Bassekou Kouyate & Amy Sacko

About

Taj Mahal once called Bassekou Kouyaté a genius and living proof that the blues came out of Mali, and it's hard to argue. Kouyaté is the undisputed master of the ngoni, a long necked traditional West African string instrument, and he has pushed it far beyond its origins by adding extra strings and running it through effects gear. The result sits somewhere at the crossroads of blues, jazz and traditional Malian music, played with a virtuosity that feels genuinely rare. In the program Folo Djelia, Kouyaté turns to his Griot roots and reinterprets the music of his parents. Alongside him is his wife and vocalist Amy Sacko, whose voice gives the whole thing an intimate, almost chamber music quality. It is deeply personal material delivered with serious craft.