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CD Review
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Whole Music Experience, CD Review >>
So now let's hop over to the United Kingdom where Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita collaborates with an Egyptian violinist, an Italian double bassist and his West African relatives on the CD, The Silimbo Passage. There is no getting away from the West African griot sound even if this group explores music outside the "Afro-Mandinka" kingdom such as European jazz, classical and soul music as mentioned on the CD cover.
The opening track, Bimo features a gorgeous duet with Keita and his sister Binta Suso. Samy Bishai's violin snakes along and we can also hear Kieta's cousin, Surahata Susso hammering away on those calabashes. This intriguing track whets the appetite and sends listeners' ears on a sonic adventure.
Mande Arab has both a European classical and Arab-Andalusian feel to it. Suso shows off her vocal range and talent in a remarkable fashion as her brother's kora shimmers delicately in the background and a lonely violin conjures images of camels traveling across a vast desert. The gossamer Chelima features a beautiful dance between violin, bass and kora. And each of the album's songs comes off as polished musical gems, carefully crafted and sustained by cultural exchange and a passion for exotic music.
These are CDs that I will keep around to listen to when the world feels too dark. I find this music uplifting and I promise myself to get a healthy dose of it now and in the future. I will also listen to the CDs when I already feel good. 09/15/08 >> go there
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