist Vincent Ségal, with whom he has already cut two sublime albums, and who joins clarinet player Patrick Messina for a sprightly take on Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.

Toumani Diabate is one of the finest contemporary kora players. Diabate teams with Ballake Sissoko for New Ancient Strings, a collection of African harp duets. Recorded in one take in Diabate's native Mali, New Ancient Strings is at once ethereal and earthy.

A master of the kora (21-string West African harp), Toumani Diabaté has brought the traditional music of his native Mali to the attention of an international audience with a series of well-received solo albums and some unlikely, but acclaimed, collaborations. Although he came from a family of musicians, Diabaté (born August 10, 1965) taught himself to play the kora at an early age, as his father, who also played the instrument, was often away touring. He developed a style of playing that, while being strongly rooted in the Malian tradition, is also open to a wide range of other influences, such as jazz and flamenco. He has subsequently sought out other musicians from around the world who are willing to experiment with him, even performing a concert in Amsterdam with a classical harpist.

Various Artists - Anthologie des Moments Precieux des Suds a Arles (2012) [CD+DVD] {Harmonia Mundi}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 306 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 165 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.30 Gb | All Regions | PAL 16:9 | ~ 65 min | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 126 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2012 Harmonia Mundi / World Village | WVF 479046~47
World / International

Since 1996, during the height of the Provençal summer, the beautiful, historic city of Arles has hosted the Festival Les Suds - a joyous musical alchemy that combines singing, music and dance and both explores and redefines the cultural heart of southern Europe (and beyond). Over the course of a week, music from around the world resounds like a universal language. This deluxe, greatest hits package from World Village features highlights recorded over the festival's last decade.

Various Artists - Beginners Guide To African Blues (2011) [3CD BoxSet] {Nascente}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 0.99 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 407 Mb
Full Artwork @ 400 dpi (jpg) -> 157 Mb
© 2011 Nascente / Demon Music | NSBOX078
Blues / World Music / African

Following on from 2010’s best-selling Beginner’s Guide to African Funk comes the Beginner’s Guide to African Blues – an essential primer to the African Blues and Desert Blues scenes that have dominated world music in recent years. Featuring Afro-Blues legends such as Ali Farka Toure & Boubacar Traore, the new school of Afro-superstars such as Toumani Diabate & Rokia Traoré plus global-Afro-fusionists such as Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara & Dub Colossus, Beginner’s Guide to African Blues tells the story of African Blues in the 21st century.

Various Artists - Beginners Guide To African Blues (2011) [3CD BoxSet] {Nascente}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 0.99 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 406 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 157 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 Nascente / Demon Music | NSBOX078
Blues / World Music / African

Following on from 2010’s best-selling Beginner’s Guide to African Funk comes the Beginner’s Guide to African Blues – an essential primer to the African Blues and Desert Blues scenes that have dominated world music in recent years. Featuring Afro-Blues legends such as Ali Farka Toure & Boubacar Traore, the new school of Afro-superstars such as Toumani Diabate & Rokia Traoré plus global-Afro-fusionists such as Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara & Dub Colossus, Beginner’s Guide to African Blues tells the story of African Blues in the 21st century.