Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases nine recordings of Malian musican, singer, and composer Ali Farka Touré.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to for Ali Farka Touré and all the other musicians featured in this post for their musical legacy. Thanks also to the publishers of these sound files and videos on YouTube. And thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT ALI FARKA TOURE
From http://worldmusic.about.com/od/bandsartistsaz/p/AliFarkaToure.htm
"Ali Farka Toure - Basic Biography:
Ali Ibrahim "Farka" Toure was born in Niafunke, Mali in 1939 (the exact date is unknown). He was the first of ten sons to survive past infancy, and his parents thus gave him the nickname "Farka," which means "donkey," in honor of his tenacity. In his lifetime, he became one of Africa's most beloved musicians, and a superstar on the world music stage. He died of bone cancer on March 7, 2006.
His Calling:
Ali Farka Toure was not born into the traditional griot or jeli caste, the traditional lineage of most West African musicians. Rather, he was from a caste of soldiers, called the arma. However, Ali Farka decided that he wanted to be a musician and defied his family's wishes that he become a soldier. History repeated itself when his son, Vieux Farka Toure, also wanted to become a musician, and Ali Farka tried to encourage him to become a soldier, eventually relenting.
His Music:
Ali Farka Toure played both guitar and njarka (a one-stringed fiddle-like instrument). His style was one that Westerners dubbed "the African blues," and indeed, it bore a striking (and entirely non-coincidental) resemblance to the American blues, though Toure's style was in fact evolved from a common ancestor to the blues, and was not necessarily a product of Toure's having heard American blues or early rock music"...
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9
"Ali Ibrahim "Farka" Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006) was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians.[1] His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese's often quoted characterization of Touré's tradition as constituting "the DNA of the blues".[2] Touré was ranked number 37 on Spin magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
…As the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity on his home continent, Touré was often known as "the African John Lee Hooker".[5] Musically, the many superpositions of guitars and rhythms in his music were similar to John Lee Hooker's hypnotic blues style. He usually sang in one of several African languages, mostly Songhay, Fulfulde, Tamasheq or Bambara[4] as on his breakthrough album, Ali Farka Touré, which established his reputation in the world music community.
In 2002 he appeared with Black American blues and reggae performer Corey Harris, on an album called Mississippi to Mali (Rounder Records). Toure and Harris also appeared together in Martin Scorsese's 2003 documentary film Feel Like Going Home,[6] which traced the roots of blues back to its genesis in West Africa. The film was narrated by Harris and features Ali's performances on guitar and njarka.
...In 2004 Touré became mayor of Niafunké and spent his own money grading the roads, putting in sewer canals and fuelling a generator that provided the impoverished town with electricity.[4]
In September 2005, he released the album In the Heart of the Moon, a collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, for which he received a second Grammy award.[4] His last album, Savane, was posthumously released in July 2006. …The album has also been listed as No. 1 in the influential Metacritic's "Best Albums of 2006" poll,[9] and No. 5 in its all-time best reviewed albums.[10] Ali Farka Touré has also been nominated for the BBC Radio 3 awards 2007."...
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FEATURED VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order based on their publishing dates on YouTube with the examples with the oldest dates presented first.
Example #1: Feel Like Being Home
TheQuaveringOnes, Uploaded on Feb 10, 2009
The Quavering Ones is happy to share this take out from "Feel Like Going Home", a documentary (from the Martin Scorsese's ...Presents The Blues series), that investigate the african roots concealed behind the traditional american blues. Blues artist Corey Harris traveling from the American South to West Africa and back again, deliver us a remarkable collection that spotlights the past, present, and future of this historically important musical genre.
In this excerpt the african-american blues Artist interview the Legendary african bluesman Ali Farka Toure, who go back in time and retrace the historical connection and the common spiritual approach that characterise and tie together the two cultures.
The fine soundtrack through original performances (including Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner) and rare archival footage that knocks the dust off of the blues and exposes its vital and creative center. Highlights include the wild and eerie sound of Othar Turner and Napoleon Strickland's fife and drum ensembles and the up-to-the-minute trance-inducing blues of Willie King & the Liberators. On "Terrorized," King sings: "You talk about terror/I've been terrorized all my life.
-snip-
The music in the beginning of this video is played by African American Otha Turner and two other African American musicians.
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Example #2: Ali Farka Touré-Allah Uya
Don Patron, Uploaded on Sep 9, 2009
Niafunké
-comment from Don Patron, 2005
"(uploader) There is no translation for the lyrics anywhere but Ali himself wrote for this song: "God is unique.I went to Koranic school for eight years and whether you are a believer or not when you hear this song,God is present and knows what you are thinking."
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Example #3: Ali Farka Toure - Heygana.wmv
JuraBL, Uploaded on Nov 26, 2009
The River! Heyganaaaaaaa, heyganaaaaaa....
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Example #4: Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Sabu Yerkoy
World Circuit Records, Uploaded on Jan 25, 2010
'Sabu Yerkoy' is the second single to be released from the forthcoming album 'Ali and Toumani' by the GRAMMY winning Malian greats Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The track is a digital only release
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Example #5: Ali Farka Toure- The River- Ai Bine
jhaat_k_baal, Uploaded on Sep 8, 2010
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Example #6: Africa Festival Lisboa 2005 - Ali Farka Toure - july 22nd
africafestivallx, Uploaded on Oct 11, 2010
MONSANTO
ALI FARKA TOURE voz, guitarra | ALI MAGASSA guitarra, voz | BASSEKOU KOUYATE n'goni | SOULEYMANE KANE cabaça, djembé, voz | OUMAR AMADOUN TOURE congas, voz | OUMAR DIALLO baixo
(convidado TOUMANI DIABATE Kora)
conteúdo/espectáculo promovido pelas Festas de Lisboa
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Example #7: Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté - Debe live at Bozar
World Circuit Records, Uploaded on May 19, 2011
Live recording of the song 'Debe', from Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté's first album 'In the heart of the moon'.
Filmed at Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, in 2005
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Example #8: Ali Farka Toure- African Blues- Petenere
jhaat_k_baal, Uploaded on Sep 16, 2011
from the album African Blues
Music : "Green: Petenere" by Ali Farka Toure
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Example #8: Boubacar Traoré & Ali Farka Touré - Duna Ma Yelema
NoBorders Campos, Published on May 8, 2013
Je Chanterai pour Toi - A film by Jacques Sarasin
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