Monday Music: Mali (Feat. Quentin Dujardin), by Kalaban Coura

Once again, I’m posting some monday music on a tuesday. Lol. Anyway, I found this on an Uber ride home yesterday evening.

In December 2008, after losing my bag in the flight between Casablanca & Bamako, I had no other choice than staying for a while in the capital of Mali. Waiting for my luggage, I was invited by the painter, Oumar Cisse to stay in the neighborhood of Kalaban Coura (3 miles from the airport). Living there with his family, I was playing the guitar in front of the house everyday. That’s how I met up unexpectedly with guitarist-vocalist Kalil Sidy Haïdara.

Kalil has touched me through his style very much inspired by a traditional instrument called an n’goni (small kora). The whole days we spent jamming on the streets of the Kalaban Coura neighborhood brought back memories of another meeting, dating from 2003, with the Moroccan singer-violinist in Marrakech, Jalal El Allouli: absolutely unexpected and intense. What could be more natural than to envisage bringing together our musical feelings through this new project colored with blues, sounds from the desert and, of course, guitars! – Quentin Dujardin

I’m still going through their album, but I’m really digging this song.

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