The World for Peace begins with Vieux Farka Touré requesting his ancestors to join together for peace in Mali. Khaira Arby of Timbuktu in northern Mali chants for peace in her Tuareg language of Tamashek, and Bassekou Kouyate plays the ngoni as JeConte & The Mali All-Stars call for peace.
“While recording and living in Bamako and performing throughout Mali, we as musicians felt now more than ever there needed to be an International movement for peace in Mali,” says singer, harmonica player and producer JeConte. “I had been speaking with Khaira Arby, Bassekou Kouyate, Vieux Farka Touré and Toumani Diabate about the situation, and they all agreed that music is something that brings people together and that Mali needs this now more than ever.”
“We have started a nonprofit called soulnow.org (Save Our Universal Language Now) that will focus on raising funds for Mali,” adds JeConte.
“LeMonde pour la Paix” is the first track to be released from JeConte & The Mali All-Stars’ upcoming album “Mali Blues for Peace,” to be released this Fall. The band is currently mixing and mastering the album and working on booking their US and Europe tour dates for fall 2012.
The Mali All-Stars will be playing at the Menil Festival in Paris on the 1st of June, and performing throughout Paris from May 31st to June 5th to gather support for their fall tour.
To learn more about the band and upcoming tour dates visit www.themaliblues.com.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
