'Voyageur' is out now on CD, LP or digital: worldcircuit.lnk.to/AFTVoyageur
A beautiful new and previously unheard track from the great Malian guitarist and king of the ‘Desert Blues’, Ali Farka Touré. ‘Cherie’ features Malian superstar diva Oumou Sangaré, a close long-time friend of Ali’s. Sangaré features on a total of 3 tracks from the album ‘Voyageur’ out now via World Circuit on CD, LP and digital formats.
Of the collaboration, which was recorded in London in 1995 and has never been released until now, Oumou comments: “Ali Farka Touré was not only an important artist, but he was also a humanitarian. He provided me with a lot of support when I started out in music, like a protective big brother, and he was proud of my achievements on African development. Ali and I often used to sing together for Malian audiences, and this session is the only recorded trace of our musical harmony. Sadly, Ali is no longer with us… but I know he would have been very pleased with it. I am very proud to have participated in this album.”
Produced by World Circuit’s Nick Gold with Ali’s son Vieux Farka Touré, ‘Voyageur’ is the first release of unheard Ali Farka Touré material since 2010’s posthumous Grammy-winning ‘Ali & Toumani’, and features a collection of gems captured at various points in Ali’s illustrious career, reaffirming Ali’s status as a globally revered legend of African music. Captured spontaneously over the course of 15 years, on the road and in the studio between sessions for other albums, the songs on ‘Voyageur’ were all of immense personal importance to Ali. They reflect his passionate commitment to the creativity and cultural diversity of his homeland, and a life spent in motion, as a traveller - a Voyageur - between the desert stages of Timbuktu, studios of West Hollywood, the concert halls of London and Tokyo, and tiny villages strung out on the Malian riverside, where Ali was - of course - known by everyone. ‘Safari’, the first track to be taken from the album, is also available now.
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