Product Description

Segu Blue is the first solo album by Malian ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate. It features a ngoni quartet and guest musicians Kasse Mady Diabate, Lobi Traore, Lassana Diabate and singers Zoumana Tereta and Bassekou's wife, Ami Sacko. The album has been produced by Lucy Durán, recorded at studio Bogolan in Bamako by Yves Wernert and mixed in London by Jerry Boys (the man responsible for recording and mixing `Buena Vista Social Club' amongst others).

The songs on `Segu Blue' tell the story of one of the last pre-colonial Malian empires: the Bambara empire of Segou founded by Bitòn Mamary Coulibaly in 1712. The CD's 20-page booklet draws up a vivid picture of Malian social life before the colonial powers subdued the last local empires.

Awards:

The BBC Radio 3 Critics 'Album of the Year' Award for World Music 2008 was announced on Saturday 1st December 2007 and the winner was Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba's debut album Segu Blue. Bassekou & Ngoni Ba were also nominated for two further World Music Awards in the 'Newcomer' & 'Africa' categories.

Rated as one of Songlines magazine's 'Top of the World' albums for May 2007:

"Segu Blue is a very special record that deserves the widest audience" - Songlines magazine

"Top Ten World Albums: Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba – Segu Blue" - Mojo magazine

Track Listing

1. Tabli Te
2. Bassekou
3. Jonkoloni
4. Juru Nani - Kouyate, Bassekou & Ngoni Ba/Kasse Mady Diabate
5. Mbowdi - Kouyate, Bassekou & Ngoni Ba/Zoumana Tereta
6. River Tune
7. Andra's Song
8. Ngoni Fola
9. Banani - Kouyate, Bassekou & Ngoni Ba/Lobi Traore
10. Bala - Kouyate, Bassekou & Ngoni Ba/Kasse Mady Diabate
11. Lament For Ali Farka
12. Segu Blue (Poyi)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1677 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-26
• Number of discs: 1

Observer Music Monthly (Charlie Gillett)
There's a delicious sound to this record, whose warm, cohesive textures linger in the mind long after it finishes, luring the listener to go and play it again ... Remarkable.

Jazzwise
A delight from start to finish, both modernising and exploring the traditions of the ancient traditional lute. International recognition for the ngoni is long overdue. Glorious.

The Guardian
Both ancient and utterly contemporary .... like some African answer to Hendrix.

Customer Reviews

Nearly as good as seeing them live
I was fortunate enough to see Bassekou and his Ngoni Ba live and I spent the entire concert with a big grin on my face (I couldn't help it). The exuberance, style and sheer fun of them playing together also comes across on the album. If,like me, you don't know much about African music but want a great place to start you may just have found it. The problem will be finding something as good to follow it

Qui a mange tous les tartes?
Trudging around Charlton Park WOMUD last week, I found one of Bassekou's wellington boots in the mud outside the Siam Tent. It's size 13 in red, gold and green with a small compass inset into the heel. If he wants it back, I would be grateful if he could perform at the Trades Club, Hebden Bridge before returning home to Mali. However, he better be quick because John Martyn has his eye on it.

high quality unique African sound
This album provides over an hour of high-quality African music which would be a good way in for someone wanting to hear some traditionally-flavoured African music, or for those like me building a collection of the increasingly excellent stuff coming out of Africa these days.

The album centres on the ngoni, a four-stringed banjo/guitar type instrument, which originated in one particular part of Africa.

The tracks are a mixture of slower and more upbeat tempos, and the musicians use a variety of vocalists on the album, including some excellent female vocalists, but whether the tracks are instrumental or full songs, each one is an experience.