Although a treat for fans, “Foly! Live Around the World” may not be the best introduction to the music of Malian singer-guitarist Habib Koite and his quintet, Bamada.  A 2 1/2 – hour live set recorded on a 2002 European tour, the album includes some protracted instrumental passages and audience participation gambits of the you-had-to-be-there variety.  Still, for those who have been there – as well as sympathetic first-timers – the album is frequently enchanting.

Bamada’s percussive but gentle sound is based primarily on the rippling interplay between Koite’s guitar and Keletigui Diabate’s balafon (a xylophone-like instrument).  Vocal harmonies boost the melodies of such songs as “Batoumambe” and the jazzy “Cigarette Abana,” but most of the band’s interplay is instrumental.  (This 18-song selection doesn’t include the vocally rich “Baro,” the title track of Koite’s most recent solo album.) Although the longer solos sometimes meander, either Koite or Diabate can dazzle all by himself, and when their shimmering melodic figures tightly intertwine, the effect is mesmerizing.