Ali Farka Toure – in the Heart of the Moon (2LPs, World Circuit)

The two superstars of West African music with their first co-production, now also available as double vinyl including download code. Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate are among the most famous West African musicians. In The Heart Of The Moon was not only their first collaboration for a full album, but also the first work by both musicians in many years. What began as an idea for a single duet ended with a whole record full of ideas, musical improvisations and spontaneity. Recorded in three two-hour sessions at the Hotel Mande in Bamako, Mali, an extraordinary dialogue emerged between Toure’s acoustic guitar and Diabate’s kora. Ry Cooder on piano and guitar, Sekou Kante and Cachaito Lopez on bass and Joachim Cooder and Lekan Babalola on percussion were involved in the album. Ali Farka Toure, who died in 2006, is known as the John Lee Hooker of Africa and is one of the most prominent representatives of West African music in the West. Toumani Diabate also comes from Mali and is considered a master of the kora, a 21-sided harp. Western pop audiences know him from his work with Taj Mahal and Damon Albarn (Blur). The English music magazine Mojo raved about the most beautiful music in the world. Page