Ali Farka Toure performance (Mali)

Selected viewer comments:

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Posted in 2009:

dogonman- Don't understand what he sings but i feel this music spiritually  connected to me!!!

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AnupamMalini-i completely agree with you friend

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doctorpep1-This is definitely great music. I am very interested in finding links between traditional West African music and early American Country Blues music. However, when I hear African music, I do not know which notes, chords, scales, etc., are to be attributed to West Africa and which are a result of colonialism/European influence. Can someone with a musicological background direct me to a "pure" West African music video on Youtube so that I can try to compare it to some of the Country Blues I know?

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doctorpep1- Or is this impossible, due to the effects of colonialization, not to mention American Blues, Jazz and Rock guitar influences?

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adeart7- Well you have to start with the penatonic scale, but this scale is also found in Irish music. But as you know, slaves interacted with Irish/Scots a great deal in early U.S. music. Check out Soul Survior's channel. He has some samples of early african and scottish american hymns....

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zanobian61- The music played in Jamica, Haiti, most of Latin America, African American Church choir,blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, soul, disco, salssa,tango dancing ( la rumba in Africa) etc. are all based on African tunes and music that to the present day can be found in Africa using primitive insturments that produce the same sound as modern instruments.Congo (Zaire) have been pressing records since the early 1960s.Just thank the poor African souls who gave the world all the above.....please.

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KushaDwipa-There are books and articles already written on the influence of the music of West Africa on American Blues as well as on its influence in the early British Isles.

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doctorpep1- I'm absolutely not disputing that. I'm just wondering how much of the music from Mali that we are hearing today has NOT been influenced by Western music via records and cds. Don't you think that by the year 2009 there has been some influence from (black) American music?

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KushaDwipa- Yes that is known as Ali Farka toure came over here and Ken Burns documentary has already spoken about that. I don't think that anyone would say otherwise, just as they would not say the old blues artists of the South never were influenced greatly by music from the traditional Malian era. The traditional music of both the Mississippi and Mali is basically the same.

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doctorpep1- Which Ken Burns documentary are you speaking of? Are you talking about the Scorcese mess from a few years ago?

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KushaDwipa- Didn't Burns make a documentary on American Jazz mentioning the blues artists? Or was it Scorcese that focused on Ali Fark Toure.

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ZarzisUsa- why people try to discredit the african music? if you go to any african country you will see the traditional guitar.what farka is golding is a westernized/glorified version.I'm surprized that doctorpepper didnt say that ali farka is singing in english! stop hating let the guy play in peace.I doubt that ali farka took tupak or big's music!

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brutussmithicus- Adeart said it - the pentatonic scale was probably kept alive orally in America until emancipated slaves could access instruments like guitars and harmonicas - then early blues was born. Also, the triplet rhythms you hear in West Africa dropped the middle beat & became the blues shuffle.

Add some European chord structures + straight rhythms and you then have rock'n roll.

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brutussmithicus-If you want to hear some rootsier Malian music played on traditional instruments like the ngoni, check out the amazing Bassekou Kouyate - there's some vids of him on here.

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Zarzis - I think you need to take a chill pill mate, everyone on here seems to love the great man. Ali Farka's sound is very close to traditional Toureg music but he certainly heard a lot of western music beffore he ever got into a recording studio :-)

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VraiDiouf-Rootsier music? What kind of nonsensical talk is this? There are different styles of music in Mali like there is in every part of the world. Ali Farka Touré is a Songhai, and Songhai music sounds like this. Bassekou Kouyaté is a Mandé (Bambara) they have their own style of music.

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brutussmithicus- I described Bassekou Kouyate as being rootsier because he doesn't use electric guitars, FX pedals and electric bass to create his music. Ali's music is influenced by many different styles - he even sings different Malian languages.

Both approaches to music are equally valid and both of these great artists create music that is truly beautiful. It is such a shame that some people choose to argue rather then listen.

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Kyani365 - Sounds a little bit indian.

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muumdavid- huh lol

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VraiDiouf-There is nothing Indian sounding about this. This is traditional Sahelian African music.

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shawondemand- Actually it does song a bit Indian. I'm Punjabi, and it somewhat has the same style. It uses the same tone as most Indian songs, I always also seem to hear some Sikh prayers done like this. (EG someone says something and someone else repeats what they say with a slightly higher pitch while making a little less noise).
Also compare the way these people use the drums to the what Indians use drums
(Indians-People from India)

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VraiDiouf- I'm a Fulani man from the sahelian region, and in most African and even black music people repeat what the others say one after the other. It is the way of blues music and African rhythm.  In every African country, drums are used. Drums originated from Africa.

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KushaDwipa- Westa African music from Mauritania to Mali and southwards and Indian music from the Punjab share similarities because of the influence of the Moors in the region from over a thousand years ago. Most Indian songs don't sound like this - though thats for sure

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Posted in 2010:
harrubacool- respect to this ancient and wonderful music culture