Daba

The simple, unaffected, sound of the traditional ngoni (lute) is one of West Africa's most distinctive and evocative musical delights. In Mali it is the stringed instrument most associated to the troubadour-like tradition of the jeli or griot (West African praise singer or storyteller). Ngoni player Makan ‘Badjé' Tounkara is from a griot family – his grandfather Djeli Baba Sissoko being one of the most celebrated of them. Tounkara has worked with many of the most famous singers from Mali, Guinea and Senegal and this is his third solo album. He is steeped in tradition but he is also an innovator, having added three more strings to the conventionally four-stringed ngoni. It is evident on Daba that this gives him great instrumental flexibility. The album is an exceptionally pleasing mix of instrumentals and vocal tracks.
Some of the music is stripped back all the way – just the arid sound of solo ngoni – while other songs have two or three additional lutes and percussion accompaniment. Awa Tounkara sings lead on several songs; she is a fine female singer with rich earthy tones. The virtuoso instrumental playing really makes this disc stand out, particularly the way Makan Badjé Tounkara bends occasional notes to give them a blues flavour, as on the instrumental track ‘Océan' with its splendid bubbling talking drum accompaniment.