Savane (album)
Encyclopedia
Savane is the final solo album by Mali
an musician Ali Farka Touré
. It is the third and final part of the Hôtel Mandé Sessions, featuring Touré and Toumani Diabaté
, recorded by World Circuit
head Nick Gold. The album was released posthumously by World Circuit on 17 July 2006, more than four months after Touré's death.
The recording sessions at Hôtel Mandé in Bamako
took place from June to July 2004. Touré, suffering from cancer, had wanted to remain in Mali, so a temporary studio was set up on the top floor of the hotel. Touré approved the final master of Savane just weeks before his death in March 2006. He said of the album: "I know this is my best album ever. It has the most power and is the most different."
Savane features a number of non-African blues musicians, such as Little George Sueref, Pee Wee Ellis
, and also Touré's protégé since the age of 13, Afel Bocoum
.
It was released to high critical acclaim, earning a 94 on Metacritic
.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an musician Ali Farka Touré
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
. It is the third and final part of the Hôtel Mandé Sessions, featuring Touré and Toumani Diabaté
Toumani Diabaté
Toumani Diabaté is a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he has also been involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles.-Biography:...
, recorded by World Circuit
World Circuit (record label)
World Circuit is a world-music record label that specializes in Cuban and West African recording artists, among other international music stars. World Circuit celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006 by releasing World Circuit Presents..., a 2-disc retrospective compilation album...
head Nick Gold. The album was released posthumously by World Circuit on 17 July 2006, more than four months after Touré's death.
The recording sessions at Hôtel Mandé in Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
took place from June to July 2004. Touré, suffering from cancer, had wanted to remain in Mali, so a temporary studio was set up on the top floor of the hotel. Touré approved the final master of Savane just weeks before his death in March 2006. He said of the album: "I know this is my best album ever. It has the most power and is the most different."
Savane features a number of non-African blues musicians, such as Little George Sueref, Pee Wee Ellis
Pee Wee Ellis
Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis is an American saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings...
, and also Touré's protégé since the age of 13, Afel Bocoum
Afel Bocoum
Afel Bocoum is a musician from Mali, noted as a singer and guitarist. He began his career as a member of Ali Farka Toure's group ASCO, and Toure is often regarded as his mentor. Both men come from the town of Niafunke on the River Niger, and are members of the Sonrai people...
.
It was released to high critical acclaim, earning a 94 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Track listing
- "Erdi" – 4:42
- "Yer Bounda Fara" – 4:18
- "Beto" – 4:49
- "Savane" – 7:43
- "Soya" – 4:38
- "Penda Yoro" – 5:25
- "Machengoidi" – 3:35
- "Ledi Coumbe" – 3:16
- "Hanana" – 2:34
- "Soko Yhinka" – 5:05
- "Gambari Didi" – 3:49
- "Banga" – 3:48
- "N'Jarou" – 4:55
Personnel
- Ali Farka TouréAli Farka TouréAli Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Mama Sissoko – ngoniNgoni (instrument)The ngoni or "n'goni" is a string instrument originating in West Africa. Its body is made of wood or calabash with dried animal skin stretched over it like a drum. In the hands of a skilled ngoni instrumentalist, the ngoni can produce fast rapid melodies...
- Bassekou KouyateBassekou KouyateBassekou Kouyaté is a musician from Mali. His band is known as Ngoni ba.He was born in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou in 1966. At the age of 12, he started playing the Ngoni. In the late 80's he moved to the capital Bamako.Kouyaté's album Segu Blue was released internationally...
– ngoni - Dassy Sarré – ngoni
- Afel BocoumAfel BocoumAfel Bocoum is a musician from Mali, noted as a singer and guitarist. He began his career as a member of Ali Farka Toure's group ASCO, and Toure is often regarded as his mentor. Both men come from the town of Niafunke on the River Niger, and are members of the Sonrai people...
– backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(tracks 6, 7, 13) - Alou Coulibaly – water calabashCabasaThe cabasa, similar to the shekere, is a percussion instrument that is constructed with loops of steel ball chain wrapped around a wide cylinder. The cylinder is fixed to a long, narrow wooden or plastic handle....
(7) - Ramata DiakiteRamata DiakiteRamata Diakite is a Malian Wassoulou musician. She died October 30, 2009 in Burkina Faso.-Life & Origins:Ramata was born in 1976....
– backing vocals (3) - Massambou Wele Diallo – bolon (9)
- Oumar Diallo – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(13) - Fanga Diawara – njarka violinNjarkaThe njarka is a small fiddle made from a gourd, with one gut string, which is native to Mali. Probably the most notable njarka player was Ali Farka Touré....
(1, 7, 9) - Fain Dueñas – percussion (1, 3, 6, 9, 13)
- Pee Wee EllisPee Wee EllisAlfred "Pee Wee" Ellis is an American saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings...
– tenor saxTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
(1, 3, 13) - Souleye Kané – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10), calabash (3, 5, 11, 12)
- Mamadou Kelli – voice (11)
- Ali Magassa – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10), guitar (5)
- Etienne Mbappé – bass (6)
- Yacouba MoumouniYacouba MoumouniYacouba Moumouni is a singer and flautist, leader of the jazz-ethnic band from Niger, Mamar Kassey. Moumouni is probably the best known Nigerien musician outside the country, and is much beloved in his home country.-Biography:...
– flute (12) - Hammer Sankare – backing vocals (2, 5, 6, 7, 13)
- Sonny – bass (10)
- Little George Sueref – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1, 6, 8) - Marriame Tounkara – backing vocals (12)
- Brehima Toure – backing vocals (10)
- Oumar Touré – backing vocals (2, 6, 7, 10), congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s (3) - Yves Wernert – bass (1)