Third Day of Light

Yesterday I paid my tribute to John Mayall, and then last night I learned that kora master Toumani Diabaté passed away in his home in Mali at age 58. Impermanence is swift. 

The kora is a traditional African instrument with 21 strings and a resonator body. The sound is something between a harp and a lute, and Malian masters like Diabaté use it to weave complex, hypnotic patterns of sound. It is so easy to get lost in the soothing sounds of the kora when in the hands of a master like Diabaté. 

Note: the name "Diabaté: is very common in Mali - it's like "Smith" in England or "Johnson" in the U.S. Toumani was born into a long line of Diabaté musicians and has traced his lineage back to 70 generations (!) of performers.

An adventurous collaborator, he's played with virtually every other African musician of note. He appears on Bjork's album, Volta, and recorded an album in Athens, Georgia. with blues musician Taj Mahal. He has a album of duets with the free-jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd (Archie Shepp Quintet, Liberation Music Orchestra, etc.). He's played with flamenco ensembles and collaborated with the bluegrass banjo master Bela Fleck.   

I first discovered him back during the file-sharing years of Napster and Usenet, when I would promiscuously download almost anything since there was no cost other than disc space. His music was one of those chance discoveries that makes me remember those days so fondly.

I could go on and on, but do your own research. I don't mean that dismissively or to be curt - it's more rewarding (and exciting) to explore on your own. As for Spotify, there's no such thing as a "bad" Toumani Diabaté recording, and you really can't go wrong with wherever you start. But be forewarned: once you "get it," the hook is set and you won't want to stop listening.