Griot Tradition

No hint of any crossover or fusion on this album entitled Mandekalou - The Art And Soul of the Mande Griots. The album is filled with impassioned declamatory singing and complex, interweaving instrumental patterns. The music of the Mande griots is arguably Africa's greatest claim to a significant cultural tradition as well as the source of some of the most vital popular music in the region. The Mande Empire stretched over vast swathes of west Africa, from the Atlantic coast in the west to Niger in the east and from Mauritania in the north to Ivory Coast in the south. The griots were the praise singers who kept alive the oral history of the people. The musicians assembled for this recording are maybe not "star" names in western eyes, the most well known probably being guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. But they are all hugely respected in Mali and the tradition of the music is reflected in the participation of so many with the same iconic family names; Kouyate, Camara, Diabate, Kante, Sissoko etc. Unlike many albums aimed at western audiences, the stress here is on the voacls. The instumental underpinnings revolve around balafon ( a kind of wooden vibraphone ) kora and acoustic guitars, with various kinds of percussion. Another interesting aspect is the inclusion of female griots to take some of the lead singing as well as backing harmonies.