Cora Ruling....

After a long pause in this blog I am returning fresh with inspiration fuelled by new music explorations which has the Cora firmly placed in the centre of the stage. A new album by a previously unheard of artist in Europe, Amadou Sodia, 'Ca Va Se Savoir' , graces the ears with a Salif Keita style of sound - strong male vocals backed by female singers which provide a rhythmic echo, in the first track adiananco, moving the sound into a rolling swell. It's a great quality recording, capturing all the sounds of the instruments without cluttering the overall sound. Here a sample here.



Due to the unique way in which the Cora can have multiple melodies operating at any one time, and due the fact that it is a great instrument for creating layers of sound and because music in Europe has taken from the quantizing of sound to a 4/4 beat across all the music genres, the Cora has great potential for bringing traditional African music to a wider audience. African artists such as Ba Cissoko have already ventured into this territory with modest results. One of the first artists to do this back in 2002 was Issa Bagayogo, and his latest album is a true crossover into dance music and what is becoming the genre of cora house music! Its framing is still in Malian music but has more of a club house production which results in a sound that will cross over very well into dance and popular British music if marketed right. Again a superb quality recording that really brings out the different instruments articulating the landscape within. 'Tcheni Tchemakan' is featured here and is one of the best of the album called 'Mali Koura'.


A new album has also been released by Roika Traore, 'Tchamantche', which is a break from her first album, and has a more of a varied range of songs from blues to soul, and traditional malian pieces. There is no mistaking the sublime voice this artist has and I am reminded of the voice of Deborah Dyer (of Skunk Anasie) as she has the same ability to add a cold and chilling edge to her performance.. I have no doubt that this is one recording that needs to be enjoyed on a first rate audio system to appreciate the depth and emotion contained within each of the tracks.. You can sample 'Kounandi' here.


Last…it's back to pure Cora, however this time with a cultural twist. It comprises a talented trio of musicians from Madagascar, Mali and Morocco. Rajery, Ballake Sissoko and Driss El Maloumi respectively provide an intercultural exchange of sounds from these three countries. For those already familiar with artists such as Toumani Diabate, the late Ali Farka Toure, Ba Cissoko and other Cora kings, this album is a worthwhile addition to the collection. Here is a sample from the album '3Ma', the track 'Awal' here.

I’ll be back sooner next time, keep listening to World.

Dilon Djindji - Timing is everything

From the sound of the sitars we journey back across the Indian Ocean to the south coast of Africa. Here we find the musical neighbour to Madagascar, a style called Marrabenta which has its roots in the capital city of Maputo, and its heritage in one man's shoes, Dilon Djindji.

He is to Marrabenta what James Brown became to funk, and his first album, simply entitled Dilon, comes at the tender age of 75. He began his road to musicianship at the age of 12 when he made himself a three-stringed guitar out of an oilcan, soon to be upgraded to a six-string version. Through a lifetime which includes pastoral work, time spent in the mines of South-Africa and a final return to his home district of Marracuene, he has notched up a reputation of being 'a man of a thousand stories'.

This album features songs that were performed over a fifteen year period from 1950 onwards and shows that more than half a century ago the people of Mozambique were quietly enjoying a musical revolution all of their own.

The track featured here, Maria Teresa, tells the story of one man torn between two women.

Dilon Djindji - Maria Teresa

Modeste - Living our Destiny

Off the south-east coast of Africa lies Madagascar and if you journey a little further in you will find Modeste Hugues Randramahitasoa, and his album Fomba (Living our Destiny), offering a musical canvas filled with the sounds of the Betroka region.

A musician since the age of 15, the musical style is called Malagasy and it combines the natural sounds of the African bush with the warm undertones found in the traditional South African gospel tradition.

The music itself is beautifully played and structured, and manages to convey a feeling of serenity and solitude – it’s just Modeste and his guitar on stage. It’s also interesting to compare his music with that of Afel Bocoum from Mali - both musicians with the guitar - to note the differences the environment can play on the music (Afel Bocoum on the River Niger, and Modeste on the Onilahy River).

His music also manages to evoke an air of melancholy and reflection, something I find more common in South American performers such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil or going back a bit, Astrud Gilberto. You can judge for yourself....

Modeste - Fomba
Modeste’s set at the Europe in Union Concert, September 2003