The Fourth Case of the African Desert Crossing

It's another out-of-turn week on TAOES... we stay in the Motherland today for a special occasion edition of the big show.

The special occasion this week is a Portland appearance by one of my very favorite artists from the contemporary African music scene:  Bassekou Kouyate will be performing Wednesday Oct 15 at the Alberta Rose theatre in NE Portland!

Bassekou Kouyate is from Mali, and his music follows the historical genres of the griot class musicians of Western Africa, a tradition that dates back to the ancient Manding empire of that region. Accordingly, the playlist today highlights traditional folk compositions and instruments of Western Africa, with a focus on Mali.

The first hour today is almost entirely devoted to the African folk music revival of the past decade. I have snuck in just a few historical tracks into this set of traditional music. I begin the set with a cluster of songs by Bassekou Kouyate spanning all his Western LP releases.

The second hour today transitions into the great orchestral music of Mali's golden era, the 1970s. We start with one more track by Bassekou Kouyate (this time featuring his pal Taj Mahal!), then we sample increasingly dense and impressive dancehall orchestra pieces from Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Fasso. Some of my all-time favorite African music here.