Blues Run the Game

(special shout out to my man John R. aka DJ Gnosis over at Black Century for this posting's title.)

As infrequently as this blog is updated, rest assured it is even more infrequently read. Surprisingly, that didn't stop the good folks at World Circuit Records (of Buena Vista Social Club fame) from stopping by to drop off a copy of their latest release from two musical legends. 'Kala Djula' is an instrumental number from Malian recording artists Ali and Toumani (not to be confused with this duo), better known as Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The tune displays the virtuosity of these two incredibly diverse African musicians, with Touré on guitar, and Diabaté on the countrymen's native stringed gourd, the kora. The result is a beautiful balance of dancing melodies, more reminiscent of an 19th-century Italian drawing room than a 21st-century "digital single." The album Ali & Toumani is available on itunes, amazon, etc. and "Kala Djula' is streaming on World Circuit here.
I first heard Ali Farka Touré on 1994's Talking Timbuktu with perennial "world musician" (and guitar legend in his own right) Ry Cooder. Although Touré passed in 2006, he is still recognized by many as one of the greatest guitar players to walk the planet. The link between West African music and the American blues is all but invisible when Touré picked up his instrument. I'll let him explain it in his own words...