EPISODE 14--THE MUSIC OF MALI

Afropop Worldwide‘s Derek Rath sums it up nicely: “The music of Mali is generally easy for Western ears to assimilate. Guitar, ngoni, kora and other stringed instruments are often to the fore, riding insistent and repetitive grooves reminiscent of blues artists like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bukka White or John Lee Hooker. Rock music draws from a similar sonic profile. Vocally too, there is often a blues or even gospel intonation in the delivery of songs. But there is something else that draws you in: a certain deep spirituality, a feeling of ageless communion with both humanity and the dust of the Earth we tread. This subliminal element is not surprising really, given that Mali has a cultural heritage that stretches back beyond the 11th century.”