Ali Farka Touré – Niafunké (World Circuit Music, 1999)
Malian guitarist and singer Ali Farka Touré released Niafunké on World Circuit Music in 1999, a delightful album named after the village on the Niger River where it was recorded. The project highlight Touré’s diverse, nuanced and virtuosic guitar techniques. It leans heavily on traditional Malian styles, call and response vocals and desert blues. At the same time, it reflects Touré’s decision to develop his late-career work in his home region.
Touré described Niafunké as an attempt to capture the environment that produced his music. It was recorded in the place where the music has a rightful place, in deep Mali. Touré envisioned the album as a means to represent where he came from, the rural way of life, and it was full of significant messages for Africans. He acknowledged that listeners in the West might hear it mainly as entertainment but expressed hope that some would take the time to listen and learn.
Niafunké became the first in a run of albums recorded in and around his hometown, appearing just as Touré retired from international touring to work on his farm in a remote part of Mali. The album was produced by World Circuit’s Nick Gold, with Jerry Boys as audio engineer.
Musicians: Affel Bocoum on acoustic guitar; Ali Farka Touré on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, percussion, liner notes, songwriter; Djeneba Doukoure on backing vocals; Fatoumata Traore on backing vocals; Hamidou Sare on backing vocals; Hamma Sankare on backing vocals, calabash; Souleye Kane on jembe; and Yoro Cisse on njurkle traditional guitar.
Buy Niafunké.
Author: Madison Quinn
