[Squeek]

The blind couple from Mali...I came across these two a few months ago and the album has been in heavy rotation ever since. It never fails to get my foot tapping!

See the Wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadou_%26_Mariam

This is a terrific album. I did a search and did not find anything of real substance here at headfi. They have an incredilbe story, and they create music that transcends genres. It is really quite beautiful.

Directly from the article "The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. All these elements put together have been referred to as "Afro-blues".

I strongly recommend a listen.

 

[Sleestack]

My friend is their tour manager. They were in San Fran not too long ago. Defintely great music that sounds even better live.

 

[Squeek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleestack My friend is their tour manager. They were in San Fran not too long ago. Defintely great music that sounds even better live.

Seriously? Cool! I would love if they came to Ottawa.

I hope they find some fame. They are deserving to say the least. 30 years in the business, grinding it out through touring to spread the word. They really are amazing. I can only imagine how tough it must be for a band from west Africa to make their content known to the rest of the world.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleestack My friend is their tour manager. They were in San Fran not too long ago. Defintely great music that sounds even better live.

I saw the show at Bimbo's 365 Club in SF and it was truly excellent. Amadou is an amazing guitar player and great singer, and Miriam adds a lot of flavor with her vocals and her general presence. They seem to be so in love it is great to watch. They are center stage and are always touching as a reference point for each other. Miriam is escorted off-stage every once in a while, but he played the entire set.

The real heart-string-puller was M'bife, which Miriam sang in at least English, French, and Bambara (I guess that is the language--as on the record), and every time she sang "it means I love you" (in each language) she rubbed his head. All the while he played his Strat and sang his parts. Very touching, really.

 

[pds6]

I wrote a review and then checked to make sure no prior post and by God there was one:

This has been a weekend of listening to a lot of World Music. This is my last album. I bought it about a month ago, but hadn't the time to rip it.

The album is Dimanche A Bamako (Sunday in Bamako) by Amadou & Mariam. They are a blind husband and wife team that have been performing for some thirty years. Even though they have been stars in West Africa, this is their first "major" release. They are from Mali (same place as the more famous Ali Farka Toure).

The album was recorded in 2004 and released in 2005. It contains 15 songs and has a run-time of 57 minutes. The album is a very rich mixture of African-Pop. Many critics center their praise around "Senegal Fast Food", "Coulibaly," and "Politic Amagni." They are three very strong songs.

In my opinion, the two best songs on the album are "Artistiya" and "Djanfa". I have heard "Djanfa" in some other forum, but for the life of me cannot remember. The price of the album is "Artistiya". The song is a masterpiece of a progressive chant - Absolutely beautiful.

The majority of the singing is performed by Mariam. Her voice become another instrument; blending in with the drums, violins, flutes, guitars and horns.

A very wonderful World Music recording.

WARNING:

I LOVE THIS ALBUM, BUT YOU MAY NOT ..... BUT YOU MAY.

Good Luck