In the Heart of the Moon

On the face of it, it’s hard to accept the almost insolent ease with which these two Malian stars have constructed this 12-track CD. With no rehearsals and only six hours of studio exchange guitar maestro Ali Farka Touré and master kora player Toumani Diabaté have united two proud music traditions from this West African nation: the Mandingo griot heritage of the latter and the Songhaï/Fulani patrimony of the former.

Both musicians have proven their pedigree in the course of rich solo careers that span half a century. For the last decade, Touré has threatened to put away his guitar and pick up a farmer’s hoe, having satisfied his musical ambitions both home and abroad. Somehow, producer Nick Gold has persuaded the proud Malian to push back his musical retirement and record his first album in five years. Yet, surprisingly, Touré takes the backseat, allowing Diabaté’s lush kora strings to wash over his rhythmic guitar. For those familiar with his nigh-legendary temper and self-importance this discretion is indeed uncharacteristic. Thankfully, the Niafunke veteran shows a new facet of his playing with a restrained, subtle exchange that enhances Diabaté’s kora-plucking wizardry.

The opening track, “Debe”, sets the décor, a languid song drawn from the age-old Mandingo repertory. It was recorded in the mobile studio World Circuit installed on the river Niger that flows through Bamako. The song is balanced and recorded by the expert hands of sound engineer Jerry Boys who has given the album a density and texture that is a delight to the ear.

“Debe” and “Ai ga Bani” are the only non-acoustic tracks, giving the album a hypnotic effect some listeners might find tedious. Yet there are marvellous build-ups in “Mamadou Boutiquier” and the compulsive “Kaira” that are guaranteed to prick up the somnolescent ear. Touré’s dextrous solo in “Naweye Toro” is a reminder that he remains one of the world’s great bluesman, despite his newly-found functions as Mayor of his home town of Niafunke. Indeed, there is a Diabaté homage to Touré’s parallel role with the song “M. le Maire de Niafunké”, a flowing Mandingo tune, suited for the sovereign Malian courts he has played for down the years.

The hyperbole and overbearing publicity campaign around the album’s release (“the most beautiful music on Earth,” claims, ludicrously, Mojo) could have led some journalists to reject “In the heart of the moon” out of hand. Fortunately, these duets are unlikely to leave even the harshest critics unmoved. World Circuit has promised two more CDs from the mobile studio it has set up at Bamako’s Mandé Hotel. One will feature Touré and his n’goni group, and the other centres on Diabaté and his PanAfrican Symmetric Orchestra. We can only rub our hands in anticipation.

June 29th, 2005 Daniel Brown