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Special reports
The origin of the blues
From Mali to Mississippi
11/06/2007 - Niafunké -
Is there such a thing as the Malian blues? The question has been asked a thousand times. A little over a year after the death of Mali’s veteran guitar hero Ali Farka Touré the debate about the origin of the blues remains as topical as ever. High time for RFI Musique to investigate the Mali/Mississippi connection.
Exploring musical links between Mali and Mississippi has become a popular pastime in recent years and no-one would dispute the evidence that the two places are closely related in the story of the blues. Read on
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Bassékou Kouyate in Niafunké. According to Kouyate "the roots of the blues" lie in Ségou (300 km from Bamako), rather than Niafunké.
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Ali Diaba Kouyate, a Tamashek musician from Dofana and his traditional guitar, near the Mauritanian border. Ali Diaba plays traditional Tamashek rhythms where the famous "blue note" often appears.
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The renowned n’goni-player Bassékou Kouyate is a griot from Ségou who has reworked pentatonic modes used in local music which was played at the royal court in the 18th century. Live on stage, he serves up wild "n’goni blues."
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Alkibar Junior, one of the young generation of Niafunké musicians who has been influenced by recently discovered musical links between Mississippi and northern Mali. He makes full use of "bending notes" and other borrowings from the blues, proving that the Mali-Mississippi connection works both ways.
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A pile of cassettes at Radio Issaber, a local radio station in Niafunké. The radio archives are packed with recordings of traditional musicians from the region playing "homegrown sounds."
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Bassékou Kouyate in Niafunké. According to Kouyate "the roots of the blues" lie in Ségou (300 km from Bamako), rather than Niafunké.
