Track Listing

1. Debe
2. Kala
3. Mamadou Boutiquier
4. Monsieur Le Maire De Niafunke
5. Kaira
6. Simbo
7. Ai Ga Bani
8. Soumbou Ya Ya
9. Naweye Toro
10. Kadi Kadi
11. Gomni
12. Hawa Dolo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16868 in Music
• Released on: 2005-06-27
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Guitarist Ali Farka Touré and kora player Toumani Diabaté, both of whom come from Mali, are two of Africa’s greatest musicians. In the Heart of the Moon is their first full-length album collaboration and it is also the first new album by either artist in 5 years. The original idea was that they would duet on just one track, but their creativity could not be contained, and the result is an album’s worth of new material. There were no rehearsals, and the improvised performances were recorded over three magical two-hour sessions at the Hotel Mandé, on the banks of the Niger River, in Bamako, Mali.

With Ali on acoustic guitar and Toumani’s kora, there was some extraordinary interplay between the pair. The recordings also feature subtle contributions from Ry Cooder on kawai piano & ripley guitar, Sekou Kante and Cachaíto López on bass, and Joachim Cooder and Lekan Babalola on percussion.

Customer Reviews

Set the controls for the heart of the moon ... (a layman's view)
I know little about world music and came to buy this having heard Toumani Diabaté's contributions to the Damon Albarn's co-authored Mali Music. I can see that some of the reviews here from the world music community have levelled accusations that this album is rather bland and that it has been watered-down to render it inoffensive for the wider music-buying community. Others have said that it is background music and that the musicians' playing is quite average and uninspired by their standards. From a layman's point of view, I cannot question the authenticity of the recording but can attest to the beauty of the music. If the accusation is that it is too simple, then my argument would be that simplicity is not necessarily a bad thing. The interplay between the guitarists is repetetive but rather hypnotic and certainly atmospheric. It is true that it doesn't always hold the attention, but the grooves often have an insistence that find a way of worming their way back into the consciousness. The mood is pretty invariable, and there are not really any singular moments to point to, but this is heartwarming, becalming stuff that you can really abandon yourself to if in the right mood. Let yourself be carried away.

Fly me to the moon...
This album is a must have for anyone with a taste for African music and a very good introduction for those who would like to know more about it and don't know where to start. The duet between Ali Farka Toure on the guitar and Toumani Diabate on the kora, two of the greatest Malian musicians, is sublime. Listening to this CD will take you on a sail boat trip watching the peaceful landscape of River Niger without any environmental cost. I've had an enthusiastic response from anyone I played this CD to. This album is a great gift idea too.

simplicity
I have given this CD to a few of my friends as a present and hit the bullseye each time. Some of the reviews I've read totally miss the point: the music is simple, direct and beautiful. One friend said they fell into a trance during one track (no, not because it was boring, but because it has the effect of reaching inside you). Here are two great musicians coming together and communicating in the most easy and relaxed manner. It's a perfect stress buster. You can only gain by owning a copy.